After 19 years of going through hell and back several times over & getting every body part injured, bruised or broken, WWE’s World Heavyweight Champion Edge (real name Adam Copeland) announced his retirement from professional wrestling on the 11th of April. On that day’s episode of RAW in Bridgeport, CT, Edge announced that he had been diagnosed with spinal stenosis and would therefore follow his doctor’s advice and retire from professional wrestling, vacating the World Heavyweight Championship in the process.

Leading up to this announcement, he had reflected upon his previous neck injury where his cervical vertebrae had been fused, and mentioned feeling numbness in his arms and losing feeling in them. This was diagnosed as cervical spinal stenosis. Ironically, just about a week before that, Edge had defeated Alberto del Rio i a itle match and defended his belt at Wrestlemania 27. Even more ironically just 2 days before this announcement, I had posted a video of his appearance on George Stroumbolopulous’s talk show, which was shot just a few days before Wrestlemania 27.

Overall, Edge has won 31 Championships in WWE, including eleven World Championships (four WWE Championships and a record seven World Heavyweight Championships), five Intercontinental Championships, one United States Championship, 14 Tag Team Championships (a record 12 World Tag Team Titles and two WWE Tag Team Championships), and is one of two wrestlers (Kurt Angle being the other) who has held every currently active male Championship in WWE. He has also won the 2001 King of the Ring tournament, the inaugural Money in the Bank ladder match in 2005, and the Royal Rumble match in 2010 making him the only wrestler in history to win all three all those accomplishments.

Thanks for all the memories and we wish you best of luck in whatever you do next. Here is his retirement announcement.