A Look Back: The John Cena/Edge Rivalry (Part II: 2009)

When we last left these two legends, they had fought in a steel cage match to end their feud at that time. What has happened with Edge and John Cena since then? Well, Edge would be part of Rated RKO with Randy Orton, and hold the World Tag Team Championship twice, and 2007 would see him capture the Money in the Bank briefcase from Mr. Kennedy, and then cash in on The Undertaker to capture the World Heavyweight Championship. Edge would surrender the title due to injury, but after returning at Survivor Series, he would regain the title at Armageddon, and would spend 2008 in a big feud with The Undertaker, which saw Edge regain the title he lost to Taker at WrestleMania. Edge would add two more runs as WWE Champion after his feud with Taker ended.

As for Cena, Unforgiven 2006 kicked off a WWE Championship reign that lasted over a year, and ended due to injury. Cena returned in 2008 and won that year's Royal Rumble, only to be sidelined again after that year's SummerSlam. Survivor Series saw Cena return and win the World Heavyweight Championship from Chris Jericho, and would go through Jericho again (Armageddon), as well as JBL (Royal Rumble) to hold on to the title.

So with Edge regaining the WWE Championship from Jeff Hardy at the Rumble, both he and Cena were champions at the same time. So how did they end up clashing again? Here's how:

No Way Out

I just want to say this: I loved No Way Out. For most of the event's tenure, it served as the final PPV before WrestleMania, and beginning with the 2008 event, it would be the home of the Elimination Chamber--making the last stop before WrestleMania quite a bumpy one. Edge and Cena were both set to defend their titles inside the structure, with Edge facing Triple H, Big Show, Jeff Hardy, Vladimir Kozlov, and The Undertaker. However, a funny thing happened: Edge was pinned and eliminated by Hardy within the first few minutes.

So that was that for Edge. His WWE Championship reign was over. However, that would not be the last we would see of the Rated R Superstar. The Raw Chamber had John Cena defending against Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, Kane, Mike Knox, and Kofi Kingston. It was set to be Kofi's first Chamber match, and I emphasize "was," as from out of nowhere, Edge appeared and leveled Kofi with a number of chair shots before entering the Chamber...and refusing to leave. The officials were left with no choice but to allow Edge to remain, and he actually ended up winning the contest and capturing the World Heavyweight Championship.

A Bumpy Road

The following night's Raw saw a lot of chest-pounding from Edge. The Rated R Superstar boasted about becoming the first to compete in two Chamber matches in the same night, as well as entering No Way Out as WWE Champion, and leaving the event as World Heavyweight Champion. Edge's boasting was interrupted by John Cena, who actually congratulated Edge before reminding him of one specific word: rematch. Edge, of course, denied Cena his rematch, and it's at that point that the jokes ended and Cena gave his warning that, one way or another, the two of them will fight, and that Cena would hurt him.

Cena attempted to get a rematch through Vickie Guerrero, only for Edge to come out with Big Show, resulting in quite a humorous moment where Cena was attempting to figure out what role, if any, Big Show had in this whole thing. After Show faced, and defeated, Cena on SmackDown, the rematch finally took place on March 2, and it was the main event on that night's Raw, which was in Boston. However, Edge decided to get himself DQ'ed by striking Cena with the belt, and it was at that moment that Show appeared, but this time, he was not helping Edge. Why? Because Vickie Guerrero emerged and announced that Big Show was the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Championship.

That was the last thing Cena wanted to hear. Cena entered No Way Out as World Heavyweight Champion. Now, not only did he lose his title to an invader, but his rematch left him empty-handed. Even worse, the announcement that The Big Show was the #1 Contender left Cena facing missing WrestleMania altogether.

And then...

A Scandalous Revelation

An attempt to make Edge vs Big Show official on SmackDown was interrupted by Cena, who whispered something into Vickie's ear that left her shaken. Nevertheless, the March 9 Raw was "Take Two," and it saw pen put to paper. So the match was official, until Cena popped up, and actually signed his name as well. Vickie revealed that she actually invited Cena and added him to the match "out of fairness to the fans," but Edge and Show weren't buying this. Cena decided to make a wild confession: he was in love with Vickie, and that's why he's in the match, but Edge and Show weren't buying that either.

So Cena decided to reveal the whole truth. He informed the trio what he said to Vickie, and it was this: the Raw where Cena has his rematch was in his neck of the woods in Boston. He knew people there, including one person who runs the security cameras. This was followed by actual video of Vickie and Show in quite the compromising situation; they were shown making out with each other, revealing that they had been seeing each other behind Edge's back. Afterwards, Cena had this to say:

"Vickie, you got some 'splaining to do!"

John Cena is a damn icon.

To this very day, I still look back and laugh at this crazy moment. So how did Edge react? Well...he forgave Vickie. I kinda figured he would. After all, it was back in July 2008 that Edge's own dalliance with Alicia Fox was exposed. So what followed in the final weeks before WrestleMania was Edge, Vickie, and Show in a twisted alliance against Cena, with the claim that Cena ruined their lives with his info. Let's see how that worked out.

WrestleMania 25

WrestleMania's 25th anniversary was a big deal, and regarding this Triple Threat Match, it's one I watch a lot, usually with some snacks with me. So many funny spots in this bout, with the funniest being Big Show tied up to the ropes while Cena and Edge were killing each other, which also saw Vickie knocked over. The whole match was just crazy good, but the end saw Cena actually carry both Show and Edge on his shoulders, with Edge falling off before delivering the Attitude Adjustment to Show. Cena delivered an AA to Edge afterwards, and then pinned Show for the victory and the title.

It was an arduous road for Cena. He nearly faced being out of WM altogether because of an intricate plot to keep him away from the title. He had to resort to somewhat devious means to get back what was taken from him, but in the end, he succeeded.

The Cutting Edge

I absolutely loved when Backlash was the regular PPV after WM, because the build was always heated. This was no exception. Instantly, Edge would receive his rematch, and it was set for Backlash, in a Last Man Standing Match. This led to what I consider the best moment in this overall rivalry, the "Cutting Edge" segment from post-WM SmackDown. Edge was basically a shell of the man he was nearly two months ago; he went from riding high to being frustrated and bitter. Edge stated that he hadn't slept in a week, and it was because that his WM moment and the World Title were stolen from him by his guest on the show: John Cena.

Cena showed off his new prize to the crowd, but Edge wanted to get down to business. He informed Cena that the World Title was important to him, referring to the title as his "life preserver," adding that as long as he had the title, he could get through anything that's thrown at him. Edge accused Cena of stealing the title from him and ruining his life, with Cena laughing off the latter half of that statement before informing Edge of their long history, and everything they've been through since 2006. Cena added that this was Edge's chance to talk about their great rivalry and what happened at WrestleMania, but only decided to accuse Cena of "stealing" the title from him, and later informed Edge that he was wasting Cena's time.

Edge's response:

"I hate you. I hate you. 'Hate' is a strong word, but it sums up everything I feel for you, Cena. I hate your hat, I hate your t-shirts, I hate your wristbands, I hate your shoes, I hate your music, I hate the Cenation, I hate everything that you stand for!"

Don't sugarcoat it, Edge.

Edge later stated that their rivalry has exhausted both of them and shortened both of their careers, and it would all finally end at Backlash, where Edge vowed that he would be the last man standing. Cena's rebuttal was a reminder that while Edge may be a better wrestler, Cena was tougher than him. He added Edge was a desperate man to agree to a Last Man Standing Match, because it's a match based on punishment. Cena again reminded Edge about his resolve, and dared him to make the first move and strike him, only for Edge to walk out instead.

A Man Without a Country

The final week heading into Backlash saw Edge deliver a series of chair shots to Cena, and then there was the ten count, which Cena didn't make. As for SmackDown, with Backlash two nights away, Edge addressed everything Cena said to him on The Cutting Edge, repeating Cena's statements that he was tougher than Edge in every way. Surprisingly, Edge said that Cena was right, admitting that no matter he threw at Cena over the years, Cena always got back up--until four nights prior on Raw.

Edge praised Cena's determination and said that it almost made him want to respect Cena, but he despised Cena too much with every fiber of his being. In so many words, Edge stated that Backlash was his last chance, and even worse for him, he was truly on his own, leading to Edge admitting that he is a desperate man as Cena claimed. He again said that his and Cena's rivalry had to come to a definitive end, and when it does, Edge will be the last man standing.

Backlash

Hours prior to challenging Cena for the title, Edge was encountered by someone who knows him more than anyone: Christian. After capturing the ECW Championship, Christian decided to confront Edge, who accused Christian of thinking that he was better than him, reminding Christian that he shouldn't get used to that feeling because he'll beat Cena later in the evening. Christian said that Edge used to be fun and wondered what changed him into a "bitter, raving lunatic," with Edge stating that all of his problems were caused by Cena, and he would get Cena out of his life once and for all.

The bout served as the main event of a Backlash event that had quite an amazing card, and as expected in these Last Man Standing matches, it was a thrilling bout that literally went all over the place. It ended up reaching the entrance way after a long battle, which saw Cena rise up and beat another 10 count. It truly looked like Edge wasn't going to take Cena down. He didn't. Someone else, however, did, and that someone was Big Show, who grabbed Cena and chokeslammed him through a lit spotlight! Yes, you read that right. Even Cena wasn't getting up from that.

Aftermath

Edge regained the World Heavyweight Championship that he lost at WrestleMania 25, and that was the only thing that mattered as Cena was stretchered out. The feud was over. Edge and Cena remained on separate paths right after that; Edge went on to battle Jeff Hardy and also CM Punk after the latter used his Money In the Bank to pounce on Hardy at Extreme Rules, doing so after Hardy won the World Title against Edge in a Ladder Match. As for Cena, he briefly feuded with Big Show and The Miz before engaging in an amazing battle with Randy Orton for most of the 2nd half of 2009.

Edge and Cena's rivalry was one of the best I've ever seen in the last 20 years. As amazing as the 2006 battles were, I couldn't help but love the 2009 chapter, because it was full of amazing segments, hilarious moments, and gripping lines of dialogue that still stay in my memory even now. Edge and Cena pretty much made each other's careers with this rivalry. For Cena, he proved that he could hang with a seasoned vet who made a name for himself during the Attitude Era. For Edge, this rivalry eliminated any doubts about him being a main eventer, as he was actually one of a select few who survived Cena in a series of pay-per-view battles. Each one gives immense credit to the other for their battles over the years, and they definitely deserve it so much.

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