The True Story Of How WWE Nearly F*cked Up Edge

Feb 17, 2022 February 17th, 2022

He might have been sent back to Memphis or the various northeast indies that acted as "developmental" at the time. The WWF also had a loose working relationship with ECW, to which Brakkus was banished, but that particular fanbase would have eaten Riot & Rage alive for being a searingly fake and cynical attempt to tap into the alternative counter-culture.

What about WCW?

Edge evolved into a super-worker eventually, but he wasn't world class in 1998 - and in 1998, world class talents weren't promoted with much conviction in a Hulk Hogan-controlled company that literally branded those talents "vanilla midgets" in canon. Edge was tall, of course, but he wasn't Hulk Hogan or Goldberg, so he was f*cked. In reality, Don Callis dreamed up the name 'Edge' after listening to a radio station with the word "EDGE" in the branding.

And that was that, pretty much: Edge was christened with a generic, inoffensive name that even he didn't get - but one that he did make famous.

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Michael Sidgwick

Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!

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