Health is more important than wrestling.
Former WWE Champion Edge knows all about having to retire early due to health issues. On April 11, 2011, Edge announced his retirement due to cervical spinal stenosis. Edge was 37 years old at the time and had just defeated Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania to retain the World Title.
Speaking to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Edge discussed the similarities between his retirement and Roman Reigns stepping away from the ring to battle leukemia.
“I had to retire due to injury, but in this case, we’re talking life or death,” he side. “This is leukemia, a thing you don’t expect to hear from a guy who is in the prime of his career and looks like a superhero. The first thing I felt when I heard the news was sad, but I don’t think Roman wants people to feel that way. I feel for him, but the best thing he can do is surround himself with his family, and that’s what he’s doing. As long as he gets healthy, who cares if he ever wrestles again? I watched him on Raw and thought that moment had to be really, really difficult, but he handled it with poise and class.”
Reigns announced his leukemia had returned on the Oct. 22 episode of Raw after being in remission for 11 years. Reigns has been out of the public eye since his announcement, but was seen on the sidelines at this past Saturday's Georgia Tech vs. Georgia Bulldogs college football game.
While Edge no longer competes in the ring, he's still involved with WWE. Season 2 of the Edge & Christian Show began streaming on the WWE Network this past week.
