Interview with Edge
by Seth Mates

N. CHARLESTON, S.C. - Although he lost the Intercontinental Championship to William Regal at the Royal Rumble, this has been a great week for Edge. The past few days have seen his character take on a new attitude, and - pardon the pun - a new edge. WWF.com caught up with the four-time former IC Champion prior to the SmackDown! taping here at the North Charleston Coliseum.

WWF.com: Tell us a little about the evolution of your character this week.

Edge: I think it's going in the direction it needs to go. It's the next evolution in the character. I've been humorous, with the Edge & Christian thing. And for a while, when I first went out on my own, it was do I stay humorous, or do I go out on my own. There was a little bit of a transition there. And I think now, everyone in the World Wrestling Federation wants to see a different side, an aggressive side, a side that the Hunters and the Rocks and the Stone Colds are able to balance. They can still be humorous at times, but when it's on, it's on. And people haven't seen that from me yet, except maybe when I first came in. Plus, with the look and my long hair and everything, it's hard to break that "pretty boy" stigma. I think Shawn Michaels might have had the same problem for a while, and then he was able to break out of that mold. I'm hoping to be able to do the same thing. With his character, he was able to do matches with guys like Diesel and Vader, and that's the good thing I've liked about this angle with Regal. No.1, it's personal. It's a personal angle, which is always good to have. Rather than go around from angle to angle, this one has lasted a while, which nowadays is different. And it's physical. One thing we've tried to do it take elements of All Japan Wrestling, and taking elements of that and bringing it to the North American style. The New Japan style is a more methodical and slower pace, and I think a little more physical, with more forearms and elbows and things like that. But I like it. It's a transition; I'm still trying to find my groove with it. But I'm thinking this next month should be interesting; it will be a different side than what you've seen.

WWF.com: A lot of fans have commented that your style and Regal's seem to clash a bit; your style is more fast-paced and flashy, while his style is more technical and mat-based. Would you agree with that assessment?

Edge: I think they can compliment each other, if you do it right. I need to show a different side; I need to show that I can mat-wrestle, because I can. And also you can tell a good story with him trying to ground me and me trying to break out of being grounded. One thing I hate, and I've been labled this before, is being a high-spot guy. I don't think I am. I think this angle is showing that, and that may not be to the taste of all the people, including the fans on the Internet. But I don't really concern myself with that.

I find that if I'm happy with the match, if I can go to the back and get a thumbs-up from Vince McMahon, then I've done my job.

WWF.com: Have you been getting that thumbs-up from Vince?

Edge: Yeah. I got that (on Monday's RAW). He didn't get to see our match at the Rumble, but he said he heard we told a good story, and that's what it's all about, is telling the story, rather than bouncing all over the place, which I've done before, in TLCs and other things. I've always found it funny - Christian and I, the Hardys and the Dudleys were the flavor of the month when we were going through tables and falling off ladders, and then you try and tell a story and mat-wrestle, and the people aren't used to seeing it, so however they react, they react. I'm happy with it; it shows a different side. I'd like to think that one day people can look and say, "If you're going to wrestle Edge, he can pretty much do whatever style you want." Whether I can or not, I don't know. But I'm trying.

WWF.com: Is there anyone in particular whose style you are trying to emulate, or who you're learning from?

Edge: You always look to the top guys, because they're there for a reason. And that's the spot I want to get to. So you watch the Hunters and Steves and Takers and Rocks and Kurts and guys like that, because obviously whatever they've done has worked. And they each bring a different style to the table. You look to guys from the past - guys like Ric Flair, guys like Shawn Michaels and guys like Bret Hart. But you have to still keep yourself in there; otherwise, it's not going to work. So I think I can still do some high-flying here and there - I've never been a crazy high-flier or anything, but I can still keep some of that in there, and I can toughen up my style a little bit. Emulating just one guy - no. What I've tried to do right now is just branch out. I'd never really gotten the opportunity to see much Japanese wrestling before, and now watching these All Japan tapes, I'm liking that. I really like the physicality of it. So if I can start to bring some of that, hopefully it will all gel.

WWF.com: How far are you right now from where you want to be?

Edge: It's tough to tell. It really is. I know I still have work to do. But there's never a doubt in my mind that I'm going to get there. It's just a matter of getting comfortable. Once I'm completely comfortable, then I think that's when it's going to hit. But I've never been in a rush. In this business, you can't be in a rush. You have to bide your time. But now I want to show that I'm ready to step up and maybe it's time to stop biding my time and give it a shot and see what happens.

WWF.com: You teamed with Christian for almost three years, and the first few months of your singles career were spent feuding with him. But as of late, the storylines have you two doing other things, meaning that for the first time in your Federation career, the two of you aren't working together. What has that been like?

Edge: At first it was strange, yeah, because we would feed off each other. Whether it was a team or against each other, we know what each other is thinking. So when you first stop, it's almost like Linus with his blanket, and all of a sudden that's gone, and you're standing in the middle of that field completely empty. And you're like, "Whoa! Gotta get used to this!" But you do. I like where I'm going; I like being in the IC Title hunt. I've been in it now close to six months. To me, from there is the next step to stepping up. So I go to bed thinking of things, wake up thinking of things - storylines, spots, matches, scenarios.

I would love to get in there and tell a great story with some of the great storytellers here, guys lik Hunter and Taker and Austin. Those guys are there for a reason, and I want to be there.

WWF.com: How do you like your new entrance?

Edge: I love it. It's cool. I like it better than coming through the crowd. Although that stuff is really cold, and you can't breathe it when you're coming out. You'll see me sometimes snorting if I get that stuff in my nose. I love the music. In the "My Sacrifice" video they did, there was this one shot where I come walking out through the smoke from behind, and it just looks really cool.

WWF.com: What did you think of the "My Sacrifice" video?

Edge: Loved it. Didn't expect it. And I think it told a story that people didn't know about. I know I watched the "Before They Were Stars" video that's going to be coming out from WWF Home Video, and it tells a story that Christian and I haven't gotten to tell yet. When I first came in, everyone assumed I was a rookie, but I've been doing this for nine years now, and you never stop learning, and I'm sure that compared to a lot of guys, I'm sure I was a rookie.

WWF.com: Do you and Christian ever argue over who has the cooler entrance?

Edge: (laughs) No, actually!

WWF.com: Who do you think has the cooler entrance?

Edge: I'm partial to mine, because I love my music.

WWF.com: What do you think of his?

Edge: His music annoys the hell out of me. (laughs) I think that's what it's supposed to do. And with his music, it's either you love it or you hate it. And some people love it and some people hate it. I think I fall under the hate category, but that just means that it's doing its job.

WWF.com: I'm hearing some rumors that you might be on the next Federation episode of "Weakest Link." Is that true?

Edge: Yes. I hope I don't make a complete fool out of myself. It's one of those things where I consider myself fairly well-read, but I know I'm going to get some kind of multiplication or division question that I haven't thought of since grade seven. Then I'll stammer and stutter, and everyone will think, "Edge is an idiot!" Hopefully I don't.

WWF.com: As long as you don't say that Thanksgiving is in October, I think you'll be OK.

Edge: Well, in Canada, it is! (laughs)

WWF.com: I understand there's some big event coming up in your hometown of Toronto in a couple of months?

Edge: Yeah, this thing they call WrestleMania.

WWF.com: What's your ideal scenario for that?

Edge: Can't wait. That's one thing I keep thinking about - I don't know what I'll be doing. I don't know what the ideal scenario would be. All I know is that when I'm standing in that ring with whoever I'm working with, it's going to be a hell of a feeling. You can't describe coming back to something that was there 12 years ago where you're sitting 11th row, and now you're actually in the ring doing it. Yeah, there's going to be big-time goose bumps for that, and I just hope I have a hell of a match.

WWF.com: You think you'll look out to the 11th row and think back?

Edge: I'm going to look out everywhere. (laughs) When I'm walking out, when I'm standing in the ring, after the show, when I get there that day. I think I might stick around for a while after that show once the crowd leaves and just take it all in.