Does Anyone Else Think Jeff Hardy is Overrated?

[newwaveknight]

Now, before I get crucified for this one, let me preface this by saying that Jeff Hardy USED to be great. I'm mainly talking about Jeff Hardy now.

Let's look at Jeff Hardy today without nostalgia-tinted glasses. Back when Jeff Hardy started off, he was a great high-flyer and impressive to watch in the ring. But that was then, this is now.

To me, Jeff Hardy's suffered the same fate as Rey Mysterio or any high-flyer that doesn't have a solid technical foundation: their in-ring prime has a short shelf life. Really, the only impressive agile/high spots I see Jeff pull off anymore is the Swanton Bomb. Like I said, he's not a very solid technical worker and doesn't really have the size or physique to sell as a brawler.

On the mic, he is rather boring to listen to. Everytime I listen to his promos, all I can think is, "Damn, he sounds like the mustached gay guy who says 'Oh no!' on Family Guy."

About all Jeff Hardy has left to me is a great look and a name that a lot of people still associate with great high-flying action. But as the song says, "Sometimes reputations outlive their applications."

 

[Y 2 Jake]

When Jeff Hardy started off he sucked balls. He did impressive high spots and nothing else. Despite his popularity, he was the weak link of not only the Hardy Boyz, but of the other TLC alumni.

The Jeff Hardy who's been around since 2006 is one of the best workers around today. The high spots might not be as impressive as they used to be. But they mean more.

 

[Cereal Killer]

Well I would say he is till an extent. I think he is unique and original with his astonishing moves, is very charismatic but lacks skill on the mic. He's not Brock Lesnar bad (on the mic), but he's no CM Punk.

I guess he can back himself up in the ring, and gains more attention with his fan approach, though I wouldn't consider him to have gotten any "worse". His work has definitely improved since the late 90's and early 00's. His mic and in-ring style improved, and he brought in his new gimmick, with the face paint, "creatures of the night" stuff, and his "darker" side.

If you dislike his work because he doesn't do all those high-flying moves as often, or as good; then you have got to be out of your mind. Everyone's athleticism decreases at some point (everyone knows that!), and Hardy is an example. Are you saying you haven't enjoyed any of his matches in his recent time in TNA? They're great! They're full of action and they keep me hooked.

The one thing I don't understand is though, is to why he has such a large fan base. He is one of Impact's top stars, yet they (TNA and his fans) make it out as if he is the total package. He's not. He can do a lot of crazy things in the ring, and has an interesting character, but his mic work is extremely boring. Guys like AJ Styles are better than he is, (in this case, Styles is a total package, as he has all the tools a great wrestler needs), yet they have a much smaller fan base. I don't understand why.

Going back to you disliking his matches, watch his match with Austin Aries at Turning Point, it was a ladder match. After watching, or if you have watched, and you still despise him, you're too harsh, or you don't know how to judge a wrestling match.

 

[Nikeo]

People who complain about Hardy's in-ring skills seldom forget about the style he's used throughout his career. Look at the Dynamite Kid. Look how his body was left after the battering he put through thorughout his career, the man's body just couldn't take the abuse.

I recognise this next statement is a very strong one to make but I think it's true nonetheless. I would wager that Hardy has put his body through more hardship than a good 95% of people in the WWE over the past 15 years. He's taken more high-spot bumps and, especially in his early career, would routinely take far more bumps than was necessary.

Hardy's motto was always: "I shine when I sell". His career shows that to be true, he got over by being decimated and making other guys look like a million bucks. In my view he's the one that got Edge's spear over as a finishing move.

All of the guys that have given as much as Hardy have either burned out or suffered terrible injuries. Look at HBK's first run, the exact same thing happened.

Is Hardy the worker he was even back in '08? No, he's not. He's not taking Soma pills and working through the toll his career has put on his body. How could you expect him to be? I'd still wager he can put on an excellent match, better than most people on the WWE or TNA roster. If he couldn't, he wouldn't be on top. As you succiently point out he doesn't get over on his mic skills.

I sincerely disagree with your assertions, I think allowances should be made for just how banged up Jeff Hardy has gotten through his career AND worked through the pain.

After his ladder match with Edge, right when the Punk program started, I believe (if memory serves me right) he had a serious back injury, something to do with two of his vertebrae, was suffering from restless leg syndrome and had fractured one of his fingers. The man wasn't in good shape AT ALL. Most workers would have taken time off. Jeff, with no damage to his career, could have spent his last few months at home picking up his sizable paycheck. He didn't. He worked through the pain and turned CM Punk into a Main-Event property. He didn't have to do that.

As admirable as that is, unfortunately, you can only do that for so long in your career before it catches up on you. I don't think you're wrong that Hardy can't go as he used to. What I'd ask you to explain is how could you expect him to?

Mark my words, and it gives me no pleasure to say this, Jeff Hardy will not be walking around like a Rock or a Stone Cold when he calls it quits. Jeff has stated before that thinking about The Dynamite Kid scares him, I think he realises that he may indeed fall victim to a similar fate.

Look at Hogan, look at the shape he's in. He NEVER did the things Hardy has done in the ring. That should put things in perspective for you.

All that being said, I think Hardy can put on a better match than most guys on the roster. You say he's no technical wrestler, no brawler and that he doesn't fly around anymore....maybe he doesn't. What he DOES do is take a leaf out of HBK's book and has relied on psychology. Look at every grimace on Hardy's face when he bumps, look at HOW he sells something. Be it real pain or ring psychology, Hardy knows how to get the crowd involved in his matches.

EDIT: To the above poster, Jeff has that X factor, the "it" factor that unfortunately Styles lacks. So do 95% of wrestlers. Hardy isn't perfect but he's a charcater people empathise with. The troubled past makes him more accessable, yanno? It's your typical 21st Century hero, we don't identify with perfect people who always do the perfect thing. We identify with flawed characters.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I wouldn't necessarily say that he's overrated, at least not when it comes to the overall picture. For me personally, I never really got into Jeff Hardy nearly as much as a lot of people have. He's extremely popular and has brought in a good deal of money while he was in WWE and now that he's in TNA. According to various reports, Hardy's merchandise is by far & away the top seller in TNA. He's someone that's gotten a lot of interest from a lot of fans, so I can't say I blame TNA or WWE for pushing him to the main event spot.

So no, just because I'm not that into the guy doesn't mean that he's "overrated". When it comes to Hardy inside the ring, he's just fine. More than just fine I suppose when you look at him as either a tag team or a singles wrestler. In my personal opinion though, that's where the good qualities of Hardy come to an end. He's beyond lousy on the microphone and I've never really seen why he's called "The Charismatic Enigma". His charisma is limited to coming out with his Emo inspired face paint & ring gear while he dances to his strange Emo/rave music. That's pretty much it.

I think Hardy's shortcomings in charisma and personality were shown during his runs as TNA World Heavyweight Champion. His most recent run was significantly better than his first two for no other reason than him not being a drugged out, out of shape pale shadow of himself. The fact that he could get into the ring and put on good matches, especially against Austin Aries, renders his 3rd run better than his first two combined. However, where he lacked ability was during the promo segment build up for his matches against guys like Aries, Roode & Bully Ray. During their matches, he seemed to have great chemistry with all three but it felt like the exact opposite when it came to the build for those matches. To me, Hardy is someone who generally fits much better as someone who is chasing the title than he is after getting it.

At this point, I'd rather see Hardy as a tag team wrestler than anything else. But, as I said earlier, I get why Hardy's been pushed to such high levels in TNA. He's extremely popular and that popularity has translated into dollars. So overall, I couldn't call him overrated. If someone was to ask me if I thought he was overrated as far as a main event performer goes, then I'd have to say yes as I've just never found Hardy a particularly impressive World Champion.

 

[newwaveknight]

I think he is unique and original with his astonishing moves, is very charismatic but lacks skill on the mic.

But even if he had charisma, you would at least pay attention to his promos, no matter how bad they were. Being able to tell a story is an important part of pro wrestling.

I'm actually watching his Turning Point match with Austin Aries. Maybe my view is a little skewed since I don't buy the TNA PPVs (if you know a site where I can find them, please let me know because I would love to watch them instead of seeing the highlights on Impact).

But I hope I'm wrong. Maybe he just gives sub-par matches on Impact so that he can save up for PPVs.

Everyone's athleticism decreases at some point (everyone knows that!), and Hardy is an example.

Maybe I should have clarified that a little more. Everyone's athleticism declines, but to me it seems that high-flyers decline a little faster than others. From what I've seen, technicians have a longer shelf life than most other workers. But hey, that's just the way I see it.

Look at Hogan, look at the shape he's in. He NEVER did the things Hardy has done in the ring. That should put things in perspective for you.

No, it doesn't. It's no mystery that Hogan was a very bad worker. The difference between Hogan and Hardy is that Hogan has that larger-than-life personality. Hardy (to me at least) doesn't. His matches may not be up to par (in my opinion), but at least I can pay attention. When he gets on the mic, it's pretty bleak. And I will say this, the man's matches have been a lot better since he cleaned up.

 

[Nikeo]

No, it doesn't. It's no mystery that Hogan was a very bad worker. The difference between Hogan and Hardy is that Hogan has that larger-than-life personality. Hardy (to me at least) doesn't. His matches may not be up to par (in my opinion), but at least I can pay attention. When he gets on the mic, it's pretty bleak. And I will say this, the man's matches have been a lot better since he cleaned up.

You've taken my point out of context.

I'm comparing the two with regards their health and style. Hogan's style was significantly less risky than Hardy's with significantly less bumps. Look at how bad of shape he's in now. Imagine how bad Hardy is going to be when he calls it quits.

 

[newwaveknight]

You've taken my point out of context.

I'm comparing the two with regards their health. Hogan's style was significantly less risky than Hardy's with significantly less bumps. Look at how bad of shape he's in now. Imagine how bad Hardy is going to be when he calls it quits.

Oh, I agree. That high-flying style that he's known for takes a toll. I would say out of all the different styles of wrestling, high-flyers have the shortest in-ring prime because of how challenging their spots and bumps are. The problem is that he isn't that technically sound, so if he wanted to stop the high-risk style he would limit his matches even more. Look at AJ Styles, he is a capable high-flyer, but he is also rather technically sound. Granted, he doesn't take as big of bumps as Jeff Hardy, but when he can't do as solid of high spots he could still fall back on his technical ability.

 

[wrestlingfan]

Never saw Hardy as charismaless. Not only does he get a reaction out of the crow dbut he's serviceable on the microphone.

 

[newwaveknight]

Never saw Hardy as charismaless. Not only does he get a reaction out of the crow dbut he's serviceable on the microphone.

I think it's mainly his look that his charisma is attributed to, and I won't deny that the man has one of the best looks in wrestling today. But charisma is more than just looks to me. You would never have to put "charismatic" in any of The Rock's nicknames because if promoters have to tell fans that somebody's charismatic, then chances are it's because the fans wouldn't be convinced otherwise.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Jeff Hardy's the worst thing to happen to the business in a long, long time. He's a spot monkey who doesn't get over unless he's doing something like flying in the air, diving into guardrails and landing awkwardly in the ring.

He's a halfway decent promo, and his look's unique, but I wouldn't put ANY belt on him. He's not dependable because of his previous run in's with drugs and being an overall nuisance to society. He's also a contributor to a more risk-taking kind of wrestling that's not really that entertaining. He's changed wrestling for the worst and right now, I can barely find him tolerable in any promotion.

And the IWC thinks he's the new Sting. Absolute bullshit.

So yes - he's vastly overrated.

 

[newwaveknight]

Jeff Hardy's the worst thing to happen to the business in a long, long time. He's a spot monkey who doesn't get over unless he's doing something like flying in the air, diving into guardrails and landing awkwardly in the ring.

I wouldn't go quite as far as to say he's the worst thing to happen to the business in a long time (I leave that spot for the Attitude era, but that's another thread for another day), but I agree that the IWC makes him out to be like a combination of CM Punk, Chris Benoit, and Jesus.

 

[dman1373]

i don't know how anyone would think he is overated. Hes a really good worker, with unique moves, a unique look, and is one of the most over wrestlers of the past 10 years.

The iwc get mad at him because he does drugs (when he has every right too for the amount of shit he put his body through). So what if he does drugs, why do you care what another man does in his own home. Its not like he killed someone like chris benoit(who alot of you still are in love with).

 

[shafe_41]

I would argue Hardy is neither. He's not underrated because he's obviously been give a main spot for quite some time with both promotions. But I wouldn't say he's overrated because he's never been a TOP guy. Yes he's held titles. But because of his dependability, he never has and never will be given anything of real substance to run with because I don't believe he can be trusted.

If I had to lean one way, overrated. He's performed the same spots for the last 10 years. He's not that exciting in the ring if he's not doing a Swanton off something. His look appeals to kids and that's about where it ends with Hardy.

 

[newwaveknight]

i don't know how anyone would think he is overated. Hes a really good worker, with unique moves, a unique look, and is one of the most over wrestlers of the past 10 years.

The iwc get mad at him because he does drugs (when he has every right too for the amount of shit he put his body through). So what if he does drugs, why do you care what another man does in his own home. Its not like he killed someone like chris benoit(who alot of you still are in love with).

Actually, the IWC is quite fond of Mr. Hardy (check the other posts in this thread if you're not convinced). And I'm not saying that he doesn't have some talent, and at one point he WAS a good worker, but if you watch his matches in TNA, he has a very limited move set since his technical skill falls a little short.

And I respect your opinion, whether it's one in agreement or disagreement with mine, but if you could expand on your defense of Jeff Hardy with something more than "he has a good look and good moves".

 

[PrinceMarvel]

I've never been a big fan of Jeff Hardy. I can't say that he's a terrible wrestler, I just think they're giving him more attention tqn they ought to. I think the attention should be with those who have been with the company longer.

 

[Pepper Lewis]

Jeff Hardy:

mic work: BORING, no Charisma
Wrestling Skill average at best
HIGH FLIER/ Stunt man --- Pretty Damn Good!
It Factor/ Look -----average
SHOULD HE HAVE BEEN WORLD CHAMPION---- NO!

HE IS A GOOD TAG TEAM WRESTLER, NOT EVEN INTERCONTINENTAL LEVEL!

 

[newwaveknight]

Jeff Hardy:

mic work: BORING, no Charisma
Wrestling Skill average at best
HIGH FLIER/ Stunt man --- Pretty Damn Good!
It Factor/ Look -----average
SHOULD HE HAVE BEEN WORLD CHAMPION---- NO!

HE IS A GOOD TAG TEAM WRESTLER, NOT EVEN INTERCONTINENTAL LEVEL!

Now that you mention tag team, I think Matt honestly had more talent than Jeff. His promos were better (not saying much there) AND he was a little more technical than Jeff. Not to mention he could transition so smoothly between brawler and technician.

 

[evolutionfan4life]

no way if anythink he's underrated the has been in the greatest matches in history yes he does the high spots but edge and christian did in those macthes & the iwc loves them reason why the iwc hates hardy is cos he got suspended a few times and busted for drugs news flash he's turned his life around since he's cleaned up his act since and putting in consistent matches week in week out
if anything the most overrated guy is cm punk the guy stole he's moveset from kenta the guy has had that many breaks and still cant get over with the crowd look at the times he's won titles only cos other guys screwed up
1st ecw title only won cos john morrison suspended for drugs
money in the bank won cos hardy suspended for drugs
1st whc reighn was a flop
2nd whc reighn only got over cos hardy the bigger star put him over and made him
1st wwe title only got it cos he cried on stage
2nd wwe got a full year and still couldnt a crowd lol

 

[evolutionfan4life]

Jeff Hardy:

mic work: BORING, no Charisma
Wrestling Skill average at best
HIGH FLIER/ Stunt man --- Pretty Damn Good!
It Factor/ Look -----average
SHOULD HE HAVE BEEN WORLD CHAMPION---- NO!

HE IS A GOOD TAG TEAM WRESTLER, NOT EVEN INTERCONTINENTAL LEVEL!

you think he's boring funny that every arena he's performed in don't think hes boring,
wrestling skill ,,, i would say decent
high flyer,, one of if not the best
it factor/look,, look how many fans dressed like him or had his arm bands or face painted,,,,great
world champ do i have to answer that,,,

 

[Whap Me Jungles]

I couldn't call Hardy overrated as I've never seen that many people who rate him. He takes his shirt off to get pops and jumps off shit. As for his "promos", recently they had him prerecord promos and made them his inner thoughts. Even then he wasn't that good.

 

[crippler]

Jeff is very overrated only reason he was put on top of WWE and TNA is 2 reasons he gets good reactions from the crowd and he has high merchandise sales like John Cena. But should he have been top guy on either show simple question with a simple answer NO. Jeff hardy on the mic is very boring he has nothing interesting to say in the ring yes he is entertaining with his high flying moves. As champion he will not sell out a show. Also a guy deserving to be the top guy would never had shown up to the ring for a Main Event championship match high like he did vs Sting. I am not dissing TNA I think they are pretty good but they should have fired him top guy does that you don't want that kind of cancer in your business. I think at best Jeff is a high mid carder

 

[BeastFromTheEast]

So overrated that it makes me sick. He actually looks to be moving in slow motion due to all the drugs he is on. 15 years ago, not at all, him and matt were great and refreshing to watch. Now I can`t stand to see him and that is partialy because of his ugly ass, overdone face paint.

 

[WWE4EVA!]

No, Jeff is not overrated he has come so far in his career he has come from being the crazy guy in the TLC Matches to a multi time TNA World Heavyweight Champion.

 

[dman1373]

Actually, the IWC is quite fond of Mr. Hardy (check the other posts in this thread if you're not convinced). And I'm not saying that he doesn't have some talent, and at one point he WAS a good worker, but if you watch his matches in TNA, he has a very limited move set since his technical skill falls a little short.

And I respect your opinion, whether it's one in agreement or disagreement with mine, but if you could expand on your defense of Jeff Hardy with something more than "he has a good look and good moves".

If you look at the votes, you can tell that more people than not think hardy is overated. I disagree. I can't back it up with that many matches from tna, because quite frankly i don't watch tna that often. But if you look at alot of the moves he does and how he does them, its quite a sight to see. He knows how to deliver his moves so that they look extremely pretty for lack of a better word. And while he isn't a daniel bryan, or kurt angle in the ring he can still work and put on a good match (i.e. angle vs hardy). Finally theres one thing you can't deny and thats how over he is. He is one of the most over wrestlers of the past 10 years. Thats why in both major companys he was world champion.