WWE is bringing back the World Heavyweight Title with a tournament ending with the finals at Night of Champions 2023 on August 27. Seth Rollins has already made it to the finals by winning two matches on RAW.
Edge will face AJ Styles and Rey Mysterio in a Triple Threat tournament quarterfinal bout on Friday Night SmackDown this week. If he wins, he will face the winner of the Sheamus vs. Austin Theory vs. Bobby Lashley match later in the show, with the winner going on to Night of Champions 2023 to wrestle Rollins to determine the champion.
Edge cut the following promo about the chance to be a World Champion again and noted that when he loses it, he’ll retire again. He said,
“Hey, everybody. So this isn’t some kind of mapped-out wrestling promo or anything. I’m sitting in what is my second home, a wrestling ring, trying to get into some reps before SmackDown tomorrow night, where I face Rey Mysterio and AJ Styles. I can’t say enough about those guys, I know AJ and I have had our differences in the past, and you know the history of me and Rey-Rey. Those two guys are the reason a lot of people are in our industry. I expect to have one hell of a match. I also expect to win it. I have to. Some people have been running around saying they’re going to finish their stories, right and good for them, but it made me think a little bit about my story—the introduction of the WWE Heavyweight Championship. If I look at that thing, it even looks like the title that I never lost. Looks like the big gold.
“Twelve years ago, I was forced to give the thing up. I never had a chance to get it back. Now I have a chance, and it all comes full circle,” he continued. “Now, this ride, it’s going to end sooner than later. Let’s face it, we all know that. I gotta get this done. It’s the last thing to do. It’s the period on the end of the sentence, right? This last sentence in the book. I gotta get that stuff out of the basement. I just gotta do it. You know, all of you that are watching this, I assume you’ve been with me on this ride, and I really appreciate it. It’s going to end soon, and I gotta end it right this time. There’s no better way to finish it than to win the World Championship and then, when I lose it, that’s it. I’m done. So Rey, AJ, bring your best tomorrow. I know you will. I can’t wait to see you in there, to be honest. Let’s tear it up.”
Howdy! #Smackdown pic.twitter.com/0OTOqgFRDg
— Adam (Edge) Copeland (@EdgeRatedR) May 11, 2023
