Edge Returns On WWE Raw, Issues Open Challenge For WrestleMania 38

Hall-of-Famer lays down gauntlet for someone to step up, 'live forever' and fight him.

by Scott Carlson
Edge Raw
WWE.com

Edge returned to Raw Monday night for the first time since Royal Rumble and laid down an unusual challenge for WrestleMania 38.

The Rated-R Superstar traced his own history with WWE's signature event, from being a fan to an unused talent, to "stealing the show" at WM X-Seven, putting Mick Foley through a flaming table at WM 22, and battling the Undertaker at Mania 24. He described this season as a time when his heart rate races and he gets pumped up. Edge said he needs WrestleMania, but Mania needs him as well.

Edge then issued a challenge to the locker room, calling on someone - anyone - to step up and fight him at Mania. He didn't name names, but he promised that whoever wrestles him in six weeks will "live forever."

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The rumor mill has churned out AJ Styles and Austin Theory as potential opponents for Edge. Both would be interesting for different reasons, as AJ/Edge would be something of a fantasy booking, and Theory would be the proverbial up-and-comer challenging a legend.

But then there's Edge's choice of words, saying that whoever fights him will "live forever." That catchphrase was used by Damian Priest for quite a while, and coincidentally, the United States Champion gave a promo Monday night specifically asking for "world champion-calibre" opponents because it's WrestleMania season. Priest himself acknowledged the symmetry:

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Those two promos, combined with a brief backstage encounter between Edge and Priest a while back, could indicate where things are headed. Both men issued open challenges Monday night, so it might only be a matter of time before one accepts the other's offer.

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.