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Post by Rated-R-Superstar on Mar 9, 2011 21:41:17 GMT -6
 As one-half of many successful tag teams---and a formidable singles competitor in his own right, of course---WWE's Edge (real name Adam Copeland) has forged a memorable reputation during the past ten years. Dubbed "The Rated R Superstar" and "The Ultimate Opportunist", among other nicknames, this Ontario native has made a habit of...well, let's say bending the rules to advance his career. Edge's tall stature, athletic build and long hair gave him the right "look", but his passion for the sport began at an early age: he simply loved wrestling and wanted to be a part of the business. Attending Wrestlemania VI in Toronto on April 1, 1990 only intensified his desire, but Edge finally got a chance at formal training after winning an essay contest. He was even nominated "Most Likely to Win the WWF Championship" in high school. Like so many other prominent superstars in the industry, one might say that Edge was simply born to perform. Signed to the WWF (renamed "WWE" several years later, due to a legal battle with the World Wildlife Fund) in 1998, Edge's success within the company came quickly. He earned his first Championship title in just over a year, but his matches with tag team partner Christian (Copeland's real-life childhood friend, Jason Reso) would cement Edge's popularity with the crowd. Earning the Tag Team Championship multiple times during their three-year tenure as a team, Edge and Christian participated in some of the most memorable and dangerous matches during the WWF's fledgling "Attitude Era". Edge began his journey as a singles competitor in 2001, earning all six major WWE titles along the way; in fact, only a serious neck injury kept him out of action during the bulk of 2004. As one of the most decorated superstars in WWE history, Edge is still going strong---so it's hardly the proper time to recap his entire career, but at least he's got plenty of material to work with. |
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Post by Rated-R-Superstar on Mar 9, 2011 21:42:07 GMT -6
A Decade of Decadence, WWE's latest three-disc "career compilation", pays tribute to the superstar's achievements with over nine hours of content. Unlike some of the company's recent releases, however, this is more of a distanced highlight reel than a genuinely revealing documentary. Many fans won't mind that the action far outweighs the drama, but others will eventually long for a change of pace. Presented chronologically, a handful of these 26 matches include slick trailer-style introductions which shed light on events that newer fans may not be familiar with. Other segments of this program aren't blessed with such context, however, and it's here where A Decade of Decadence veers off the tracks. For now, let's take a look at the card:   |
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Post by Rated-R-Superstar on Mar 9, 2011 21:42:27 GMT -6
Complete Match Listing
(26 matches on 3 single-sided DVDs)
Disc One
Owen Hart vs. Edge [WWF Breakdown, 9/27/98]
Edge & Christian vs. The Brood (Jeff & Matt Hardy) [Ladder match, No Mercy 10/17/99]
Edge & Christian vs. The Hardyz vs. The Dudley Boyz [Ladder Tag Title match, Wrestlemania 4/20/00]
Edge vs. Lance Storm [Intercontinental Championship match, Summerslam 8/19/01]
Edge vs. Test [Championship Unification match, Survivor Series 11/18/01]
Mr. Perfect vs. Edge [Sunday Night Heat 3/3/02]
Edge vs. Kurt Angle ["Hair vs. Hair" match, Judgment Day 5/19/02]
Edge vs. Kurt Angle [Steel Cage match, Smackdown 5/30/02]
Edge & Hulk Hogan vs. Billy & Chuck [Tag Team Championship match, Smackdown 7/4/02]
Edge vs. Eddie Guerrero [Unforgiven, 9/22/02]
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Post by Rated-R-Superstar on Mar 9, 2011 21:42:44 GMT -6
Disc Two
Randy Orton vs. Edge [Intercontinental Championship match, Vengeance, 7/11/04]
Edge vs. Shawn Michaels [Street Fight, Raw 2/28/05]
Kane vs. Edge [Gold Rush Tournament Final, Raw 5/16/05]
Edge vs. Matt Hardy [Street Fight, Raw 8/29/05]
John Cena vs. Edge [WWE Championship match, New Year's Revolution 1/8/06]
Edge vs. Mick Foley [Hardcore match, Wrestlemania XXII 4/2/06]
Edge, Mick Foley & Lita vs. Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk & Beulah [ECW One Night Stand, 6/11/06]
John Cena vs. Edge vs. Rob Van Dam [WWE Championship Triple Threat match, Raw 7/3/06]
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Post by Rated-R-Superstar on Mar 9, 2011 21:43:04 GMT -6
Disc Three
Edge vs. John Cena [WWE Heavyweight Title match, WWE Smackdown 8/20/06]
Edge vs. Rob Van Dam ["Money in the Bank" Qualifying match, Raw 2/19/07]
Randy Orton vs. Edge [Raw, 4/30/07]
The Undertaker vs. Edge [World Heavyweight Championship match, Smackdown 5/11/07]
Edge vs. Batista [World Heavyweight Championship match, Vengeance 6/24/07]
Edge vs. Rey Mysterio [World Heavyweight Title match, Royal Rumble 1/27/08]
Edge vs. The Undertaker [TLC World Heavyweight Title match, One Night Stand 6/1/08]
Edge vs. The Undertaker ["Hell in a Cell" match, Summerslam 8/17/08]
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Post by Rated-R-Superstar on Mar 9, 2011 21:43:48 GMT -6
  As the card suggests, plenty of fantastic matches and moments are tucked inside this three-disc set. Edge's early years as a singles competitor---and as a tag team with Christian, of course---are touched upon, but it's his successful singles run that gets the lion's share of attention. From his multiple title wins to epic confrontations with the likes of Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels and Matt Hardy, there's rarely a dull moment during A Decade of Decadence. Seldom-seen matches like his early battle with the late Owen Hart, not to mention a few interesting bonus features (covered below), help to create a relatively full-bodied assortment of in-ring accomplishments. There's also surprisingly little overlap with past releases, though a few of Edge's more popular matches have been presented on DVD several times before. From a purely match-oriented standpoint, this is a terrific collection that represents some of WWE's finest moments from the past 10 years. |
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Post by Rated-R-Superstar on Mar 9, 2011 21:44:21 GMT -6
From a documentary standpoint, however, A Decade of Decadence fails miserably. Edge hosts the program in character, offering plenty of smug comments instead of sharing anything of genuine interest. Many fans are undoubtedly familiar with the athlete's formative years via earlier releases like Before They Were Superstars; if you're not, this release will present one question mark after another. Edge's childhood and years of training are barely glanced during the program's opening moments, while his relationship with Christian (and real-life drama with Matt Hardy and his girlfriend, Lita) barely warrants a footnote. Sporadic "commentary clips" with Edge bookend select matches, while others simply arrive without any context or introduction. It's an incredibly sloppy and half-hearted effort on WWE's part, making A Decade of Decadence more of an extended highlight reel than anything else. Recent releases like Viva La Raza: The Legacy of Eddie Guerrero at least attempted to scratch the surface; here, we don't even hear from any friends, relatives or co-workers. Of course, since Edge's career is still far from over, we'll undoubtedly get a more complete package several years down the road.
On the technical side of things, this three-disc set is on par with recent WWE releases: production values are solid, matches are presented in their entirety and that damn WWF "scratch" logo is still blurred from existence. Oddly enough, even audience signs bearing the company's previous initials (and audible mentions of the name) have been digitally edited. This makes for a rather confusing experience at first, but WWE fans should be accustomed to such a visually compromised presentation by now.
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