Backstage Update - Is The Edge Retirement Real?

Partial Source: Pwinsider.com

During this week's WWE RAW telecast in Bridgeport, CT, current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Edge announced that he was retiring from pro wrestling and WWE.

For those wondering, this is not a work and is 100% the real deal. This was the talk backstage at RAW during the evening hours. Edge has been losing feeling in his arms and was advised by doctors to retire from in-ring action. According to a source, Edge underwent some medical tests recently and they came back within the last few days revealing that there were some new issues with his neck. He was then advised to retire. WWE creative basically gave him an open mic and told him to go out to the ring and deliver his retirement speech the way he wanted. Almost none of what you saw was scripted.

Edge will appear on this week's SmackDown! from Albany, NY to relinquish the World title.

Also as noted earlier, WWE posted the following statement which sheds more light on the situation:

"Less than a week after his successful title defense against Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania XXVII, World Heavyweight Champion Edge has been forced to retire from in-ring competition due to injury. The unexpected news brings to an end a storied WWE career spanning 13 years and consisting of 11 World Title reigns.

The Rated-R Superstar had been suffering numbness and uncontrollable trembling in his arms and hands. This is not the first time Edge has experienced these symptoms of nueropraxia. An MRI in Atlanta last Monday was sent to Dr. Joseph Maroon, a renowned neurosurgeon and professor of neurosurgery at The Pittsburgh School of Medicine. After careful examination of the MRI, it was determined that Edge would never be cleared to compete again, and thus, he is forced to retire.

In 2003, Edge underwent a two level spinal fusion of the discs between his C5, C6 and C7 vertebrae. After being cleared to compete, The Rated-R Superstar returned to the ring, resulting in stenosis of the spine, or a narrowing of the spinal column, above and below the fused discs. This narrowing resulted in less and less of the vital fluid needed to protect the spinal cord. Medical professionals cannot clear Edge to compete ever again in WWE since doing so could result in paralysis or even death."

I think we all owe this to Adam – "Thank you Edge!".