“WHAT?! WHAT?!?! No....” The speaker’s voice breaks through tears as he practically whispers in disbelief, “Oh my god, are you kidding me?” A few moments later, he reaches under his glasses as he proclaims, “Oh my god, I have fucking tears in my eyes. Holy fuck!” These words come from just one video of hundreds like it recorded on January 26, 2020.
Long-time fans of professional wrestling became familiar with “The Rated R Superstar” Edge during his 19-year career from 1992-2011. With that magic mix of charisma and athleticism, the Canadian athlete quickly became one of the most well-known and successful wrestlers in the business, earning titles and being catapulted to the front of the company in the World Wrestling Federation (later to be known as WWE). In his 2011 retirement speech he said that he felt like there were a lot of people in the company that depended on him. He was not wrong. But despite feeling as though he was letting fans and colleagues down, the choice to retire was not his to make. Like so many other professional athletes, he was forced into early retirement due to injury.
In the early 2000s, Edge suffered several devastating injuries during matches, including a broken neck. Following surgery and rehab, he was eventually able to get back in the ring, but the combination of a damaged body and a high-impact sport meant it was only a matter of time before he’d have to step away for good. Over time the wear and tear from competition and training started to take a serious toll. Further scans were done that left him medically disqualified from competing ever again.
The news left people stunned. Fans in the audience the night of his announcement that he was retiring were visibly upset. But through their sadness, and his own visible grief, great respect was shown for his outstanding career and dedication to entertaining the masses. Nobody liked that he could never wrestle again, but they understood why he had to leave.
Nearly a decade later, WWE’s 2020 Royal Rumble pay-per-view event rolled around. (Wrestling fans, feel free to skip to the next paragraph while I try to explain what a Royal Rumble match is to those not in the loop.) In a typical singles wrestling match,* there are two people in the ring fighting one another with the goal of either pinning their opponent - holding their shoulders flat on the mat for a referee’s count of three - or getting them to submit by inflicting enough pain that they give up. But there are also special types of matches that have entirely different structures. One of those types of matches is called a “battle royal.” A battle royal match is an elimination style match in which about 20-30 people begin in the ring at the same time. You’re eliminated when you have been tossed over the top rope from inside the ring with both your feet hitting the floor outside. The last man or woman standing in the ring wins. In a twist on this traditional format, WWE holds an annual event called the Royal Rumble in which their eponymous Royal Rumble matches (men’s and women’s respectively) begin with 2 people in the ring, with a new competitor joining the fray every 2 minutes. The pacing of this makes them true feats of endurance for the early entrants who can sometimes be in the ring for over an hour. And while many of the 30 entrants are usually announced ahead of time, the company holds back just enough of them as secrets and surprises to keep you guessing and anticipating who the next to walk down the ramp will be. Most competitors are current and active members of the roster, but sometimes retired favorites from decades past will make a one-off in-ring return, and occasionally you’ll have a celebrity make an appearance as well. (Past participants include Drew Carey, Shaquille O’Neil, and Bad Bunny.) As the clock counts down to each new entrant into the match, the anticipation and excitement mounts.
On January 26, 2020, the crowd did the obligatory count-down with the clock as the 21st entrant into the Men’s Royal Rumble match was about to emerge. And then Edge’s iconic walkout music hit, and people around the globe absolutely lost their fucking minds.
In the official event footage you can see people in the stands with mouths and eyes wide in stunned silence, others literally holding their heads and pulling their hair in excitement, and even some who appear to be weeping tears of joy. The roar from the crowd nearly drowns out the commentators who are equally shocked. Some of the fans’ faces seem to reflect the commentator’s sentiments that “he shouldn’t even be in there,” with what looks like concern painting their features. And the men in the ring are shaking their heads in disbelief and fear, looking as though they’ve seen a ghost. As he steps forward from the theatrical smoke of his entrance, Edge himself appears to be just as stunned at his entrance as everyone else around him. Thanks to the popularity of reaction videos, you can also find plenty of other reactions from people who weren’t in the stands. The man speaking in the video I mentioned at the beginning of this post goes on to sing along to Edge’s theme song through tears, raises his hands along with Edge in the signature entrance pose as fireworks go off behind the Hall of Fame performer. This fan is not alone in his viscerally emotional response. Other viewers later in the same video compilation of reactions have similar freak-outs. For example:
3:02: One viewer just says repeatedly “My favorite of all time!” over and over again while bouncing up and down in glee.
3:24: Another viewer appears to be watching without audio, perhaps recording a podcast or some other medium that would require a silent background, but can see the audience’s reaction on the screen. Initially, he seems almost confused as he calmly explains what he’s seeing on the screen. “Big cheer... Who is it?” As the smoke clears, he goes from calm and analytical to levitating out of his seat as he screams at the top of his lungs. “AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!! IT’S EDGE!!!” He continues screaming his commentary for the rest of the clip: “THERE WAS A HUGE CHEER AND WE COULDN’T SEE WHO IT WAS, AND IT WAS EDGE!”
4:50: In a group reaction shot, we get to see a crew of guys sitting around with beers and sodas as they watch the event together. They’re shooting the shit and making small talk until the countdown clock begins. When Edge’s music hits, they jump up out of their seats and scream an array of celebratory expletives. One young man stays seated in the background, mouth and eyes wide, as he simply takes off his hat in disbelief. Amidst the shouting you can make out one man saying to the others, “I told you! I told you, but nobody fucking listened to me!” (Thanks to the age of the internet, rumors that he was seeking medical clearance had been circulating for quite some time. While many hoped, very few truly believed he’d be able to return.)
If I had to pick 10 words to summarize the reactions people (in the ring, in the stands, and around the world) had to Edge’s 2020 return, it’d look something like this:
Overjoyed
Amazed
Crying
Jumping
Trembling
Bewildered
Afraid
Doubtful
Confused
Startled
Interestingly, these are also almost the exact words used in the four gospels to describe the reactions people had to encountering the risen Christ.
There are a lot of ways we suck the life, power, impact, and radicalness from scripture today. I think one of the worst ways we misread the Bible is in underestimating the reactions of people witnessing the resurrection in real-time. We often read the conversations people had with and about the risen Lord as if they were held at a reasonable volume in everyday speaking voices.
There are countless paintings and icons of Mary gazing reverently and demurely up at Jesus in the garden as she utters her Teacher’s title. But what if we allowed her to become so viscerally unglued that she shrieked his name and fell to the ground crying and gasping for breath, with so much dopamine and adrenaline coursing through her body she nearly faints.
We often speak of Thomas as an angsty stubborn skeptic, practically picturing him leaning up against a wall in the corner with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face as he listens to his friends talk of Jesus’ return. But what if instead of a doubt fueled by willful ignorance his doubt was simply an extended moment of standing there stunned with his jaw on the floor, unable to grasp that the impossible had actually become reality?
Laughing and rolling our eyes at Peter jumping from a boat to swim to shore is practically cliché amongst churchgoers and preachers these days. But when we pause to think about it, can any of us honestly say we wouldn’t have a similarly unpredictable physical reaction?
Because resurrection isn’t something that we can prepare for. We cannot have a pre-planned, composed reaction. True resurrection is what happens when the impossible manifests with absolutely no warning. True resurrection occurs amidst hopelessness. And yet, as impossible as it is, resurrection does happen all the time, in ways both large and small. It leaves us breathless and stunned and in utter disbelief. And then our eyes adjust, and our brains catch up, and we can’t help but lose our absolute shit as the celebration begins. May we all allow ourselves (and our Biblical heroes) to live into the utterly unhinged experience of resurrection each and every time we hear of it or experience it to be True.
*Note: This is the most condensed explanation I can give, but please note that there are many other types of matches and stipulations. If you’re new to the world of professional wrestling and decide to watch, you will hear the ring announcer at the start of the match announce the stipulations (basically the “house rules”) for that particular match.