OO Column: Online Onslaught by Rick Scaia (Pro Wrestling News, Analysis, and Commentary... WWE, WWF, WCW, ECW, The Rock, Brock Lesnar, Triple H, Rob Van Dam, Hulk Hogan, Undertaker, Trish Stratus, Lita, Stacy Keibler, Divas, RAW, SmackDown, WrestleMania

ONLINE ONSLAUGHT
FLASH: Edge Suffers Severe Injury
July 5, 2009

by Rick Scaia
Exclusive to OOWrestling.com

WWE began its tours of the Pacific Rim on Friday night, and before the SmackDown/ECW touring company even left the continental United States, they were dealt a severe blow.

In a singles match versus Jeff Hardy in San Diego, Edge came up lame just moments into the match. Fans originally thought it might be part of the show, but EMTs hit the ring and assisted Edge out. When Edge paused and asked for a house mic (he said "Sorry, everybody" in a frustrated tone of voice), the full impact of the injury was clear.

Eye witness reports said it appeared to be an ankle injury, and that it occurred as a total fluke while Edge was in a low-contact "feeling out" process against Jeff.

That diagnosis had changed by Saturday, as it's now believed to be an Achilles' Tendon tear. Last I heard, Edge was not passing go, not collecting $200, and was reporting directly to Birmingham, AL, where he was to be examined by Dr. James Andrews on Monday.

Depending on the severity of the tear, a non-surgical rehab is possible, and could limit Edge's absence to 6-8 weeks. However, if surgery is deemed the wiser choice, Edge's hiatus will be more on the order of 5-6 months, with a return at/around the Royal Rumble being a best case scenario.

As one-half of the Unified Tag Champs, Edge is currently locked into several top level storylines that'll now be muddied. Because of the overseas tours, TV for this week is already taped, and features Edge in a pair of big matches; WWE can't address the injury on TV/in storylines until NEXT Monday, at the earliest.

I'm sure what WWE decides to do will depend heavily on what exact prognosis Edge gets today. Cross your fingers on behalf of Edgeward, everybody...

And that thing I kept harping on for the past week about "RAW sucking less" because Edge and Jericho get to hop brands? Throw that out the window. When fricking LEGACY gets the tag straps and the brand-hopping rights, we'll instantly be transported to a new ring of hell where SmackDown starts sucking more. Goddammit.

Keep checking back to OO, as we'll keep you updated as reliable information becomes available about Edge's status.

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Rick Scaia is a wrestling fan from Dayton, OH. He's been doing this since 1995, but enjoyed it best when the suckers from SportsLine were actually PAYING him to be a fan.