On August 31st 1977 Jeffrey Nero Hardy was born in Cameron, North Carolina. On March 13th 2011 Jeffrey Nero Hardy’s wrestling career died in Orlando, Florida in tragic circumstances during TNA’s Victory Road PPV. That should be all she wrote in an ideal world.
However, the situation that occurred during the main event (if one can even call it that) of Sunday’s PPV is not a simple situation that can be done, dusted and buried in a painless manner. Fans, wrestlers and the entire world of professional wrestling were left audibly angered and upset at what happened in that ring between Hardy and his opponent for the night “The Icon” Sting. The fact that Jeff was even allowed to get to the ring without someone stepping in and saying enough is enough was shocking in itself, but for the bell to be rung and for Sting to have to take matters into his own hands by forcibly holding Hardy down for a the 1…2…3 after 90 seconds of “action” was diabolical. Sting should never have been put in that position by a company he has chosen as his “brand” and who he believes in. It was disgusting to see a true idol of wrestling be endangered by the actions of not only the intoxicated Hardy but also TNA management.
What TNA does now will affect their future standing as a wrestling company. Mistakes were made at Victory Road but it’s how the company deals with those mistakes that will ultimately control their destiny. Either they will go into a freefall or they will wake up, smell the coffee and swing for the fences. The first step they have taken is somewhat positive by offering 6 months free access to their On Demand service to all the people who paid hard earned cash to purchase Sunday’s PPV. But this won’t be enough for many as it’s not just the fact that a main event was cut short, it’s also the fact that a highly troubled individual was allowed to continue in a downward spiral for so long without intervention, even receiving a huge push to be TNA’s flagship when so many others deserved that spot more. TNA needs to make a public apology to the fans and the wrestlers, reveal at least some details of what was up with Hardy and also they need to send a message that this type of thing will never occur again. That message must take the shape of the company introducing a proper drugs policy with severe punishment for serious offences. No offence can be more serious than Hardy’s last Sunday and therefore there must be an example made. Hardy needs to be fired.
Some fans may disagree with my suggestion that Jeff loses his job, but for TNA to recover sufficiently from the damage done by the car crash that was Victory Road’s main event, Hardy needs to go. For one I can’t imagine that the boys in the back will ever be happy to work with such a reckless individual again, especially Sting or TNA’s franchise AJ Styles, who for years has busted his ass to put the company on the map even when more established names like Christian Cage, Kurt Angle and even Hardy came from WWE and got pushed ahead of him in the pecking order. Some sense of morality has to be established in the locker room and in the front of house. TNA doesn’t need to take such risks on talent simply because they came from the “Big” company up north. As i pointed out in my first column, there are enough skilled and hungry home grown guys who can really take the company forward. Guys like AJ, Robert Roode, James Storm, Kaz, Morgan, Samoa Joe et al. So please for the sake of your future TNA, get rid of the ticking time bomb that is Jeff Hardy.
well said man, i did not get to see the trainwreck but ive read enough to getr the idea. i couldnt agree with you more hardy needs to go at least untill his legal matters are resolved. they have so much talent they always over look the one’s that need to stand out it really pisses me off the way they treat tna’s real stars
I might find myself along the lines of the fans who think that Hardy shouldn’t be fired. Punished? Absolutely. However, I don’t know what form that “punishment” should take. In my ideal world, Jeff Hardy would have been prevented from taking place in the main event, stripped of the title for [insert new storyline reason here], and immediately offered a fully paid stint in a rehab clinic on TNA Wrestling’s dime.
Look, TNA Wrestling has to have some complicity in allowing Hardy’s drug problem to get as bad as it is – I think they should step up and do the right thing by paying for him to undergo some serious rehabilitation in a top-tier clinic.
Either that or we could have a very serious situation on our hands. The type of situation that transcends silly wrestling storylines or what any of us thinks is “right” professionally for Hardy – we could be talking about the end of a man’s life and that’s certainly nothing to play around with in my book.
TNA Wrestling should offer to pay for Hardy to attend a serious rehab program. If he doesn’t accept, then he should be suspended without pay indefinitely.
In any event, what a shame.
Jeff Hardy is not a terrible performer, he(when he wants to be) is an amazing talent who had” the look”. If you look at his wwe run and his tna run you’ll probly notice a diffrence. In tna he is givin more freedom and he seems happier . But he has defintliy taken advantage of that. I some what blame the company, they made the choice to not use the line they forgot to use. ” all matches are subject to change.” Dose it matter that the fans would riot, no. Why? Because this ppv dosnt matter at all. Next month is Lockdown and if this happend there, then you have a reason to care. But not at a second class event that is just a stepping stone till next month.
I believe 100% that Jeff Hardy should be immediately termated from his TNA Contact.
This is the second time that there has been panic and questions asked about Hardy at a TNA PPV that he has headlined (TNA Final Resolution 2010 and Victory Road 2010) TNA was scrambling to get a new main event at Final Resolution. The fact he would show up stoned at a pay-per-view shows how little respect he has for not only his company, but the fans that paid money to see him wrestle around the world, his peers, Dixie Carter (who hired him and his friends in the first place) and his opponent for the evening…wrestling icon and veteran Sting.
I’m not a Hardy fan at all, but how else as a company can you send a message that everyone can believe and is dead serious other than dismissing his services. Sure, rehab is an option, but who can believe he’s there. I wouldn’t without proof. I don’t believe that TNA has a decent drug testing policy, and they say they do.
If I had shelled out money for Victory Road, I would be beyond pissed that I was robbed of a main event due to Hardy’s carelessness. So it may not be the right thing for Hardy, but actions like that deserve punishment and TNA needs to cut their losses and move on.