Match Point: Edge Vs. Randy Orton (WrestleMania 36)

Match Point is an on-going series at Last Word on Pro Wrestling, where we look at intriguing matchups in indie wrestling and beyond. They may be dream matches, first-time matchups, or hotly anticipated rematches. Today’s edition dives into the upcoming WrestleMania 36 Last Man Standing bout between Edge and Randy Orton.

There are currently 16 matches scheduled for WrestleMania 36. In those 16 matches, nine championships are on the line. And while that is great and all, there is only one match on the card that has the history, the build, and the intensity made for a perfect WrestleMania match. That match? The Last Man Standing match between Edge and Randy Orton. The build has not only been the best for any besides maybe Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre, but the history only adds to it. A storied relationship that comes to head this weekend.

9 Year Circle For “The Rated R Superstar”

A lot of this match is about Edge. This will be his first singles match since WrestleMania 27 which was ultimately the last televised match before he retired. It has become a nine-year circle for “The Rated R Superstar” who many did not imagine would compete in the ring ever again. The nine-time world champion worked his way back to retire on his terms and while he probably expected for his first singles match to be in front of no fans, this still has to feel good for Edge. There is no indication of what will be next for him when he defeats or loses to Randy Orton, but we definitely know this is not it one way or another. Grit goes a long way, giving Edge this chance to make everything right.

Rated RKO – Exploring The History Between Edge And Randy Orton

World Tag Team Champions. A brotherhood dynamic. Rivals.

These three things classify the relationship between Edge and Randy Orton. They formed Rated RKO to take out D-Generation X and win tag team gold. November 13, 2006, was the moment that the two former world champions teamed together to take down Ric Flair and Roddy Piper to become the World Tag Team Champions. Rated RKo entered a rivalry with D-Generation X that eventually saw it come to a shocking end when Triple H suffered an injury. They instead would rival John Cena and Shawn Michaels, losing the titles and would see each other become rivals more than partners for the foreseeable future.

They would battle for years, including 2010 where they would fight to a double count-out at Over The Limit and Edge would even fight with an arm around his back. Then there are the stories of Edge digging Orton out of holes that no one else dared to do. That is behind the scenes stuff that no one can fight against. When Randy Orton says that he loves Edge, he means it. But these two are going to battle because of what has happened now. Not in the past.

A Build Like None Other

To create a compelling rivalry in pro wrestling can actually be simpler than some make it look. Realness and the ability to put your all into it. Edge and Randy Orton have the history that not many else have that wrestle in 2020. You add in the fact that family has been brought into it, you can get as dark as you’d ever believe. And that sounds terrible, but it’s true. Once Beth Phoenix stepped inside the ring and Orton met her there, it was going to get even more serious. Yes, a con-chair-to is a start, but that is wrestling’s past. An RKO to your wife is when it changes everything. The promo work by both men since has not only enhanced this but made it the feud and match to beat at WrestleMania.

Legends like Mark Henry have said that this match should be the main event. That was before two weeks of incredible mic work by Edge and Randy Orton throwing their final threats at each other. Threats are one thing. Guarantees are another. Edge and Orton are going to do everything in their power to hurt each other. Put each other down. Once and for all.

One Man Left Standing At “The Showcase Of Immortals”

For Orton, it’s about leaving his long time brother that he loves down and out that he does not continue his career any longer. For Edge, it’s revenge for his family. Revenge for trying and break his dreams after grit brought him back nine years away from the ring. Talk is one thing, defining your legacy is another. Edge knows that without him, the best of Randy Orton goes away. Edge is already a WWE Hall of Famer. Orton is on his way to being that as well. But who walks out of this match as the winner can define who was the better man. Edge has pride on the line. Orton has his legacy, everything he has worked for, on the line. To show the world that his career is more than just being there cause of family and who he teamed with. His career is what it is because of the work he put in.

Grit and determination against the golden child. Edge vs Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match is everything that makes WrestleMania the biggest wrestling show on Earth.