Welcome back to my blog. This is a special subscribers edition article, which will be written by subscriber to ‘SmarKDown’ on YouTube, Aydan Myers. Enjoy, he’ll take it from here.
Back in February 2003, Edge suffered a neck injury that took him out of television until after WrestleMania XX in 2004. This article will cover what Edge would’ve been doing on SmackDown during the time he was away, ending at WrestleMania XX.
No Way Out 2003
Champions:
- WWE Champion – Kurt Angle
- WWE Tag Team Champions – Team Angle (Haas & Benjamin)
- Cruiserweight Champion – Billy Kidman
The original plan for No Way Out was for Brock Lesnar, Chris Benoit & Edge to take on Team Angle in a six men tag match. However, that was ultimately turned into a handicap bout once Edge got written off TV due to the real injury. In this fantasy booking, Edge will be a part of that match and the babyfaces will still win. All three of them will do their finishers to Team Angle, and Brock Lesnar scores the winning pinfall over Shelton Benjamin.
PPV result: Lesnar, Benoit & Edge def. Angle, Haas & Benjamin in a six-men tag match
WrestleMania XIX
Champions:
- WWE Champion – Kurt Angle
- WWE Tag Team Champion – Team Angle (Haas & Benjamin)
- Cruiserweight Champion – Matt Hardy
On SmackDown following No Way Out, Edge and Chris Benoit form a regular tag team as they’ll be apart of the three way for the tag belts at the event. I’m sorry, Rhyno, you’re great but a Benoit-Edge partnership is simply better! At ‘Mania, the exact same finish will happen – Team Angle will steal the pinfall win over Chavo Guerrero after a Spear by Edge (in real life, Rhyno did it).
PPV result: Team Angle (Haas & Benjamin) def. Edge & Benoit and Los Guerreros (Eddie & Chavo) for the WWE Tag Team Championship
Backlash 2003
Champions:
- WWE Champion – Brock Lesnar
- WWE Tag Team Champion – Team Angle (Haas & Benjamin)
- Cruiserweight Champion – Matt Hardy
Since Haas and Benjamin stole Edge and Benoit’s pin over Chavo at WrestleMania, they’re the ones challenging for the belts at the following PPV, Backlash. During the match, Team Angle use every heel trick in the book to take over the babyfaces, but Edge & Benoit manage to avoid them. In the bout’s final sequence, Edge goes for a Spear but Charlie moves out of the way and Edge has to stop before hitting the ref. That gives Shelton enough time to knock Benoit off the apron and cause a distraction, which allows Haas to deliver the LOW BLOW OF DEATH as they steal another win. After the match, Edge and Benoit deliver their finishers and stand tall at the end despite losing the contest.
PPV result: Team Angle (Haas & Benjamin) def. Edge & Benoit for the WWE Tag Team Championship
Judgment Day 2003
Champions:
- WWE Champion – Brock Lesnar
- WWE Tag Team Champions – Team Angle (Haas & Benjamin)
- Cruiserweight Champion – Matt Hardy
On the episode of SmackDown following Backlash, Edge & Benoit get another rematch but they’re still not successful. Just as Benoit has Benjamin tapping out to the Crossface inside the ring, Haas uses a belt to hit Edge on the outside and the ref calls for the bell just s Shelton starts tapping. The following week, Edge & Benoit team up with Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman to take on the champions Haas & Benjamin and their partners, Matt Hardy and John Cena. A distraction allows Rey to pin one of the champions, and that gives Rey & Kidman a title shot against Team Angle at the PPV. Meanwhile, Edge & Benoit take on Los Guerreros, and they score a much needed win that puts them back in pursuit of the tag team straps.
PPV result: Edge & Chris Benoit def. Los Guerreros (Eddie & Chavo)
Vengeance 2003
Champions:
- WWE Champion: Brock Lesnar
- United States Champion: to be decided
- WWE Tag Team Champions: The World’s Greatest Tag Team (Haas & Benjamin)
- Cruserweight Champion: Rey Mysterio
At this PPV, WWE introduced the United States Championship on SmackDown. A tournament would decide the new title holder, with the final match taking place at Vengeance. These are the first round matches of said tournament: Matt Hardy vs. Billy Gunn ; John Cena vs. Rikishi ; Eddie Guerrero vs. Rhyno ; Edge vs. Chris Benoit. After a spectacular match, the tag team champions interrupt it (pissed off at being fired by Kurt Angle earlier on that episode) and cause a draw, meaning both Canadians are eliminated and restarting their feud. As far as the rest of the tournament goes, Hardy beats Billy and advances straight to the final match due to the draw, while Cena and Eddie best Rikishi and Rhyno respectively. In the semi-final match, Eddie takes advantage of Undertaker’s feud with Cena to win, and he wins the belt at the PPV much like he did in real life. Anyway, back to Edge! The heels try to avoid a title match at any cost, but finally GM Stephanie McMahon forces them to defent the titles. In fact, since they’ve retained so many times and they think they’re so good, she puts the titles on the line in a TLC Match. They have a wild match that is ultimately won by Canadian Aggression, with Benoit getting the win. After months of trying, they finally get a fair shot and they’re the new WWE Tag Team Champions.
PPV result: Edge & Benoit def. WGTT (Haas & Benjamin) for the WWE Tag Team Championship – TLC Match
SummerSlam 2003
Champions:
- WWE Champion – Kurt Angle
- United States Champion – Eddie Guerrero
- WWE Tag Team Champions – Canadian Aggression (Edge & Benoit)
- Cruiserweight Champion: Tajiri
After capturing the titles, Edge & Chris Benoit successfully defend them on each and every episode of SmackDown. Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin challenge the new champs for one last match at SummerSlam, which they immediately accept. However, the challengers only announce afterards that this will be a Falls Count Anywhere bout. Edge comes into this match with an injured knee, after the series of matches throughout the weeks. Near the end of this one, Haas puts Edge in a vicious leg crab (almost a version of Brock Lock perhaps) while Benjamin just holds Benoit’s legs to prevent him from breaking it up, and Edge has no chance but to give up the titles. After the match, Benoit tries to help Edge… but he simply snaps on his partner with a vicious beatdown that ends with a conchairto. Edge walks away from SummerSlam without the tag straps, alone and as a heel.
PPV result: World’s Greatest Tag Team (Haas & Benjamin) def. Canadian Aggression (Edge & Benoit) for the WWE Tag Team Championship – Falls Count Anywhere Match
No Mercy 2003
Champions:
- WWE Champion – Brock Lesnar
- United States Champion – Eddie Guerrero
- WWE Tag Team Champions – World’s Greatest Tag Team (Haas & Benjamin)
- Cruiserweight Champion – Tajiri
On SmackDown following SummerSlam, Edge is booed out of the building and he snaps once more. Later that night, however, he steps into the ring with the WWE Champion Kurt Angle, and he steals a win after a distraction from Big Show (probably by count-out or a roll-up), while Benoit is out selling the angle from the PPV. The following week, Edge convinces Angle to put the title on the line, and just as he’s about to hit one last Spear… Benoit returns and appears on the ramp, allowing Angle to lock in the Ankle Lock on Edge’s injured leg, and he escapes with the gold. Benoit returns the beating afterwards, and that leads to a match between the two for No Mercy: but this can’t be any match, this will be a good ol’ street fight. After a bloody match between the two, Edge somehow manages to hit a Spear and he adds a conchairto to pin Benoit.
PPV result: Edge def. Chris Benoit – Street Fight
Survivor Series 2003
Champions:
- WWE Champion – Brock Lesnar
- United States Champion – The Big Show
- WWE Tag Team Champions – The Basham Brothers (Danny & Doug)
- Cruiserweight Champion – Tajiri
At No Mercy, Stephanie lost to her father Vince in an I Quit Match that made her lose the position as SmackDown’s GM. Vince introudced Paul Heyman as the blue brand’s new boss. Heading into Survivor Series, Edge and Chris Benoit were supposed to meet in a Last Man Standing bout, however, the heel GM Heyman declares Edge is unable to compete due to his injured knee and takes him out of the match… how convenient! Benoit instead joins Team Angle against Team Lesnar much like in real life, and he survives alongside John Cena.
Royal Rumble 2004
Champions:
- WWE Champion – Brock Lesnar
- United States Champion: The Big Show
- WWE Tag Team Champions – The Basham Brothers (Danny & Doug)
- Cruiserweight Champion – Rey Mysterio
After more than a month away from action, Edge makes his return during the Royal Rumble Match as one of the bout’s final entrants. He runs wild for a while, but all he wants to do is to eliminate his former partner, Chris Benoit – who had entered at number one. However, Benoit manages to eliminate Edge to end their feud as Benoit goes on to win the whole thing and moves to RAW to have that classic with Triple H and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania.
PPV result: Loses the Royal Rumble – eliminated by Chris Benoit
No Way Out 2004
Champions:
- WWE Champion – Brock Lesnar
- United States Champion – The Big Show
- WWE Tag Team Champions – Rikishi & Scotty 2 Hotty
- Cruiserweight Champion – Rey Mysterio
On SmackDown after the Royal Rumble, Edge unsuccessfully participates in the ‘SmackDown Rumble’ to determine Brock Lesnar’s challenger at No Way Out, which is won by Eddie Guerrero. Edge manages to make the finals of a tournament to determine the number one contender for WrestleMania, however, with the final match to take place at the PPV. Edge is in there with Kurt Angle and they leave it all in the ring, with Angle Slams off the apron, Spears off the top rope and all that cool stuff, and Edge actually manages to score a clean win over Angle to win the tournament. Meanwhile, in the main-event Eddie Guerrero beats Brock Lesnar and the stage is set: Eddie Guerrero vs. Edge for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XX.
PPV result: Edge def. Kurt Angle
WrestleMania XX
Champions:
- WWE Champion – Eddie Guerrero
- United States Champion – The Big Show
- WWE Tag Team Champions – Rikishi & Scotty 2 Hotty
- Cruiserweight Champion – Chavo Guerrero
We’re finally here. We’ve arrived at WrestleMania XX, “where it all begins again”. However, as far as this piece is concerned, it’s actually where it all ends! I’d keep the same result and pretty much the same match that Eddie had with Kurt Angle on this show, only with Edge in Angle’s place. I know we all loved that match and it hurts to remove that from history, but Kurt had already main-evented the prior year’s edition and he had already been in a classic with Chris Benoit at X-Seven. As far as Edge’s singles record at ‘Mania that far… he had fought over f*cking shampoo! Well, I say giving Edge a great match here would’ve helped him a lot despite the loss, and Angle would’ve just been fine no matter what – he was that good. After WrestleMania, Edge moves to RAW in the Draft as we finish this fantasy booking. I hope you enjoyed it!
PPV result: Eddie Guerrero def. Edge for the WWE Championship