When Edge made a surprise appearance at SummerSlam 2019, he immediately made headlines because he speared Elias. Edge had retired following WrestleMania 27 due to a neck injury and no one suspected he would be able to return to active competition nine years later.
Many thought Edge was cleared to do the spear, which is why rumors of a comeback followed shortly after the event. But as revealed by Edge on WWE 24, he simply felt the moment.
"Vince and I talked about, maybe I do something on the show. Go out and cut a promo. But, it's WWE, until you're out there in the ring, you don't know if it's going to happen or not," he said. "You have to listen to the audience and know what they are telling you what they want. If you've listened to them enough over the years, you can feel the wave of what they're trying to give you. That was one of those nights. I was there and felt it. It's one of those deals where you just have to go out there and do it. You know your own body, especially when you're a wrestler. I had a weird inkling, just like I had a weird inkling that something was up after WrestleMania 27. I was right there, and it looks like I might be right on this."
The "inkling" Edge had was that he would be able to get cleared to wrestle again.
While speaking to WWE cameras backstage following the spear, Edge said, "I'm sure there's going to be people who are going to be like, 'Why did he do that? Can he do that?' I know what my capabilities are. I've been doing all my own fight scenes for the last eight years. I know what I can do physically. I know where I'm at. I think if I had gone out and started talking....they were there. Let's keep them there and go home."
The moment was so unplanned and reactionary that even Edge's wife Beth Phoenix didn't know it was coming.
"I snuck out in the crowd for what I thought was going to be a promo. I did not expect any physicality. It was one of those wild, unplanned moments. When he came to the back, I can recall, 'What was going through your mind?' We got over it," she said.
In the documentary, fans see Edge greet Phoenix backstage, who looked a little angry and confused at what she just witnessed. She said she wasn't mad, though Edge joked that she would be mad once the cameras weren't rolling.
In an interview with Inside The Ropes, Edge provided more insight into the moment and praised Elias for following the direction and the crowd.
"It wasn't planned, it wasn't mapped out. People said I was cleared. I wasn't cleared. I just felt it and I did it. Thankfully, he's enough of a performer and enough of a pro that he picked up on it and realized what was about to happen," he said.
Elsewhere in the documentary, Edge revealed that following SummerSlam, he was contacted by "another company" about a potential return. You can find Edge's full comment by clicking here.
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