In most professions, the story ends there. But this is wrestling. The noise and support for Hardy only got louder as he waited out his 90 day noncompete clause, and it became apparent WWE was second guessing their choice. Soon, Lita and Edge were paired together onscreen as a couple while they feuded with Kane. Then WWE teased Hardy’s return during Edge and Lita’s onscreen wedding by playing his theme song to a massive reaction. If it was all a focus group to see if fans truly wanted Hardy back, it worked; he returned to WWE on July 11, attacking Edge in angle that blurred the lines something fierce. Throw in Hardy’s Ring of Honor appearances over the next month, which he plugged during his “Raw” return, Hardy calling into WWE’s internet program “Byte This” to argue with Lita, and more surprise attacks on Edge in a similar vein over the next several weeks, and WWE successfully turned the Edge-Hardy-Lita saga into a worked shoot.

Ultimately, the storyline saw Hardy and Edge wrestle four singles matches against each other between SummerSlam and the October 3, 2005 edition of “Raw.” Though Hardy picked up a victory over Edge in a Steel Cage match in September, it was Edge who emerged victorious in the feud, winning the SummerSlam match and the ladder match, which banished Hardy to “SmackDown.” In the end, it was hard to argue Edge benefited the most, even though the angle was rough on him. While Hardy’s continued to have a successful career, and Lita became a WWE Hall of Famer, Edge would use the heat from fans to become WWE’s central antagonist, becoming an 11 time World Champion and WWE Hall of Famer, who continues to wrestle today for AEW. Despite success prior, it’s hard to argue that the real life scandal turned wrestling storyline didn’t wind up helping Edge take the next step in his career.