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Edge returned at the Royal Rumble and it was utterly fantastic. The man hasn’t wrestled in almost 10 years due to spinal stenosis. It was a reminder we can still have those moments that remind us why we love this.
It’s also a reminder we can never fully take wrestlers at their word.
Because about a month ago, when there was word of Edge getting cleared to return to wrestle, he tweeted this:
Still not and still not. Period.
— Adam (Edge) Copeland (@EdgeRatedR) December 20, 2019
It was very vague, but given the timing, it was pretty clear what he was referring to. He later on wondered where these crazy rumors were coming from.
But he’s not alone in this. This is a business of workers and when there’s something they don’t want you to know about gets out, more often than not, they’re going to try to work you.
Like when there was rumor Dustin Rhodes was going to leave WWE and go to AEW, he tweeted this:
I am still under contract with the @wwe , and everything that is being said online is just talk, and complete bullshit. This is exactly why I hate smart marks!
— Dustin Rhodes (@dustinrhodes) March 28, 2019
Of course, he did end up in AEW so I guess he... loves smart marks?
How about when word of John Morrison coming back to WWE started floating around?
Thanks for the heads up @PWInsidercom please lemme know when I’m signed with AEW- or ROH
— John Morrison (@TheRealMorrison) September 27, 2019
There’s plenty more. Like when Kassius Ohno railed against “irresponsible journalism“ when reports came out to him going back to NXT came out, something that he did soon after. Shotzi Blackheart and Keith Lee also tried to cast doubt on reports of their WWE signings. It happens all the time.
And listen, it’s not even a bad thing. While I’m not a fan when there’s a righteousness to it, I totally respect trying to keep up the lie to make the surprise better. And someone like Edge is going to get asked about it and he has to say something. He’s not going to say “Yup, I’m coming back.”
It’s just a reminder for all of us that we should take denials from wrestlers about these sort of things with a big ol’ grain of salt. Because it’s part of the business.