On April 11, one of WWE's most decorated stars, Edge, was abruptly forced to retire. It's not a "work" or part of a script, this is reality. Edge is suffering from symtpoms of neuropraxia, most notably numbness and uncontrollable shaking in his arms and hands. These symptoms are likely a result of stenosis of the spine after Edge returned to WWE after a two-level spinal fusion in 2003. The procedure centered on his C5, C6 and C7 vertebrae. Dr. Joseph Maroon, a top neurosurgeon and professor of neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh, studied Edge's MRI taken on April 4 and informed WWE Edge would never again gain medical clearance to perform in the ring and if Edge were to ignore doctors and perform anyway, he could be paralyzed or die as a result.
Haters of WWE continue to call this form of Sports Entertainment "fake". Edge's sudden and surprising retirement is all the proof anyone needs to know it isn't. If Bret Favre (football's ultimate ironman) had suffered in 2003 the same injury as Edge, we never would have seen him in a uniform other than Green Bay because his career would have eneded then. NFL tough guys Ray Lewis and Hines Wards wouldn't make it in WWE. They don't want to play 18 NFL games a year, how could they possibly do 200 live dates a year with WWE?
Thank you Edge for the many years of entertainment and laughs and shocking moments. Your contributions to WWE will never be forgotten. And to all the WWE haters, it's time you begin showing these men and women some respect. What they do isn't easy and it's dangerous. The NFL doesn't have a disclaimer telling kids not to play backyard football. WWE does have a disclaimer stating "Don't try this at home". Injuries like Edge's are the reason why. Even with years of practice and training, broken necks, ruptured achilles and torn quadracepts happen in WWE. It's their dedication and the support of the fans that keep bringing them back. They deserve the same respect as Charles Woodson or LaDanian Tomlinson. Start giving to them!
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