Jeff Hardy, Would that pop come back?

[The Chosen One of WZ]

I can admit that I am a hug Jeff Hardy fan and he will always be one of my favorites of all time. Everyone needs to relise he has his own personal demons conflicting him right now and to not judge him

On the topic of the thread. I was watching a CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy clip from 2009 in WWE. I have to say Jeff Hardy got a bigger pop then then any superstar gets now adays. It was just a normal appearence but it was nearly as loud as Rock, HHH, or Undertakers returns from earlyer this year.

My question is if Jeff could get cleaned up, and he wanted out of TNA and somehow WWE wanted him back do you think that he could garner that much of a pop and return to the level he was at? Or would people be indiferent to him still especially the always noticiable Young Adult male fans.

I am indiferent to my own question as IDK if Jeff would be able to get that pop back but I doubt WWE would let him back anywhere close to the main event.

 

[punchline]

Just as with any superstar, there will always be those Jeff Hardy fans that will pop for him regardless of what he's done or where he is with his career. As far as the majority of WWE and even TNA fans however, I think both Hardys (not just Jeff) have shot themselves too many times in the foot to ever get that spark back with the fans.

I can't speak for everyone, but i use to love the Hardy's when watching them as a kid. But the years went by, they both made their share of mistakes and now i honestly cant stand either of them. I moved on a long time ago, and I think they both need to move on from the squared circle as well.

 

[The Crock]

Oh, he'd certainly have a pop. The loyal fans, the younger fans, the fans who don't keep up with wrestling news, they'd all pop for him. I'm not sure if the pop would stay the same, though. There'd be people that are not fans anymore, probably some people that would boo him. I don't doubt that. You can't expect his pop to stay consistent, especially after all he's done since leaving, but he would still be pretty high up there. People love the riskiness of his moveset, his bizarre look, everything is interesting about him, that doesn't change either. Like I said, he'd have a pop, but there would be a minor change.

 

[Alex]

There's a possibility (there always is) but it would be very difficult for him to get that kind of pop again. As has been said he's shot himself in the foot quite a bit, from his drug bust to acting like a prat e.g. Victory Road.

However I would say if he were to go onto the straight and narrow (and stay there) I'm sure that in time that pop may come back

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Ideally, it'd be nice if Jeff Hardy wasn't judged for his behavior but it's not an ideal world. People are judgemental by nature, always have and always will be. For me, it's hard to not really look down on Jeff Hardy. Each day when I go to work or when I transport inmates to court hearings, I hear excuses from people that've allowed drug use to take over and obliterate their lives. People do make mistakes all the time but nobody accidentally becomes a drug addict. And yes, Jeff Hardy is a drug addict. His attorneys all but came right out and called him as much earlier this week in their attemps to negotiate a stay for him in a rehabilitation program rather than face jail time. I think what angers a lot of people more than anything is that Jeff Hardy has becoming something of a cliche`. Just a couple of years ago, Jeff Hardy was one of the most over wrestlers in the world. He'd made it to a main event level wrestler and was in the middle of the biggest and most successful singles program he'd ever worked, or has worked since, with CM Punk. However, despite all that, he walks away from the WWE. He signs with TNA for a fraction of the money but TNA looks the other way when it's come to his drug issues and the TNA locker room is filled with friends of Hardy that've enabled him & made excuses for him. People think of what Jeff Hardy could have been and compare him to what they've seen since his time in TNA. It's easy to see how far he's fallen.

Could Jeff Hardy regain the support of the fans if he made a return to WWE? I see no real reason why not. If Jeff cleaned himself up and went back to the Jeff Hardy of old, fans would welcome him back with open arms. Whenever he failed a drug test and would be brought back to tv, they'd cheer him just as much as ever knowing full well why he'd been taken off television. We see professional athletes & actors that've had drug problems all the time say I'm sorry or whatever and are given chances after chances by their fans. Wrestling fans, for the most part, are no different.

While you learn to never say never, I think it's unlikely Jeff Hardy will be back in the WWE. His drug history has lead to him being fired from the WWE in the past, he's failed the Wellness Policy twice resulting in stalled pushes and there's the fact that he walked away during that huge push he was getting. Being the egomaniac we all know Vince McMahon to be at times, I don't think it's a stretch to imagine that Vince would consider that to be a slap in the face. Even if it's not, you know Vince.

 

[klunderbunker]

Randy Orton is arguably the most popular person in WWE right now. HE TRIED TO BLOW UP JOHN CENA. Point blank, he tried to set up fireworks under Cena for the sake of launching Cena into the air with an explosion. That translates to trying to blow someone up. Orton is now the most popular person in the company or second at worst. Hardy, a guy that only rarely is mentioned as having a drug problem on TV would be welcomed back with open arms. Whether he deserves that is up for debate, but wrestling fans are very forgiving. Hardy would be cheered and cheered loudly.

 

[Iversen]

I remember a podcast I listened to a fair while back with Stone Cold and he touched on Jeff Hardy. Basically he said something along the lines of that the WWE were half the time not even trying to push him but fans would still be going crazy for him because he's just got something that inspires that. He then went on to say it was a shame Jeff seemed to fuck it up all the time. If Jeff got clean, got himself in shape and went back to WWE I'd pop like mad for him to be honest. Not just because he's a wrestler I've grown up loving but because I know personally through family how horrible addiction can be and to see Jeff healthy and happy would be great.

 

[XgringolocoX]

It's kinda hard to care at this point. I do hope the guy gets clean and enjoys his life and all that. It's just as a wrestling fan I'm over this kind of bullshit. Scott Hall is another one. Sure he's past his prime regardless, but it applies. I hope the guy gets cleaned up, but have zero interest in him in wrestling again. He was rubbish in his last WWE run and rubbish in TNA. Fact is both guys screwed fans out of thier hard earned money and showed up unfit to work. They have to build up some kinda positive work record for me to cheer them again.

 

[Nate DaMac]

I don't think there's any doubt that he would be over like a motherfucker if he came back. If his music hit on Raw this week, the crowd would go apeshit like they had for years. He hasn't been gone for an incredibly long time, so he's likely still relatively fresh in the minds of casual fans.

You have to think Raw has millions of viewers every week. TNA garners about 1/3 of the viewers that the WWE does on a weekly basis. So there's a decent chance that 2/3 of the WWE audience doesn't even know anything about Jeff going to TNA and his recent legal troubles. Especially 9-10 year old kids who made up a pretty significant portion of his fanbase.

So yeah, I'd be willing to bet that Jeff would get a massive pop if he returned and if his ring work hasn't diminished too much, he'd probably sustain it for quite a while.

 

[berlinbrawler]

I want to say:
"No way! Aside from the fact that IF Hardy cleans up his act and IF Vince takes him back are a few IFs too many to even entertain the idea, there's no way this junkie or his douche brother would still have the same fan following as before."

But the truth is I have no idea. In this business one simply can never say never. Done that too often only to look like an idiot. We will never eeeeeeever see Eric Bischoff on WWE programming. Hulk Hogan will never return to the WWE. Shawn Michaels will never wrestle again. WWE will never take Stone Cold back. Goldberg will never come to the WWE. Chris Jericho will never be the WWE champion. WWE will never take Eddie Guerrero back. Just a couple of the things that at some point in time I would have bet my rent money on.

Eddie Guerrero in particular proved that it is possible to get clean and receive one more chance from Vince and make the very most of it. As for the pop Hardy got from the crowd, I never really knew why he got it in the first place. In that regard he really was a bit of an enigma to me. Why was this guy so popular? Were there wrestling fans who asked themselves the same question in the 80s about the Ultimate Warrior? The Warrior's crowd reaction shrank with every hiatus.

Oh, well, it's all speculation. Anyway, this junkie will never get clean and Vince would never take that liability of a performer back. AAAARGH, I did it again!

 

[ringthebell]

Jeff hardy coming back would be a refreshing change. The pop has died, let's face it, the same thing happening over and over again is getting a little old. There needs to be new talent, or BETTER STORY LINES. Better matches on Raw and Smackdown would be an addition. Give the fans what they want, don't wait until a 50 dollar pay per view to display the stars. Obviously, you can't do this all the time or the company goes under, but here's an example of a match that was incredible. Just look at the crowd, when was the last time we saw a pop like this, it certainly wasn't wrestlemania 27 in front of 70000 plus, this was only a crowd of 40000 and they rocked all night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMDoquwaBEs

 

[Mustang Sally]

My question is if Jeff could get cleaned up, and he wanted out of TNA and somehow WWE wanted him back do you think that he could garner that much of a pop and return to the level he was at?

Sure he could. I was watching a Boston Red Sox game the other day in which the fans were booing Carl Crawford for playing poorly this season after having been signed to a huge free agent contract this year. It seemed as if the fans couldn't stand this guy. Then, he hit a home run late in the game .....and received a rousing standing ovation. Fans are fickle and an athlete is only as good as his last performance. If Jeff Hardy came back and did exciting stuff in the ring, he'd get the same huge pop he used to get.

The quandary here is the supposition that Jeff wants to get off drugs. No, I don't know him or how his mind works, but I've been following the notion that if he wanted to get clean, he could have done it while still employed by WWE, so he could have continued getting the adulation (and money) he had gotten all along. He left for TNA because he wanted to continue his drug use, and the younger company was okay with that.

Yes, you can talk about the lighter schedule in TNA being something Jeff liked, but we've been reading how WWE was willing to accomodate him on that when they saw he was going to leave, so I keep returning to his drug use as being his highest priority.

But if Jeff got clean and returned to WWE? I think if fans saw that he had overcome adversity and performed as he used to, his pop would come back, too.

 

[ProtomanV2]

sadly the new jeff hardy is not the same, nor do i think he will ever be the same, drugs have corrupted his life and i dont think he will return

 

[Slowdude]

He'd get a big ass pop because frankly the majority of the WWE audience doesn't know about his current demons. Seriously go into any Youtube video featuring Jeff Hardy and its full of "Jeff Hardy come back to the WWE we want to see you again". You mention that he is in TNA and most will ask what that is. You mention his current demons and they won't believe you. The fact that so many people don't know about his current situation and think he is just sitting at home and the fact half the haters will pop for him anyway, he will of course get a standing ovation if he ever were to return.

 

[berlinbrawler]

I just never really saw the appeal in that guy. Yeah, early in his career the whole jumping off ladders thing blew me away. 10 years of ladder jumps and swanton bombs later I feel like I've already seen it. I'm beginning to wonder what else he brings to the table.
Classic matches (that don't center around one huge spot)? Unforgettable promos? Uncanny grappling skills?
Or maybe just terrible hair, a bad attitude, worse makeup and an outfit that looks like he patched it together from a 16 year old girl's leftovers? Damn hippie!

Ultimately you can't argue with success and Hardy does have an undeniably large fanbase despite all his obvious flaws. If they stood by him him so far, I suppose they would do so again. I, for one, won't shed a tear if we never see him again.

 

[Iversen]

I just never really saw the appeal in that guy. Yeah, early in his career the whole jumping off ladders thing blew me away. 10 years of ladder jumps and swanton bombs later I feel like I've already seen it. I'm beginning to wonder what else he brings to the table.
Classic matches (that don't center around one huge spot)? Unforgettable promos? Uncanny grappling skills?
Or maybe just terrible hair, a bad attitude, worse makeup and an outfit that looks like he patched it together from a 16 year old girl's leftovers? Damn hippie!

Ultimately you can't argue with success and Hardy does have an undeniably large fanbase despite all his obvious flaws. If they stood by him him so far, I suppose they would do so again. I, for one, won't shed a tear if we never see him again.

I think you're missing out on the whole thing that makes Hardy appeal to the kind of people that are his fans. The whole image of him doing it his way and living the free life appeals so much to a certain age group, mainly those in there early teens because it's all about rebelling and just being yourself. The same reason thousands of teenagers read On the Road and are inspired by it really.

 

[poppycock]

I would love Jeff Hardy to make a comeback in the WWE. It's Matt Hardy who I have grown to not like at all. I think Jeff was very entertaining to watch in the ring..moreso than most of todays talent right now. A Jeff hardy Vs CM Punk fued to get him back in the WWE would be something I'd be interested in. I don't care at all about what he does in his personal life aslong as he performs in the ring..which he doesn't always and that is ashame.

 

[radec]

ehh, jeff screwed it up 3 times! then screwed it up IN TNA like 3 more times the guys dead. IF he cleans up with will be a HUGE battle for hardy and IF he comes back to WWE then he will get a good pop if u like it or not. Jeff has becomre a monicor of some sort for people he will just not die out. The only diff is he will have like a john cena thing where he will get his fair boos and his i just dont like u boo's

 

[berlinbrawler]

I think you're missing out on the whole thing that makes Hardy appeal to the kind of people that are his fans. The whole image of him doing it his way and living the free life appeals so much to a certain age group, mainly those in there early teens because it's all about rebelling and just being yourself. The same reason thousands of teenagers read On the Road and are inspired by it really.

Ah, yes, the rebellious vibe. You're right, that's something I pretty much lost somewhere down the road. When I got a job. Or maybe when I turned 30.
Problem with Jeff is he uses his whole "be different/be yourself" philosophy as a justification for his lifestyle. If you have a self-destructive streak then being yourself may not be the smartest idea.
So, ok, many teens see themselves in this free spirited guy. Fine, as long as he's not their role model as well. A fine line to walk.

 

[S.J. Maximus]

There is not a single doubt in my mind that Jeff Hardy is 100% capable of getting the same pop that he was getting in 2009, the key is to get him going in a good feud. The clip that the OP saw of Hardy's pop wasn't just their love for Hardy it was also the hatred for Punk all at the same time. If Hardy was put against Punk, Miz, or Del Rio there is no way in hell he wouldn't be catapulted to top face status like he reached by August of 2009. Hardy should be the face of the WWE right now, he's just too high and cracked out to realize

 

[bigandpissed]

If he returned to WWE he would immediately get a huge pop because, while he may get boo'd by a few adults who actually know about what happened at victory road, all the kids would absolutely lose their fucking minds. because none of the kids in the "wwe universe" know hes a drug addict and most probably don't pay attention to tna closely enough to care about his heel turn.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

It would get ONE huge pop. And that's it. Because Jeff Hardy does something that is better than anyone in wrestling... and that's finding ways to screw things up.

He managed to screw up the biggest push of his career by being junkie, and now, he's managed to screw up being the face of a company by being a junkie. Sure Hardy would get a huge pop initially, but once the smoke clears and he's settled back in, the same ol' reactions will come back. He'll eventually be booed to no end because he's a waste of space in a wrestling ring.

 

[Singin' in the Reyn]

I looked at some Jeff Hardy stuff on youtube this weekend and it was great! My favourite was the Swanton Bomb on Orton that he hit off the WWE set, about eight metres up! Hardy knows how to work a crowd and that pop would surely come back.

I think it's wrong not to separate a person from their work. A lot of rockstars, actors and pro athletes are overpaid, semi-literate, borderline rapist junkies and still we love them. Why should Jeff be treated differently?

 

[DethMetal]

Jeff Hardy would get a huge pop. However, nobody can screw stuff up quite like him. If Jeff were clean, he'd have a WWE title feud, a return feud with Punk, it'd all be set up. I would love to see the Jeff Hardy of old again. The one who at least acted like he cared for the business and himself. You look back at Jeff Hardy's old stuff, he had the highest pops of the night. However, he screwed that up so he could get high. He screwed up his run in TNA, which may still be saved, and I feel he would screw this up too. Jeff Hardy is like a rainbow. You love them, they can being awe and amazement, but when you learn a little bout about them, the magic is gone.

 

[Tors Hall Rule]

Trust me, if on the next RAW, CM Punk is cutting a promo and suddenly No More Words by Endeverafter hit, the crowd would go bananas.. Not just the females and kids but also half the adult males as well.. Because apart from us dweebs and net junkies and a few sensible man, everyone has a bit of dare-devilry and free spiritedness inside us.. Hell how many times did it happen that being a kid that we wanted to jump off cliffs, leap and bound, have tattoos and doing whatever we felt life.. And Hardy seemed to be like a mirror image for all their craziest dreams.. So any day that he comes back to WWE, he'll be welcomed with open arms.. I'm not sure if the management will, but certainly the crowd..