Edge Should Have Had a WWE Title Reign in a JBL kind of fashion.

[cmedge]

The Rated R Superstar Edge one of the best heels in the 21st century so far. I remember it like yesterday when Edge won the WWE Title for the first time. That was when The Edge character was really getting good with the ratings improving and the fans going crazy. Edge looked like a STAR. Edge was a great WWE Champion. But obviously the WWE seen it as "filler" and passed the WWE Title back to Cena a month later. I thought the WWE dropped the ball on Edge at that time and he would have done well if he held the WWE title in a JBL type fashion for 8 months dominating the show for months. Edge was really shinning as champ when he had Lita. He was looking very strong. While Cena in 2006 was getting booed and was losing popularity so I did not see why we didn't have a Rated R Champion dominating 2006 which happened to be a very bad year in Wrestling.

So answer these questions.


1) We're you happy when Edge shockingly won the WWE Title?
2) We're you angry when Edge lost the WWE Title?
3) How long do you feel Edge should have held the WWE Title for?
4) Who should have Edge lost the title to?
5) What did you think of Edge in 2006?
6) Who was a better champ Edge or Cena?

 

[Defekt]

The timing was just bad. Cena and Batista were both given long reigns to establish themselves as the faces of the company. The WWE was more interested in building Cena than they were Edge.

When Edge finally cashed the briefcase in, Wrestlemania was right around the corner.

John Cena was the company's biggest face, and HHH was the biggest heel. A match between the two for the title was a much bigger money maker than Edge vs Cena would have been at that time.

PPV's were still brand exclusive back then, so Cena had to win the title back at the Royal Rumble (the FEB PPV was Smackdown's).

Edge was one of my favorites in 2006, and I was happy when he won the title. I was pretty pissed when he lost it only a few weeks later, but I understood why. In the long run, I don't think it really mattered. Edge got a second run later in the year, and became a legend anyway.

 

[Khalifa]

I am pretty mixed on it. Sure I think Edge deserved a long title reign, but to start off his first world title reign with the gimmick that he had would not of worked. He was the ultimate opportunist, taking any opportunity he could. So the MITB cash in was a good way to start off that lil' gimmick he had going. To the lose the title 3 weeks later was a little stiff but a short reign was necessary. Especially when you had the chance to have Cena the biggest face in the company go up against HHH the biggest heel headline WrestleMania.

So having him lose the title before Mania was what had to happen, especially when it had the chance of him furthering his gimmick as the ultimate opportunist further down the track, which was not only good for his gimmick, but even better for his career.

 

[DeathClutch]

1) We're you happy when Edge shockingly won the WWE Title?
Yes, though Edge's title win as all part of making Cena look better and re-establish him in the eyes of the fans who'd started to turn against him.

2) We're you angry when Edge lost the WWE Title?
Extremely, though Edge went onto WrestleMania 22 and had the better match than Cena.

3) How long do you feel Edge should have held the WWE Title for?
Shame WWE RAW didn't have a PPV between Rumble and Mania as that would of been a decent PPV for him to drop it back to Cena.

4) Who should have Edge lost the title to?
Cena, simply because Cena was the biggest face in WWE and whom better to have end the reign of the self-confessed Guns n Roses of WWE?

5) What did you think of Edge in 2006?
Best guy in wrestling, period!

6) Who was a better champ Edge or Cena?
Collectively I've enjoyed Edge's reigns better than Cena's.

7) Do I ask to many questions?
YES!!!!!!

 

[Krossbreed]

i dont see the facination with edge...i really dont...i think him going in the hof is a joke let alone this early. short title reigns work best for him but ive never watch raw or smackdown to see edge. is that who the kids get in this era ...edge? jake the snake should be the main star of the hof...as a matter of fact wwe should not make the hof about getting ratings...its about the die hard wrestlers and wrestling fans...u wanna raise some eyebrows? induct jake the snake, macho man, ultimate warrior, sting,

 

[The Deadly Viper]

1) We're you happy when Edge shockingly won the WWE Title?
Absolutely, although imo it was clear at the time that he was just used to boost Cena.
2) We're you angry when Edge lost the WWE Title?
To be honest yes and no, this is because it was to boost Cena so I expected him to lose it soon, however I think it was just unfortunate timing for him to win the title.
3) How long do you feel Edge should have held the WWE Title for?
As long as he did, because HHH Cena would've made more money than Edge Cena
4) Who should have Edge lost the title to?
Cena as he was the face of the company then, so why not.
5) What did you think of Edge in 2006?
An amazing competitor but the strap got put on him at the wrong time.
6) Who was a better champ Edge or Cena?
I prefer Edge over Cena, as even though Edge's are shorter, he did a lot more to entertain me.

 

[King Patrick Star]

1) We're you happy when Edge shockingly won the WWE Title?
Yes!!

2) We're you angry when Edge lost the WWE Title?
Yes!!

3) How long do you feel Edge should have held the WWE Title for?
I think he should have held the Title for at least a month more, dropping it back to Cena a week before or a week after No Way Out (A Smackdown only PPV).

4) Who should have Edge lost the title to?
I just said Cena.

5) What did you think of Edge in 2006?
I’ve always thought of Edge as a great SuperStar. I’d even go as far as saying he’s one of the greatest, accomplishing the Double Triple Crown and being the only SuperStar to win the Royal Rumble, King Of The Ring, and Money In The Bank. No one else can say they did ALL that, and at this point in time, no one else can.

6) Who was a better champ Edge or Cena?
I think it’s a tie…but if the question is which Spinner Belt was better, I’m going to go with the Rated R Spinner Belt. HAHA!!

 

[Cabana]

1) We're you happy when Edge shockingly won the WWE Title?

Sure, but I wasn't all that shocked.

2) Were you angry when Edge lost the WWE Title?

I wouldn't say angry, but a bit disappointed. I thought (and still think) it was something of a waste to allow Edge's first title run to be so brief, especially in light of the near-decade of buildup. An analogous situation might be Bret Hart, who took just as long to climb the mountain. It was a *big deal* when the homegrown guy got the big belt, and his title reign was commensurate.

I think Edge's title reign could and should have been stretched out. He was very hot at the time, especially coming off of the Hardy/Lita feud. The was so much potential for establishing him as a younger main event heel, and while that eventually happened, I do think it took longer than necessary. First world title runs should be *BIG*. Hotshotting the belt off of someone takes away from their believability as a top dog by a little bit.

3) How long do you feel Edge should have held the WWE Title for?

This is difficult only because I think Edge basically shouldn't have gotten the belt when he did. Generally, I'm a fan of lengthy title reigns. It improves buzz when the title does change hands, and the longer someone is champion, the more it elevates them. However, given what happened, I think things happened as they should have.

4) Who should have Edge lost the title to?

Cena. He was still being built into an uberface, and it was necessary for him to have the title for his neoHogan gimmick to get over.

5) What did you think of Edge in 2006?

I frankly didn't think he felt like a main eventer. He sure was a lot of fun, though.

6) Who was a better champ Edge or Cena?

Cena, by a country mile. I don't like the guy, but he's someone who *felt* like a champion on Day One. That's a hard thing to do, and Edge definitely did not. Neither did JBL, or most other new champions for that matter. It's why they need lengthy title reigns. Someone really has to fit the monster profile (winning, dominance, inevitability) to make their first title run feel more like a coronation (fulfilling destiny) than a new achievement. Granted, the latter works very well for some guys (HBK, Benoit or currently, Daniel Bryan.)

 

[SPR*VLN]

1) We're you happy when Edge shockingly won the WWE Title?
I was really happy. Dude was too deserving and in my opinion took way too long, because I assumed after his 2001 KOTR win over Angle, and the fact he already had main event potiential during the Invasion storyline.

2) We're you angry when Edge lost the WWE Title?
Not really. He really was over enough not to even need it. Cena was too, but that was the guy of the company they were tryna push.

3) How long do you feel Edge should have held the WWE Title for?
In my opinion he should of had it for at least a month.

4) Who should have Edge lost the title to?
Cena because they worked really well together.

5) What did you think of Edge in 2006?
I liked Edge way back in Edge & Christian, so I was drooling over him being a main event player.

6) Who was a better champ Edge or Cena?
Edge because he didnt have the belt all day everyday.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I actually remember being incredibly upset when Edge won the title by cashing in on Cena, at the time. Cena had just retained in the Elimination Chamber against guys like Carlito and Masters who I did NOT want to see win. Then along comes Edge and cashes in his briefcase, setting the standard for just about every cash-in afterward. Looking back on it now, I find it to be one of the coolest moments in recent years. Cena is my favorite wrestler though and at the time I rooted for him no matter who he faced, so I was automatically biased against Edge that night. You can probably guess that I was happy to see Cena get the title back.

Edge's first reign was long enough. It honestly fit his character better to get so many short title reigns. He was the Ultimate Opportunist. With a character like that it's easier to get away with booking him into many shorter title reigns rather than a couple of long ones. He lost the title to the right guy. Trips VS Cena was bigger than Edge VS Cena could have been at the time. If Edge had cashed in during the fall instead and gotten a little more over as a heel champion, then a longer reign and a Wrestlemania main event against Cena would have made more sense. We still got a Wrestlemania match for the World Championship between them a couple of years later in 2009 at least.

I was starting to like Edge in 2006. I really liked the Edge & Christian tag team, but didn't like Edge as much as a singles competitor until around summer of 2006 when he beat RVD for the WWE Championship, that's when I really became a huge Edge fan. He was on his way to becoming one of the top heels, and his special Rated R Spinner belt was rather amusing. I'd still say that Cena was the better champion though because of his dominance at the top. Edge was always best as a heel chasing an opportunity at championship gold, but he had some good world title reigns. His best was the 100+ day long reign in 2007-2008 when he held it for many months up until Wrestlemania 24 against the Undertaker.

 

[Mr. HD]

1) We're you happy when Edge shockingly won the WWE Title?

I couldn't even tell you. I was confused back then. Part of me felt bad for Cena, but the other part felt so happy for Edge as he deserved that WWE Title. I was definitely shocked when it happened. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that done before so it was definitely shocking.


2) We're you angry when Edge lost the WWE Title?

A little bit. I was confused as to why Edge dropped the belt so fast the way he did to Cena. Edge was on a roll as Champion. His Rated R Character took off, and the man had a Live Sex Celebration on RAW! A Live Sex Celebration! Granted it was softcore, but still.

But now, I kinda see why they had to. They would've missed out a potential HUGE Mania feud in Cena vs Triple H. Besides, Edge's match with Mick Foley truly sent him to the top. He was catapulted into Main Event status after that match and never looked back.


3) How long do you feel Edge should have held the WWE Title for?

I felt like he should've held it up until WrestleMania and defended it in a Triple Threat against John Cena and Triple H, but looking at it now, it was a smart decision to do what they ended up doing.

His title reign in late 2006 was better anyway.


4) Who should have Edge lost the title to?

John Cena. There was no other face on RAW that was as big as him to challenge Edge.


5) What did you think of Edge in 2006?

Like I said, I think The Rated R Era was better in 2006 anyway. First of all, it was longer and his character had come a long way since his first title reign. 2006 was Edge's Summer.

He won the title in that Triple Threat match against Cena and RVD, and successfully defended it in a great match IMO, against RVD at Vengeance.

His promos got better and better with more emotion, passion, and anger. You could actually believe that he truly hated Cena and that he was driving him crazy. The man even went to John Cena's house and bitch slapped his father.

Then, just when you thought that Cena was going to get the belt back at SummerSlam, Edge gets the win and keeps his title.

He and Lita were the new generation McMahon-Helmsley Era only without control of RAW. Lita was Women's Champion and Edge was the WWE Champion.

Summer 2006 truly was Rated R.

His feud with Cena, IMO, was Feud of the Year. From their great match at Summerslam to their TLC Match at Unforgiven. This feud was good for both men.

For Edge, it brought out a different side of him. The edgy, bad boy, truly Rated R persona and Cena stopped cutting unfunny promos, started kicking Edge's ass, throwing him into the Long Island Sound, jumping him in his Hotel Room, etc.


6) Who was a better champ Edge or Cena?

As much as I REALLY Love Edge, it has to be Cena. He's the top face of the company, held the belt so many times, and his character and popularity have grown to enormous heights. Edge had that one GREAT year, but Cena's career overall has been better and he hasn't even shown signs of age, or slowing down. When you look back on both men years from now, you're gonna say that Cena had the better career.

I will say this though to defend my boy, Edge's ONE good reign as the top Heel on RAW, was better than almost all of Cena's Title reigns collectively. That reign, that year alone propelled him as being one of the top heels in WWE History, IMO.

EDIT

I HATE double posting, but I realized I made a mistake. It was RVD that defended the belt against Edge at Vengeance and Edge won the title in the Triple Threat a few weeks later.

 

[PlayTheGame]

I actually remember being incredibly upset when Edge won the title by cashing in on Cena, at the time. Cena had just retained in the Elimination Chamber against guys like Carlito and Masters who I did NOT want to see win. Then along comes Edge and cashes in his briefcase, setting the standard for just about every cash-in afterward. Looking back on it now, I find it to be one of the coolest moments in recent years. Cena is my favorite wrestler though and at the time I rooted for him no matter who he faced, so I was automatically biased against Edge that night. You can probably guess that I was happy to see Cena get the title back.

Edge's first reign was long enough. It honestly fit his character better to get so many short title reigns. He was the Ultimate Opportunist. With a character like that it's easier to get away with booking him into many shorter title reigns rather than a couple of long ones. He lost the title to the right guy. Trips VS Cena was bigger than Edge VS Cena could have been at the time. If Edge had cashed in during the fall instead and gotten a little more over as a heel champion, then a longer reign and a Wrestlemania main event against Cena would have made more sense. We still got a Wrestlemania match for the World Championship between them a couple of years later in 2009 at least.

I was starting to like Edge in 2006. I really liked the Edge & Christian tag team, but didn't like Edge as much as a singles competitor until around summer of 2006 when he beat RVD for the WWE Championship, that's when I really became a huge Edge fan. He was on his way to becoming one of the top heels, and his special Rated R Spinner belt was rather amusing. I'd still say that Cena was the better champion though because of his dominance at the top. Edge was always best as a heel chasing an opportunity at championship gold, but he had some good world title reigns. His best was the 100+ day long reign in 2007-2008 when he held it for many months up until Wrestlemania 24 against the Undertaker.

I think Dagger and Khalifa put it best. To address the title of the thread "Edge should have had a WWE Title Reign Like JBL's"... Did he deserve it? Would I have liked to see it? Would it have been entertaining? Yes to all three. But, for some reason, I'm glad they didn't go that route with him, nor would I have really wanted them to. As Dagger pointed out (and I was going to make this point too), it actually made sense for Edge's character as the "Ultimate Opportunist" to win/lose the title often, accumulating multiple, shorter title reigns. In fact, he might be one of the few rare wrestlers where booking-wise, all those reigns actually made sense. I'll go even farther: I'd say all those reigns work better for Edge than they would for ANY other superstar that I can think of. It just fits with him. Furthermore, besides the fact that it fit perfectly with his character, Edge was a GREAT transitional heel champion, meaning that it often worked out that he'd win the title the PPV just before WM just to drop it to a top face there. He seemed to be their go-to guy to do this with, and because of his character, it was totally believable. He was an asset in that way. It's better that they never gave him a JBL-like reign. It would've contradicted his character a bit and been out of place. Also, it could've made all of the shorter reigns look flukey by contrast. Edge's reigns were handled properly.

 

[SacredMesa]

1) We're you happy when Edge shockingly won the WWE Title?
Extremely. I was a big Edge fan since he started to entering with the brood, E&C his time against Angle, becoming the Rated R Superstar and going crazy. I loved the guy and was thrilled to see him finally get the title.

2) We're you angry when Edge lost the WWE Title?
Furious. Much like I was when Cristian lost 2 days after winning it. You don't build someone for a decade only to have their first title reign last less than a month.

3) How long do you feel Edge should have held the WWE Title for?
8 months to a year. At the time he first won it the Ultimate Opportunist gimik hadn't really settled in and it would of been possible to still use that with him as champion. He doesn't have to win a title every time he takes advantage of an opportunity.

4) Who should have Edge lost the title to?
Cena but what would of done was give Edge a damn strong title run and make him look like there was finally someone Cena couldn't over come. Have him beat Cena in the 1st rematch and then screw him out of other rematch opportunities, beat HHH, Orton, HBK etc etc while having Lita holding the womans title. Have both of them getting involved in each others matches to retain and just make them look like the damn strongest thing in wrestling. For most of this title run have them screwing Cena out of #1 contender shots so fans keep hating him more and build him up as someone Cena can't get to not because of raw strength but because he out thinks Cena. Once all this is done finally have Cena over come all this, potentially at the Royal Rumble, and then have Edge drop the title to Cena at Wrestlemania. Thats what I honestly would of loved to see and I feel it would of really freshened up the WWE at a time when it was so stale as to be unwatchable.

5) What did you think of Edge in 2006?
Only reason I watched WWE this year was Edge and Lita as Christian had left for TNA around this time. He was the only thing the company had to offer that was worth a damn.

6) Who was a better champ Edge or Cena?
Edge and it isn't even close. Cena was suppose to be this awesome face that everyone wanted to see win but I remember a ton of times when something horrible would happen to him and the fans would cheer it or berrate Cena. Hell I remember when in Cena's own home town Orton punted his dad, and instead of the fans being horrified by this they all chanted "you can't wrestle" at Cena. If you are the face you should be entertaining and be able to please the fans. Cena simply couldn't.

Edge by contrast did something that as far as I remember only one other person succeeded at. He was so evil as a heel he became cool and people started to love that. The last time we saw someone like that it was Stone Cold Steve Austin, the only difference was WWE got behind Stone Cold at the right time and pushed him like crazy and the rest is history. Edge had that chance but WWE completely fumbled on what would of been long term greatness for their company in favor of short term pay off with Cena vs HHH. Even with that fumble Edge went on to the point of legend in 2006 and he continued with that through-out his career.

I believe when people look back on this era they are going to look at Edge and say "damn I wish I could of seen him" and look at Cena 06 forward and say "ROFLMAO WTF where they thinking with this guy" especially if they see the potential Cena had as a rapper.