Edge vs. Randy Orton

[3.0] "It was a match, that's for sure. It's also far, far, far away from being the greatest match ever. It's barely the greatest match on the show. Even without the ridiculous branding it's an underwhelming affair. A match can't be a master class of anything when approximately 1/3 or more is doing famous finishers from other wrestlers. It was fun to watch but that complete absence of creativity prevents it from being anything more than a fun ppv match."

[1.0] "From 2004 on WWE tried to portray these guys as strong rivals, and the matches were almost underwhelming, 2007 being the only arguable exception. So now that both guys are past their prime and there are no fans in the building, why not put them in a match with absurd branding that goes on an excruciatingly long time? Ah, but we'll puti n a lot of cutesy references to past wrestlers. I mean, they won't actually have anything to do with the match but hey, the human brain gets a hit of dopamine if it sees something familiar so it'll be great, right? Suffice to say this match was not for me, a terrible slog with the sound of fake fans ringing in my ears."

[3.0] "Wrestling works best when it hides its artifice; when we forget it's fake. Edge vs. Randy Orton at WWE Backlash 2020 does the exact opposite. By branding it "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever, " piping in fake crowd noise, and bathing the whole production in forced nostalgia, WWE sabotages its own match before it even begins. Despite decent performances, Edge looking solid post-injury and Orton showing rare effort, the match feels like a bloated tribute reel. Spots like the Unprettier, Rock Bottom, and Angle Slam aren't callbacks with meaning; they're hollow references, trying to manufacture greatness through imitation. The match plays like a YouTube compilation: technically sound, emotionally vacant, and desperately overproduced. It's not the worst match, but it's one of the most dishonest. *1/2"

[7.0] "It was not, in fact, the 'Greatest Wrestling Match Ever' as advertised. It was, however, a vast improvement over Orton and Edge's prior bout at WM36. For starters, the presence of actual spectators--even if they were Performance Centre recruits as opposed to paying fans--meant that there was an energy in the building that wasn't present during their boring brawl through the same venue. That's why, despite this match being even longer than that one, it was overall much more enjoyable to watch. The action itself wasn't all that innovate, but I did like Orton using basic tricks to figuratively and literally trip Edge up early in the match. In fact, despite some slow periods, I thought the first two-thirds of this match were paced well and it seemed as though things were gradually building to an increasingly frenetic finish. There was also much less melodrama than there was at Wrestlemania, which was nice to see as it meant Edge and Orton didn't undermine the intensity (and GRIT) they were trying to convey unlike last time. Although, I will say, Orton getting colour off of a headbutt was definitely a bit random. While it did add to the intensity, I was a little disappointed it wasn't incorporated into the match more given it was right above Orton's eye and would have provided a clever way for Edge to avoid, instead of kick out, of the one of many, many finishers during the last third of the bout. Speaking of which, there were definitely too many kick-outs (seven if I counted correctly), but most importantly the need for Edge and Orton to sell their impact really slowed the match down and killed the rising pace and intensity both guys had expended much effort in establishing. I also wish Edge's targeting of Orton's left arm and shoulder played into the match more, as I think it could have added an extra wrinkle toward the end and helped in building more drama that didn't necessitate simply spamming finishers instead. I also find it funny that Edge lashed out at critics of this match at the time by claiming that they had become too accustomed to superkicks and flips to truly appreciate what he and Orton accomplished here. Talk about throwing stones in a glass house. Regardless, this match was definitely enjoyable for something that went on for three-quarters of an hour. That definitely deserves commending even if I wish the finish was ultimately more exciting and creative. ***1/2"

[7.0] "[3.5*] This is a pretty tough match to rate because at least in my perspective it was clearly a satire. I mean, this was between Orton years after his prime (yeah he entered another prime now he fucking rules) and Edge doing his 2nd singles match after the 1st one being a disaster, and then they literally decided to call it the Greatest Match Ever before it even happened and when the bell rang they did a 40-min bout with a blade job coming off a back bump (lmao), leg slaps right into the camera, chop battles and 7 (SEVEN) finisher kickouts. Olympic Slam, Killswitch, Pedigree, Rock Botton, RKO, Double Spear and to finish a second RKO kickout. This is the first tike I have seen a wrestler kick-out of the RKO twice in the same match and it happened in a match where we had a spam of other famous finishers. There is no fucking way this was not on purpose lmao, I am sorry. As a satire, it is a perfect one. This match represented everything that is right and wrong about Modern Wrestling. It is a pretty perfect satire, but as an irony, of course this could not be a 10/10 match - it was not made to be it. It was not made to be the Greatest Ever. As a match, it is a very good one, which is funny because it seems like they made a match they would fucking hate, specially Orton. If liking this match is catching the bait, then I caught it lmao."

[10.0] "It's no way the greatest wrestling match and it went way too long than it really should've, but it's such an absolutely brilliant one with fantastic action, moves, spots and throwbacks and this is definitely one of the best cinematic matches ever because of how it was shot and the enhanced audio."

[10.0] "not the greatest match of all time but a damn great one, they tried their best and I firmly believe this to be the ceiling of how good an Orton vs Edge match can be at that point in time (*****)"

[8.0] "****1/4 - The counters here are really fantastic and hold a lot of this together, very old school in that way. Too long for what it is but with the hype coming in it had to be Triple H epic length. Fun."

"While the billing of The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever set an almost unattainable expectation, Orton and Edges encounter at Backlash 2020 was undeniably memorable and met much of the hype. It was a masterclass in wrestling psychology, athleticism, and production. Fans were treated to a bout that respected the history of the sport while delivering a modern, high-quality performance. Despite it not being quite the greatest wrestling match of all time, the match stands out as one of the finest WWE showcases in recent years, cementing both Orton and Edges legacies as two of the greatest in the business."

[7.0] ""The 3349th Greatest Match of All Time" (as I write this) doesn't flow off the tongue as nicely. They say you should shoot for the moon because if you miss, you'll be among the stars; in reality, you end up freezing to death in the cold expanse of space. Don't get me wrong, it's an entertaining match and was the match of the night, but it was still overbooked, went on a little too long (but weirdly, still didn't feel as long as the LMS match at Mania), and failed to live up to the hype."

[10.0] "I loved this match and it was a perfect example of how to use the shows having no crowds to your advantage. Perfect storytelling throughout and loved the throwbacks of them using people from their pasts finishers against each other even if you knew it wasn't going to be the ending. Bravo guys!"

[8.0] "No idea why WWE decided to promote this as the Greatest match ever when in reality it isn't even in the top 100. However it was a very splid contest between two seasoned vets. They told a good story and kept a 45 minute match engaging enough. I liked the chain wrestling at the beginning and how they showed Edge was still rusty. Orton was a vicious heel and the psychology near the end and post match was spot on."

[8.0] "Greatest? No. Great? Yes. They pulled out a lot of maneuvers you wouldn't expect and managed to entertain for most of this 45 minute encounter. Quite the accomplishment from these two veterans who looked like they were out to prove that they still had it in them."

[6.0] "Way to long and overbooked, but it had some fun moments. Looked more like a parody of the Japanese big matches."

[10.0] "This match is so good and a incredible match and it is so fun to watch and it is a instant classic and a match that is really entertaining with fun moments. *****"

[9.0] "Maybe it wasn't 'The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever', but it lived up to expectations, Edge and Randy Orton have great chemistry, a mix of old and new school match, this build of this match was perfect."

[7.0] "A victim of its own hype. I get why they went for the "Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" branding, you can't exactly sell a show on "this will be a really good match" (which is what it was), but the match wasn't exactly on the level of the 90s AJPW classics, was it' Both played their part extremely well and made up for the snoozer of the WM36 match, but "Greatest" this ain't, and it loses hype with me for that sole reason."

[9.0] "While not 'The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever' as advertised, this was still pretty damn fantastic. Loved the target over the neck by Orton, and the selling by Edge as well. I think they went with the finisher kick-out too much by the end, but the finish with the Punt totally made sense looking at the structure of the whole match alone. Awesome mixture of old school and modern wrestling elements. The presentation was equally great as well. Fantastic stuff. [****1/2]"

[9.0] "This match was simply fantastic, even more than their WrestleMania match. Yes, the cuts are making this match less real but I think it's good because of Edge's level in the ring today. And the story delivered was fantastic. I was really invested all along. ****1/2"

[10.0] "While its not "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" as the tag line announces it as, this was an excellent match. Edge and Orton's chemistry was on point here, giving us exactly what we wanted with an Edge return while making Orton the most detestable guy in the room. This is one of the biggest examples of wrestling fanservice I've ever seen, and while they may lay it on a little too thick sometimes, I can't fault it because it's just that good."

[9.0] "This was awesome and probably my second favorite out of the Edge/Randy matches. Obviously, not the greatest wrestling match ever, but both guys gave their all to this."

[9.0] "Apparently, this is not "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever"; location, rivalries, feud, match quality, nothing extraordinarily excellent. However, it is still a great match, the energy, the faith, the emotion, the heart, the sweat, made this 46-minute bloody battle. It is an immortal piece of both men's career. (****1/2)"

[8.0] "I honestly loved this. It was long (45 minutes) but I had so much fun watching this. Both men turned back the clock and had fantastic showings. The added crowd noise and other things made this all feel like a crazy trip and I thought it rocked. It could've benefited from being 10-15 minutes shorter, but I'll still give it an 8/10. ****"

[8.0] "Unfortunately, this match was doomed from the start with the "Greatest Match of All Time" build they were doing. Another issue was this match was 45 minutes about there was roughly 20ish minutes of absolutely nothing, just the two out of breath guys panting and moving to the next spot. This match did have its high points though specifically the first 10-15 minutes."

[8.0] "It might not be the greatest wrestling match of all time but it was really good. Edge and Orton worked their ass off. I don't know how edited it was but I liked the psychology and structure of the match as a whole. But it was far too long and got a bit boring. Nevertheless a great match. If I had to give it a star rating. ****1/4"

[8.0] "This match takes me back to the long, story-based main vents that used to be told during the Ruthless Aggression era, an era I grew up watching. Edge and Orton give their all in a great display of story-telling and proof that a match does not need work-rate centric displays of athleticism to be great. Is this the greatest wrestling match ever? No, this is just a tribute."

[6.0] "I immediately thought this match was gonna be bad since they kept hyping it as the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever, which is a really big claim, but I was surprised that it was pretty good to start with. I enjoyed the first 20 minutes or so a lot but by the end I was thinking "can this match just end already? " I was also not a fan of the piper in crowd noises and the new camera angles."

[8.0] "I think it's a pretty good match which performed by two of the former many-times world champion. The match contains many interesting spots and clear face-heel divide. The pre-match introduction and the referee's suit all goes to the old days. This match may don't deserve "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever", but it's absolutely worth watching. (****1/4)"

[4.0] "I really loved the opening stretch with Orton outwresting Edge and I think that Randy's performance in this match was generally really good, but the match was far too long and all the forced epicness was really annoying. I didn't understand what all the stolen finishers wanted to mean and I felt that the Three Amigos was out of place. It's a shame because I liked some moments and I think they had a really good 15-20 match in them but they failed here."

[9.0] "Great match. Was it a spontaneous encounter between two athletes? No. But it was a final product I thoroughly enjoyed. Both guys were methodical, both were intense. I enjoyed the numerous throwbacks, even if for many it might be self-indulgent."

[2.0] "Despite the high-quality mic work, this entire feud reeks of two longtime friends who have very much wanted to work with each other. Mix subpar athleticism, copious reediting, multiple takes, distracting audio fills, and a unneeded protracted length and you have Edge/Orton deux, ewwwww... well, it was better than Mania."

[9.0] "This really did live up to it's hype. Incredible performance by these two and didn't expect the punt kick to end the match."

[9.0] "It starts out slow, as you'd come to expect from Orton matches, but eventually picks up, and soon they're pulling out virtually every move from WWE history to try to make this seem like the 'Greatest Wrestling Match Ever. ' No it's not that good, and it suffers from being edited and having crowd noise piped in, but it still may be the best match of the pandemic thus far. ****1/2"

[6.0] "It's a good match, but too long and strongly edited. There is a "main event" climate from the start to the finish. There is a good story telled with Edge that in a first place has troubles with technical wrestling. Randy Orton's selling of the shoulder should be better. The final has too many kickouts and the legends' finisher spam is a nice idea, but only Orton has to do those moves in accordance to his "student role" in the match. ***1/2"

[4.0] "If this match wasn't marketed as "The Greatest Wrestling Match of All Time" not nearly as many people would've cared about or watched this match. Their WrestleMania match was already criticized as overlong and boring so instead of improving on that they made this match even longer. I have to give them some level of credit, because this was an extremely ambitious match. It felt like WWE tried to have the greatest match ever, but these efforts made it feel closer to the goofiest match ever. We have Howard Finkel's voice announcing the match, Charles Robinson in old referee attire, cheesy camera angles, ridiculous fake crowd sound effects and over the top commentary. This presentation was absolutely horrendous but it's not impossible to work a great match within this environment. Unfortunately Edge and Orton going over 40 minutes is near impossible for me to enjoy. I did like the opening bits with Orton playing mind games with Edge but once the control segments began things got drawn out and predictable. Both guys were super slow on top and it felt like they were mostly phoning it in for 20 or so minutes so they could finally begin hitting finishers. This second half was Gargano/Cole III levels of overindulgence. Mimicking finishers does not equal a great match, and it's even worse when these finishers are kicked out of one after another. 3 Amigos, Angle Slam, Pedigree, Unprettier, Rock Bottom. 2 RKO's, 2 Spears, and maybe i'm forgetting one more. It was paced so poorly because they'd just hit one finisher, kickout, and then move to the next. This doesn't tell a story. This match felt like it was written by someone who has heard of a great match, but never seen one. It was a forced epic in every sense of the phrase. Orton and Edge put in effort, but the bad outweighs any good to be found. **3/4"

[10.0] "I haven't had that feeling of "big match" for a wWE (Main Roster) match in so long and I really think this could easily be the best PPV match in YEARS in WWE (I probably have to go back to Styles vs Cena in Summerslam 2016 to find a comparable one) thanks to the anticipation and drama that these two and the company were able to create in that ring. Personally I watch a lot of Pro Wrestling, but that made me think why I love him so much in the core and it's because the drama that the business is able to create. Expectations for it were TOO MUCH and it was probably the factor that somehow prevented the encounter to achieve perfection : The Greatest Wrestling Match Mai, and of course it's not the Greatest Match I've ever seen, but Randy and Edge were able to create magic and give life to an incredible performance, even if they are no longer in their tweintys. As a In Ring Point of View they made fantastic counters and reversal even thought they were really "base" without crazy spots paying omage at Old School Wrestling. The Storytelling was Fantastic, with Orton appearing to be the best Wrestler, who overtook Edge's infamous neck and with the Canadian able to masterfully sell the entire plot (I really think Edge could have the best facial expressions in history) and the "quotes" to the classics of the past were pure Genius (the Three Amigos, the Killswitch, the Pedigree, the Savage/Steambot segment and the Steambot/Steambot segment). Randy Orton is probably the most naturally gifted athlete in history and Edge the most passionate. Only two things that take something away in the Grade are that the last finishing manoeuvres were a bit predictable and that Orton's "dirty" victory is a classic but not right for this match. Overall I would like to give a 9. 5/10... an Old School setting in the New Era of Pro Wrestling... something miraculous someone would argue..."

[9.0] "This match was paced wonderfully, played on past rivalries, past allies and told a great story of Edge slowly remembering who he was while Orton wrestled rings around him for the first half. Was it THE GREATEST EVER, no. But that doesn't stop it from being very very good and one of the best WWE main roster efforts in recent memory. Randy Orton proves that when he cares, there aren't many better than him."

[2.0] "8. 17? Really? Edge and Orton really offered nothing new with Orton maybe showing a little more energy than he usually half arses through the bulk of his matches, but in all honesty this wasn't that great a match, even with the editing and lame camera angles. I will give it a little bit of credit for Edge being able to wrestle with a torn tricep but even then I would not recommend this match."

[8.0] "Unlike the guy below me who took the time out of his life to create an account just to rate this a 0 and obviously has a problem with "neck beards" i actually enjoyed this match and thought it wasn't that bad, yer we all knew it was going to be a "cinematic match" but it definitely was above expectations. Cudos to edge for putting on a great performance for a guy that hasn't had a proper wrestling match in years."

[4.0] "It was just far too long and the pace never moved above a plod. Moves, transitions and counters were all too predictable, but this was always going to happen because we have all seen both men fight so many times. The match should have been a celebration of the best of both; Legend Killer Orton & multi-champ Edge, instead we saw an Angle Slam, a Pedigree, a Rock Bottom and an Unprettier. All this was so unnecessary if these two were ever capable of putting on the Greatest Wrestling Match of All Time. As soon as the fake crowd noises were heard and the more obvious they became, the more intensity faded from the contest. Again it was unnecessary and sounded like they had been ripped from an early 90s video game. The only good thing about this was the Punt at the end and it should have come 20 minutes earlier."

[8.0] "Never came close to the tag line but thought this was a very good match. It certainly dragged due to its long run time but it always maintained its big fight feel. Edge put in a performance I never expected and Randy was phenomenal in his role as a vicious heel. I actually feel the finisher kickouts played well into the story with Randy having to go back to the well with something he hadn? t done in like a decade to put Edge away."

[9.0] "Yeah, this match is really hurt by that fn stupid marketing campaign. I wanted to hate it too but... Hey it was great. I loved how streamlined it was, you get a feel for what each portion of the match is about, and they all have a transition point that helps you identify it. The action was great, Edge was astonishingly good. Sometimes the action went too slow when Orton was dominating but hey, that's his brand and he's been much worse. The only real problem is how overboard they went with the Overbooking. Edge's neck is already in shambles and he still kicks ouf of a Pedigree and two RKOs, and is just as nimble when he has to counter afterwards. I like that the Punt Kick came back in the end but even that was sort of no sold as Edge shouldn't have been able to stand up in the end. Overall... It was a legitimately great wrestling match. I'd say ****1/4. It deserves to be remembered among the great matches. Especially this year that hasn't really produced that many GREAT matches so far."

[5.0] "My first thought here was that the atmosphere sounded so fake. And it wasn't a surprise as WWE tried to present this as the best wrestling match ever. Secondly, it was better than I expected from these 2. The match itself definitely went too long as they wanted to create an "epic". There was a lot of dead time between spots as well. The second half saw both hit every move and kicked out as hard as possible. I wasn't much a fan of this, but somehow it could be tolerable given the build-up and their personal story. Also, I could appreciate some heel/face dynamic here with Orton being aggressive and Edge being sympathetic. So yeah, a controversial match, it wasn't that great but wasn't really bad either. This match was okay with not many memorable things to talk about."

[9.0] "They were positioned in a really tough spot as this match was built as "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever". While I can't say that it was the greatest wrestling match ever, I can definitely say it was match of the night. Both men worked really hard here, and considering that Edge hadn't wrestled frequently for near a decade, this was impressive, especially when the match went near 45 minutes. Both told great story, and Orton was really great here. I honestly think this match was a milestone in both wrestlers' career. ****"

[4.0] "Mechanically, this is a solid enough bout, but what hurts this contest is the obsession with greatness in wrestling. Greatness is not a relic of the past that requires Charles Robinson dressing in 80's attire with Howard Finkel's voice announcing the match. It isn't the blatantly on-the-nose cover of "The Greatest Show" blaring through the speakers. It isn't two legends wrestling a style that they have never been suited for. It isn't the glaring audio and edits of a sold out crowd or commentators gushing their hearts out when in reality it's the complete opposite. It isn't doing callback after callback after callback spot that have nothing at all to do with either wrestler or their feud. It isn't kicking out of multiple finishers for some extra pizzazz and it certainly isn't stretching a match out longer than their previous outing when the latter was already criticized for being too drawn out. The best moments are when Edge and Orton stick to their craft and own story. Edge at 46 years old facing Randy Orton in his prime, grappling with a main event star and fighting for his offense is the heart of this match. Orton wanting to outwrestle his opponent, only to resort to trickery when needed is the meaning behind this match. There some good sequences and psychology to be found here. But in the chase for something more, it's reduced to a cheap epic feeling more amateurish than professional. **"

[2.0] "... and I thought that Johnny Gargano matches were overindulgent. This was garbage, in my opinion. 40 minutes of art insisting upon itself, command adoration from the viewer as a means to justify its ahead-of-time branding as "the greatest wrestling match of all time". The camera angles were as Kevin Dunn-esque as possible, which I have never been fond of, and the predominantly planted and cohersed crowd reaction only served to annoy me further. This entire angle was as pretentious as they come, and the match itself was an absolute crystallization of that. This is the kind of product that takes my general dislike of WWE, and turns into full-blown resentment. *Œ"

[8.0] "This is the best you can get from the WWE product today. A slow burn of a match that built itself up for the climax and finish. Also the storytelling was good but my problems would have to be the added on or edited crowd chants, the finisher galore, and the WWE promoting this as "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" which was a bit of a stretch. I still think Bryan vs Styles for the IC title is still WWE's match of the year so far but this is still good and will probably be one of WWE's best matches of the year. (****1/4)."

[9.0] "Not the greatest wrestling match ever but a damn good one. I think the only thing that hurt this was the edited chants that were obviously not necessary, and that it was taped. Live would've been better. ****1/2."

[9.0] "Greatest match ever? No. Great match between two veterans who understand psychology better than 90% of main roster wrestlers? Yes."

[7.0] "The fact that it was basically edited together highlights makes me want to give this a lower score, as it's cheating. WWE feeling the need to sweeten the crowd noise with a hairdryer-like sound irritated me, as did the excessive camera cuts to NXT wrestlers in the crowd making goofy faces every time somebody did a move. I did enjoy seeing the two dig deep into their arsenals of moves, especially the return of the punt kick. The psychology of Orton demanding a straight-up wrestling match, and then having to resort to a low blow was interesting. I could have enjoyed this a lot more if not for the annoying advertising of this being THE GREATEST WRESTLING MATCH EVAR~! , and the typical WWE over-production."