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Blogs, and articles galore have been written about CM Punk as WWE Money in the Bank was scheduled to be his last official day with the WWE or so it seemed.

I admit I wasn’t the biggest fan of his, but over the past couple of years, I started to appreciate his work, both in the ring, and on the mic. He definitely will be missed, and I look forward to his return. However, what I will be talking about in this blog is a little tribute and an update on the man who won the very first Money in the Bank Ladder Match, EDGE.

As most wrestling fans are aware, Chris Jericho in 2005 (storyline) came up with the idea of this Money In The Bank Ladder Bank Ladder match for WrestleMania 21, where the participants would have a ladder match, and whomever climbed up that ladder and grabbed the briefcase was the winner. The winner would have one year to “cash the briefcase” in and invoke their title shot for whatever title on whichever brand. This match became a staple at every WrestleMania thereafter up until WrestleMania 26 which was the last Mania to feature it as later that year, in 2010, there would be a PPV of the same name.

In the Los Angeles Staples Center, at WrestleMania 21, the Money In The Bank Ladder Match kicked off the show. I was in attendance at this PPV, and little did I realize, I was about to witness the birth of a top star, and the birth of an all time great. The participants of this match were Christian, Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, Chris Benoit, Kane, and Edge, It was an awesome match, with the highlight spot being provided by Shelton Benjamin going up that ladder.

Of course, the end comes with Edge hitting Benoit’s arm, knocking Benoit off the ladder, and Edge climbing up and grabbing the brief case and the win. Edge eventually goes on to cash the briefcase in on a bloodied and battered John Cena on January 8, 2006 to win his first WWE Title, and the rest is history.

Of course, most wrestling fans know that on April 11, 2011, on Monday Night Raw, Edge sadly announced that due to spinal stenosis (stemming from neck surgery in 2003), he was forced to retire from the ring. There have been a million tributes, but I just want to say that when I was sitting in the Staples Center, I admit I wasn’t sure WWE picked the right guy at first.

However, it was the infamous “love triangle” that really convinced me that “Hey. They got something in Edge here that I didn’t realize.” From then on it, I was hooked. I liked Edge since he started in 1998, don’t get me wrong, but I guess it took awhile for the light to go on I guess.

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I found Edge to be an awesome heel. I think he was one of the very best. I thought he was pretty good as a face. I felt badly about the retirement, because he was just starting to really take off as a face. I was really looking forward to a program with Christian. I read Edge’s book, and the more I found out about him, the more I really admired him. I have met him three times, and he is a great person as he was a wrestler putting on great matches with wrestlers such as the Undertaker, Jericho, HHH, Cena, Flair, etc.

The update is that according to an interview with WWE.com, he is spending lots of time enjoying the great outdoors. He spending time working on his house. He is doing stuff for himself like hiking, and playing with his dogs. He is delving into acting. He did a role for the SYFY series “Sanctuary,” and he is currently involved in a guest starring role for SYFY’s “Haven.” that just started Season 2 last Friday. The pain from his injury has subsided. When he travels though, “the pain returns,” Edge says.

Edge said that the Money in the Bank match validated his career, and he said that he liked Cody Rhodes for the Smackdown MITB win. He was asked if he still supported Christian and he said that he “totally supports him.” Edge also said that the Money in the Bank match is more difficult with eight people. He also said he may write another book.

Well, that is my update and tribute. Edge has been a great inspiration for me. I admired his determination to come back from devastating injuries. I admire his ability to carry on and go after new opportunities now that his in ring career is over.

Terri Bey currently blogs for CamelClutchBlog.com about Wrestling, NFL, and other sports/pop culture related subjects. Her work has appeared in BleacherReport and for F4WOnline.com. Terri can be found here at Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/TerriBey and at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/missedgehead

WWE Money in the Bank 2011 DVD

Brock Lesnar’s autobiography – Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival

WWE – Edge: A Decade of Decadence DVD

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