Edge returned to WWE at the 2020 Royal Rumble after nearly a decade away from the ring due to a neck injury.
At the age of 48, Edge's in-ring career is closer to the end than the beginning and he's knows he doesn't have much longer left.
"Won't be ten (years), definitely won't be ten. I doubt it'll be five, it's gonna be before that. I don't even think it's going to be three. I don't know, but I don't think it's going to be that long. I know the window is small," Edge told Steven of Steven's Wrestling Adventure in an interview recorded in summer/fall 2021 when discussing his potential retirement.
Edge was forced to retire in 2011 while he was WWE World Heavyweight Champion due his injuries.
Speaking about his first retirement, Edge said, "It was such a mixed bag of emotions when they told me I had to retire. In a weird way, it made it easier. In a weird way because I wasn't having to make the decision on my own and go, 'How much more do I have left?' That was taken out of the equation. It was still a shock. At that point, I thought, 'We're looking at three years, at the most,' and I'd retire by 40 years old. I was forced to retire at 37 and I didn't get the last three years to try and help some new talent along and I knew that's where I was at in my role. I was champ, but I knew that by younger guys challenging the champ and hanging with the champ, then it would help them going forward and maybe they could learn things like I learned. I look back now and think, 'it all worked out pretty good.' I was disappointed because I was just starting to work with Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre and guys like that and really enjoying it and their enthusiasm and excitement. I didn't get to see that through and that was disappointing to me. I was also in a lot of pain. I didn't fully grasp how much pain I was in until I got that second neck surgery and I realized I was in a lot rougher shape. There was a bit of relief."
Edge said that he was feeling great after the second surgery. Before the second surgery, he said he would have to lie down every couple of hours due to the loud noises in his head.
"As I started feeling good and attacking life again, eight years later, nine years later, I started realizing that it was a possibility to come back and finally get that last three years and try and help young talent on the cusp, teach them a couple little things. To do it against a whole new era, to get in there with Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and these guys that don't need my help but it's exciting to get in there with them and try to hang with them in this stage of my life and career. I know it's not going to last for long and I only have so much in the tank to be able to do that. I want to get out before you start going, 'his tank is getting low.' I want to get out while people still have fond memories," he said.
Edge was victorious at WrestleMania, defeating AJ Styles in singles competition. He is currently aligned with Damian Priest, who distracted Styles at WrestleMania.
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