Royal Rumble Gives WrestleMania an Edge: Unchecked

Edge winning the 2021 Royal Rumble increases WrestleMania hype

The Royal Rumble gives WrestleMania an Edge, as he was both the number one entrant and the top choice the WWE had to be the last man standing and headline its biggest event.

Your 2021 Men’s #RoyalRumble Winner:

EDGE

On this Day. He’s Closer to the Ultimate Opportunity

The Third man To Run it from #1 to #WrestleMania!!!! pic.twitter.com/UdG84RNDwI

— Captain Cristobal (@CRS_One) February 1, 2021

And I don’t believe either die-hards or casual fans can be upset that he got the win. For one, the WWE has a marquee card to sell and a new partnership with Peacock, so someone with name recognition made sense.

On this day, we see clearly. #WrestleMania #RoyalRumble @EdgeRatedR pic.twitter.com/qASYcas95l

— WWE WrestleMania (@WrestleMania) February 1, 2021

While at the same time, though they went with the returning older star, it’s not like Edge is back with no purpose. He was forced to retire due to injury and never lost his championship, so becoming a repeat Royal Rumble winner, 11 years to the day after he did it the first time, gives him a readymade WrestleMania storyline.

11 years to the day, @EdgeRatedR WINS his second #RoyalRumble Match! pic.twitter.com/1n1O2b6E4M

— WWE (@WWE) February 1, 2021

I also thought they did a good job of storytelling in the midst of the 30-man match, from his reunion with Christian to preventing a cheap Randy Orton victory.

Edge and Christian in the same ring together in 2021#RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/9KMXxqCkw2

— B/R Wrestling (@BRWrestling) February 1, 2021

Then there’s the fact that I personally find the Royal Rumble itself to be amongst the greatest ideas ever conceived. As for WrestleMania, either Drew McIntyre or Roman Reigns would make for a strong matchup, but sign me up for an Edge-Reigns program. The biggest star and best heel in the business currently taking on the returning vet with built-in rooting interest on his side.

And both those guys could sell the hell out of that on the mic and in the ring. To me, that’s a match for a general audience, featuring the Rated-R Superstar.