When Edge returned at Royal Rumble, it was nothing like anything I’d ever witnessed before. Superstars return from injury all the time, and legends of the ring come back for a two-minute promo, but this was different – this meant so much more. The crowd at Minute Maid Park exploded into a rapturous applause as a euphoric and emotional Edge burst through the curtain, clearly overwhelmed by the moment, and it’s understandable why.

As shown in the documentary, Edge received surgery for a broken neck back in 2003. He was able to wrestle for another eight years, but the work he was putting in started to take more of a toll on him. Noticing something was wrong, the doctors within WWE did some tests, deeming it of vital importance that he needed to retire. After WrestleMania XXVII, Adam Copeland addressed the crowd on RAW and informed them he had to leave the wrestling business forever.

.@EdgeRatedR shares his unrivaled passion for hockey and the Toronto @MapleLeafs in this bonus scene from #WWE24: Edge: The Second Mountain. @WWENetwork @NHL pic.twitter.com/T6w222f1ga

— WWE (@WWE) April 6, 2020

It was heartbreaking to watch. This was a guy that had achieved so much in the ring, winning multiple belts and bringing so much character and heart to everything he did. Watching as he teared up is probably the saddest thing I’ve ever witnessed in a WWE ring. It was over, forever. The R-rated Superstar was done with wrestling.

The new WWE 24 documentary was originally supposed to follow Edge after he stepped out of the ring. It was about his acting career, staring in shows like Haven and Vikings. It was about his two daughters, Ruby and Lyric, and it was about forging his own path in the wake of his retirement. However, as Edge says himself, everything snowballed after he received his second neck surgery.

He began to feel normal again. His neck was now like that of an 18-year old. He did all of his own stunts in the various films and TV shows he was making, and after a nasty fall off a mountain bike whilst filming one of Seamus’ ‘Celtic Warrior Workouts,’ the cogs in his head started to turn. He attended SummerSlam in 2019 with the intention to do a promo in the ring, seeing as it was at Scotiabank Arena, a poignant location for Edge in the heart of Toronto, Canada.

The doc shows how he felt at that moment – how the memories of the arena came flooding back – and what happened on that night would change his future forever. As he stood face to face with Elias in the ring, he didn’t grab a microphone. He wasn’t going to say anything. Action speak louder than words, and Edge knew that. Instead, he delivered a spear. It was a move so symbolic that signified nine years of being absent – nine years since retiring forever – had all led to the miraculous return of Edge.

Much of the documentary hit home about the importance of family. When Edge was given a special box (which I won’t ruin for you here) by his auntie, it was incredibly poignant and emotional for him, and as Beth spoke about the impact his mother had on him, it provided a lot of rawness to his return. We all knew how important Edge coming back was, but we didn’t understand how meaningful it was to his whole family.

Learning about how Edge and Beth Phoenix started their relationship was great. They’re both very much in love and her support for her husband provided a welcomed fragility and vulnerability we don’t assume a Superstar could have. In fact, the humanising it did – both for Edge and his family – and the wrestling business as a whole, was a much-needed focus. Seeing how happy Edge was, whether talking to guys at the performance centre or spending time with his kids, showed just how much of a great guy he is. This miracle couldn’t have happened to a nicer person.

Perhaps the most emotional segment of the documentary came when it reached the point of Edge walking through the curtain at the Royal Rumble. All the hard work he’d put in to come back, all the pain he’d suffered after the death of his mother, all the surgery, the doubt, and the difficult barricades he’d had to brake – everything went away as he felt the buzz of the crowd react to his theme music. Edge was back, and he was finally going to retire on his own terms.

Edge: The Second Mountain was a tale of redemption – of grit. Fighting through all the pain to return to the world you love, even if you think you might never miss it when you leave. We saw a man defy the odds and deliver the greatest Royal Rumble moment of all time. We saw a beautiful relationship in all its glory, through the highs and lows, and what we got in the end was a powerful documentary about one of the finest Superstars ever to step foot in the squared circle.

?????@EdgeRatedR drives @RandyOrton through a table!! #LastManStanding #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/zqMimJKXo3

— WWE (@WWE) April 6, 2020

At WrestleMania 36, Edge finally returned to singles action after almost 10 long years of asking “what if?” He went 36 minutes in a Last Man Standing Match against his former friend and now bitter rival, Randy Orton. It told a tale of anguish, love, and jealousy, with every moment played out in painstakingly beautiful fashion. Orton brought out the best in Edge, and Edge looked like he’d never been away. Whatever comes next, I’m so grateful Edge is back, and that he has the opportunity to retire when he wants to retire.

All images and video courtesy of WWE