WWE's 15 Hottest Stars Of The Summer Since 2001

10. Edge - 2006

Edge lita
WWE.com

Edge had a pretty rocky summer in 2005 during his very real rivalry with Matt Hardy, though he didn't start to come into his own as a singles competitor until the following year.

At the onset of 2006, he captured the WWE Championship in controversial fashion by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase. Sure, his initial title reign was short-lived, but he reclaimed that top spot only a few months later by beating Rob Van Dam to regain the gold. RVD was primed to have a breakout summer in 2006, but due to a suspension, Edge ended up taking the ball and running with it himself.

If fans were uncertain of Edge as WWE champion before, there surely weren't any doubts by the time the 2006 summer season concluded. With the lovely Lita by his side, he ran Raw with the title in tow and knocked off Cena at every turn, including in his "home town" (he's actually from West Newbury, MA) of Boston at SummerSlam.

Edge was able to solidify himself as a top-tier talent that summer, though it is worth questioning whether he would have been allotted those same opportunities had RVD not screwed up when he did.

Contributor
Contributor

Since 2008, Graham has been a diehard pro wrestling fan and, in 2010, he combined his passions for WWE and writing when he joined Bleacher Report. Equipped with a master's in journalism, Graham has contributed to WhatCulture, FanSided's Daily DDT, Sports Betting Dime, and GateHouse Media. Along the way, he has conducted interviews with wrestling superstars like Chris Jericho, Edge, Goldberg, Christian, Diamond Dallas Page, Jim Ross, Adam Cole, Tessa Blanchard, Ryback, and Nick Aldis among others.