Edge Broke Down to Tears After Vince McMahon asked him to retire from WWE

The WWE Hall of Famer Edge has been one of the most influential superstars in the industry and is known for his heel persona in the company. Edge was an attractive heel during the Ruthless Aggression Era and was one of the top talents during that time having feuds with John Cena, Batista, The Undertaker, and many more veterans.

In his illustrious 25-year career in the WWE, he held several championships and won the Royal Rumble twice in 2010 and 2021. He won the Rumble match in 2021 by entering at number one and outlasted 29 other superstars to do so. His career has seen many ups and downs but the Ultimate Opportunist has remained consistent in his dedication and passion for professional wrestling.

One of his historic lows occurred in 2011 when he was forced to retire due to several injuries. After making a shocking return at the 2010 Royal Rumble, The Rated R Superstar suffered several injuries on his neck which ultimately saw his departure. Fans were left in shock after seeing Edge retire in such fashion leaving his legacy behind at just 37 years of age.

It seems that Edge experienced the same thing when he first learned of his retirement. The 50-year-old received a phone call from Vince McMahon, who went over Edge’s reports and informed him of his retirement. During his podcast with Chris Van Vliet, Edge talked about his immediate reaction after receiving Vince’s phone call in 2011.

He stated how he felt sorry for himself and had a cry after hearing the news. “I was surrounded by my four dogs and I just sat down and felt a little sorry for myself. Cried because it’s the only thing I ever wanted to do.”, stated the AEW Superstar.

No one expected Edge to retire at such a young age and at the time of his retirement in 2011, Edge was at the peak of his career. He was the World Heavyweight Champion at the time and had just defeated Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania 27. Unfortunately, his career took a long hiatus in which he suffered tremendous pain from his triple fusion neck injury.

Edge’s multiple neck injuries forced him to retire from the WWE in 2011

When Edge announced his retirement on the April 11, 2011, broadcast of RAW, it shook the entire WWE Universe. The Ultimate Opportunist revealed that despite undergoing surgery for a broken neck, he was still in pain and could not feel his arms. The Rated R Superstar underwent several more tests, and after the findings, medical professionals advised him that one more stroke could cause paralysis or even death.

Edge was forced to retire from in-ring competition as a result of these reports. The Rated R Superstars stated how he realized he didn’t have any choice but to retire after receiving Vince’s phone call. “It wasn’t easy, but pretty quickly I realized that if I had no choice at all about it, I had to wrap my mind around it.”stated the 50-year-old superstar.

In this emotional bonus scene from #WWE24, @EdgeRatedR gave a special farewell on a tour of Europe after his retirement announcement in 2011.

Watch WWE 24 EDGE: The Second Mountain anytime on demand @WWENetwork. pic.twitter.com/A0U3TbXTOi

– WWE (@WWE) 8 April 2020

The series of operations that followed after his retirement were painful for the WWE Hall of Fame. During the podcast, Edge revealed how he felt like a hot bottle of water was released inside his head after the surgeries. During that time, Edge acted in many movies and series adding more to his legendary career. However, his sheer focus and dedication has done the unthinkable in 2020.

Edge made a shocking return at the 2020 WWE Royal Rumble PLE

The Rated R Superstar has been absent from professional wrestling for over nine years after forcing his retirement in 2011 due to neck problems. But at the 2020 Royal Rumble, Edge unexpectedly returned to the Stamford-based promotion.

He returned, entering at number 21 in the annual 30-Man Royal Rumble match. Fans were ecstatic to see Edge perform again, and his return to the event elicited one of the biggest pops in recent memory. Despite making it to the top three and throwing bad spears the entire match, Drew McIntyre won the match.

By eliminating Randy Orton in the 2021 Royal Rumble match, the Rated R Superstar was able to make up for his loss at the 2020 edition. Along with Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns, Edge went on to headline WrestleMania that year. Without question, Edge had an incredible final run in the WWE. Edge really couldn’t have asked for anything better.

But The Rated R Superstar called it quits on his 25-year tenure with the Stamford-based organization shortly after his last match in the WWE with Sheamus. There were rumors that he would eventually retire from wrestling, and many people made assumptions about it. Remarkably, he debuted for AEW at WrestleDream in 2023 shocking fans.