After taking part in arguably the most important segment of his career at Money in the Bank, going back and forth with John Cena for well over 10 minutes in a conversation with the leader of “Cenation” about which international location would be a better venue for a future WrestleMania, London or Australia, Grayson Waller landed a massive guest on the first-ever edition of The Grayson Waller Effect from Madison Square Garden, booking the “Rated-R Superstar” himself, Edge, for what he expected to be a very big announcement.

“I haven't had a match on Friday Night SmackDown, but here I stand in the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden,” Waller exclaimed. “And I know what you're all thinking, you've never seen such a handsome bloke in your life, but tonight's not about me. Because there's been some huge moments, huge events in the history of this arena, but none bigger than the announcement that my guest tonight has. He is an eleven-time world champion. He is a WWE Hall of Famer. He is the “Rated R Superstar,” Edge!”

Walking down to the ring to a hero's welcome, Waller asked Edge why he decided to come back to WWE when he's already accomplished pretty much anything he could want, from becoming fabulously wealthy to having a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame. For Edge, the answer was simple: the fans.

“It's pretty simple, because of them,” Edge said. “I'll get back to you. New York, I wanna talk to you. See, we go way back, don't we? My first PLE for this company? SummerSlam 98. I was the mystery partner for Sable against Marc Mero and Jacqueline. I came down through the crowd, right over there. Yeah, I see you. Right up there, that's where I came down, stand up. Our aisle used to be right here, yep, right where they are. Yeah, you stand up too, get on up. And that night, I ran, and I dove clear over those ropes when I still could, and from that moment on, you opened up your arms to me. And I know that in New York City, your respect is hard won. And I also know that New York City, man, it's a city full of hard workers and big dreamers, and I have always been a hard worker, and I have always been a big dreamer, and I still am to this day. And New York, that is why you and I work.”

“Which is why it is so exciting that right here in Madison Square Garden, Edge's big announcement is that he is retiring!” Waller announced. “Ladies and gentlemen, please, up on your feet, this is the last time you will ever see Edge in Madison Square Garden. Come on, on your feet, say thank you to this man for everything that he's done.”

“You know, Grayson, last week you were standing eye-to-eye with John Cena in London, Edge said. “Less than a week later, you were standing eye-to-eye with the Rated R Superstar in a sold out Madison Square Garden. So someone somewhere sees something in you. But you have been here for half a hiccup. You haven't even had a match on the main roster yet. But you have donkey paddled your way into some deep waters, and it's time to sink or swim. See, I'm not retiring. As a matter of fact, I talked to the powers that be today, and I'm gonna have a match here tonight. And it is gonna be the Rated R Superstar, one-on-one, against Grayson Waller.”

Shocked that he went from seemingly getting the journalistic scoop of the year to being thrust into action over the course of a few short minutes, Waller reluctantly accepted the match and took the ring a little bit later to sink or swim on his own merits.

Grayson Waller earned Edge's respect on SmackDown.

Taking the ring in the final traditional match of the show, Grayson Waller found himself wrestling one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time, and predictably, it didn't start off particularly well. After the “Rated-R” Superstar worked him over to an incredible degree early on, Waller found some success as the match went along, nailing Edge with a Flapjack, then a boot, the Unprettier, and an Aussie Forearm as Michael Cole and Wade Barrett put him over like he was Mr. Michels himself, the Heartbreak Kid – a deep cut that NXT fans will appreciate.

With the match on the line, Waller got confident, looking to hit his Rolling Cutter for the 1-2-3, but alas, it wasn't meant to be; Edge speared him out of his boots and as his soul hovered above his body, the referee counted to three before asking for the bell to be rung.

Disappointing? You bet, but ultimately, Edge gave his foe the rub after all, declaring, “Hey Waller, you swam.” Great match, great debut by Waller, and a great way for Edge to give back to the business he loves 25 years later.