During the 2020 Royal Rumble, WWE legend Edge made his triumphant return to the ring after nearly a decade away. Though he didn't win the championship, he made an impact on viewers, who wondered what else they would see from the wrestling veteran. Now, a year later, Edge has declared his participation in the 2021 Royal Rumble, just in time for the new WWE streaming deal with Peacock.
After suffering a neck injury in 2011, Edge (real name Adam Joseph Copeland) made a surprise appearance during the 2020 Royal Rumble, kicking off a run where he participated in several events like Raw and WrestleMania. Unfortunately, he contracted another injury during this time, sidelining him for 7 months. He then showed up on a recent episode of Raw to officially announce his entry into Royal Rumble 2021.
Edge did a respectful job during Royal Rumble 2020, where he managed to eliminate 3 opponents before falling to fellow wrestler Roman Reigns. Much of it kicked off plenty of wrestling-style drama, such as when Randy Orton attacked his former teammate Edge during the following week's Raw for his defeat at Royal Rumble. After a back and forth feud between the two, Edge eventually suffered from a torn triceps. After that, he sat on the bench and recovered for 7 months, until he returned to make his announcement.
Edge joins wrestling stars like The Miz and Shinsuke Nakamura when he takes the stage this year. "I need to win the Royal Rumble," he said during his rather impassioned announcement, "I need to main event Wrestlemania, and I need to take back what I never lost! What is mine!" The intensity behind his declaration of participation will likely further excite fans who have been eagerly awaiting his subsequent return. Wrestling sure has a penchant for the strange and wacky sometimes.
Wrestling makes for a rather cathartic form of entertainment, especially in times like these. In a world where it's dangerous to even go outside, the number of wrestling fans has likely gone up as people discover the psychological value of watching muscular people hit each other. The dramatic storylines are just an extra little cherry on top. Plus it often helps that wrestling as a genre is becoming more inclusive. So, events like Royal Rumble that serve as the violent culmination of overarching stories are sure to give audiences a particularly potent dose of that satisfaction they get from a regular wrestling match.
Of course, there will always be detractors. The argument that "wrestling is fake" certainly has its merits, but so are most stories. Books, shows, movies, games, are all largely made up (and there is a bit of crossover between video games and wrestling). But just like professional wrestling, people don't enjoy them for their authenticity. They enjoy them for what they are, and wrestling is a satisfying slugfest.
Royal Rumble 2021 will take place Saturday, January 31.
Source: GameSpot