“Here I am, on the road again

There I am, up on the stage

Here I go, playin’ star again

There I go, turn the page”

- Bob Seger

I feel that the aforementioned words that begin my blog fit like a glove on the hand of Adam Copeland, better known to the masses as Edge. And last night, he was up on that stage, the stage that for fourteen years took him on an amazing journey of him living the dream that he so enjoyed.

But last night, he did not play a star; no, he stunned everyone in the WWE Universe by effectively announcing his retirement from an industry that he so truly loved.

His decision was not one that he chose mentally; it was decided for him physically. Days upon days, months upon months, and years upon years of constant pain punishment, and wear and tear while doing what he loved finally turned Edge’s human body of a traffic light from green to red. Oh there were flecks of amber as well.

A surgery here, a surgery there; serious in nature, yet nothing more than a labor of love and determination for Edge to continue on, regardless of being (as he said) on borrowed time. And last night in Bridgeport, Connecticut, there was no more time to borrow; it had run out.

I met Adam for the first time in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on May 10, 1996. He appeared on a live event at the Copps Coliseum, wrestling under the name of Sexton Hardcastle. And after his match against Bob Holly, there was just something about this young man that made you feel that there was something there, something that was worth more than just another one and done situation.

He was eventually signed, came here to Stamford to take part in a training camp, and then on June 22, 1998 made his first appearance on Raw. Who knew then that “you think you know me” would become one of the most recognizable catch phrases ever uttered in WWE!

Through my years of ring announcing, I’ve had any number of special moments to announce. One of them was on July 24, 1999, when Edge won his first major title, the Intercontinental Championship. The prodigal son had returned. He came, he saw, he conquered!

And how fitting that it was in the SkyDome in Toronto, the place where after watching WrestleMania VI that he decided that he was going to do the same thing as what he witnessed on that event.

There are so, so many more accolades too numerous to mention for this most personable individual. To encapsulate everything, one can say that every measure of success that Edge attained through his WWE career was through hard work, dedication, and perseverance; it was well deserved!

Edge’s retirement is one which arguably will be a tough pill to swallow for those who started following WWE during the “Attitude Era”. He entered the battleground as baby during that period of time. He was one of that era’s “own”, and grew up to become one of the most revered superstars ever to lace up a pair of boots in our industry. And to retire as World Heavyweight Champion? Well it doesn’t get any better than that, going out on top!!

Today is a new day for Edge. He has turned the page, and the next chapter of his life has begun. He can go devour that big bowl or two of ice cream. Or as a devout fan of the Foo Fighters, he can put on the headphones and listen to their new release “Wasting Light” for hours on end.

“To the Mighty Fink…”
You know, here in my office at wwe.com I have an action figure of Edge that he signed with the following inscription: “To the Mighty Fink… Truly one of a kind!”

Might I return the favor in kind at this time and say: To my friend Adam Copeland…Truly one of a kind!!!