How do you feel about the way TNA handled the Hardy/Victory Road situation on iMPACT?

[neildittmar]

1. How do you feel about the way they handled the Hardy situation on iMPACT?

I think they handled it extremely professionally. They addressed the situation without going into exhorbitant detail and using terms like substance abuse, addict, and drug problem. Specifically, Sting has shown himself once again to be one of the best pure talents in the industry, let alone TNA. He took what was an absolute mess of a situation and handled it with such professionalism that also simultaneously laid the groundwork for the whole situation going forward. That is, we won't be seeing Jeff anytime soon, TNA will move forward, and here are the key players. Great job by all involved, special nod to Sting.

2. Should Dixie have been the one to come out and do something about it?

Absolutely not. I firmly believe that up until his problem was discovered, Jeff Hardy was meant to regain the title at Victory Road. Hardy's title reign has somewhat lacked credibility and defeating Sting would've assisted greatly in enhancing that aspect of his run. That said, TNA already had one botched storyline going into last nights iMPACT. Why botch another one (Hogan solely running the company) by bringing Carter out to address the situation. TNA did everything absolutely right here. I mean, why should Dixie care or even have a say? It's not her company anymore (storyline-wise).

3. What does TNA do now with Hardy? Fire him, send him to rehab, what?

I think that was also addressed last night. Hardy is solely responsible for his own actions. It is not the obligation of TNA or anybody else to "get him help." Hardy needs to make that leap for himself, admit that he has a problem and work to at least control it if not erradicate it outright.

As for the future, TNA should take a wait and see approach with Hardy. Short term, he should not be on television or even mentioned anytime soon. Hardy's problems (if they are as severe as they've been made out to be) will require at least 6-12 months of in-patient therapy (treatment center, sober living, etc.) to get him cleaned up. After that, there is an extended period where Hardy himself should assess where he is in his progress and if a return to wrestling is even in his best interest.

Said differently, Hardy coming back to TNA or anywhere else is entirely dependent on how Jeff manages the situation from here. I'm sure TNA would love to have him back, especially with all the controversey surrounding him right now. However, they shouldn't take another chance on him right now or even soon in light of the whole Victory Road fiasco.

 

[achromat666]

Any effort to address is likely to piss someone off, and there's no way to walk away from the PPV and expect that a single episode of Impact! Is going to make amends regardless of what is said.

That having been said, while I wasn't happy with how it was handled I appreciate the need to want to move the company forward. I still maintain the smartest way to move forward would have to acknowledge it shortly after the PPV, not necessarily on TV and try to move from that. The offer they gave never really addresses the underlying issue.

I think that saying the that you didn't get your money's worth and we'll give you this offer is as much as we'll get out of this publicly. Addressing something as bad as Hardy's addiction on the show might make many people feel better for having it out in the open, but would only escalate the scrutiny surrounding this. And obviously TNA doesn't want that.

However, I don't agree with Hardy coming back after this. I think this is as big a screwup you can make in a company that has pushed you above many other deserving talents to not be able to perform under these conditions and subject the audience to it. Indeed he's not the only one responsible, but he is still the root of it. It's bad business all around.

He's had issues for years and has been offered the rehab. It's why he's not in the WWE. What he needs is a sense of repercussion and consequence. And before he gets back on any show there would have to be some effort on his part to know this wouldn't happen again. And I cannot see how he could do that now or after a mere couple months.

And once again since I'm still people convinced this is a work, I will only say this:

As a work, this would be the dumbest move to make and help the company in no way whatsoever. You don't benefit from cheating the fans this way regardless of the outcome. It's not just bad business, it's bad for business.

 

[snoopy]

It's a Work! And how is it so bad for business? What are people going to do stop watching for one PPV that won't be around this time next year?

For all the people that say their going to stop watching TNA, They some how know what happened on the last show that just aired! And well you might say they watch it on youtube but they still watched it and that means one change or happening in TNA could have them right back tuning in every thursday at 8:00 on Spike T.V.!

 

[BestForTheBusinesso9]

What do you really expect them to do? You people complain when they try these worked shoots in TNA but now when a real life situation occurs you won't all the dirty laundry to be shown on TV. That is probably the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

If it was me, I wouldn't have said a single word about him. Not one. He would have been fired and would never be mentioned again till all of his crap was figured out. Thats the way the WWE would have handled it. Something like this happens, do you think they come out the next day and have a big promo surrounding what happened? No way, they sweep it under the rug because they are bigger than this problem.


TNA should act the same way. The bottom line is they really don't need Jeff Hardy. It wasn't like he was exactly taking them to the promise land. Move on from him and be done with it. If he comes back clean, great. He should be a face when he comes back. Doesn't matter how much of a heel in real life he really is. This is fake wrestling.

 

[achromat666]

Oh Snoopy...

You first assume I watch regularly, which is not the case. I tried watching when RVD first won the title, and it didn't keep my interest then. I caught it on a thread here.

As for how it's bad for business...

Shock value alone does not equal increased viewership and ratings. It may lead to short term attention, but contrary to the popular notion not all press is good press.

You don't cheat your audience at a PPV for it's main event. As a work this spits in the face of the regular viewership, and bullshit chants don't help your show at all.

Getting over on the fans this way also doesn't make the company more money or help with growing the company. It is a cheap tactic that has failed any time it has been used before. Controversy does not always equal cash.

If you wanted to get Hardy out of the title picture, there are millions of other ways to do it that don't include pissing off your fan base. Except apparenty you.

As for Heyman.... what?

 

[Dream Machine]

I think TNA handled it well. Quick mention of him with Immortal basically kicking him out, throwing the belt away and moving on tothe rest of the show.

Alot of people question TNA handling of things, but I feel the way they this was handled was good...quick and easy and move on and no one mentioned him all night, so he came off as irrevelant and didn't hurt the flow of the show.

 

[Sinister Shadows]

I think they handled it extremely professionally. They addressed the situation without going into exhorbitant detail and using terms like substance abuse, addict, and drug problem. Specifically, Sting has shown himself once again to be one of the best pure talents in the industry, let alone TNA. He took what was an absolute mess of a situation and handled it with such professionalism that also simultaneously laid the groundwork for the whole situation going forward. That is, we won't be seeing Jeff anytime soon, TNA will move forward, and here are the key players. Great job by all involved, special nod to Sting.



Absolutely not. I firmly believe that up until his problem was discovered, Jeff Hardy was meant to regain the title at Victory Road. Hardy's title reign has somewhat lacked credibility and defeating Sting would've assisted greatly in enhancing that aspect of his run. That said, TNA already had one botched storyline going into last nights iMPACT. Why botch another one (Hogan solely running the company) by bringing Carter out to address the situation. TNA did everything absolutely right here. I mean, why should Dixie care or even have a say? It's not her company anymore (storyline-wise).



I think that was also addressed last night. Hardy is solely responsible for his own actions. It is not the obligation of TNA or anybody else to "get him help." Hardy needs to make that leap for himself, admit that he has a problem and work to at least control it if not erradicate it outright.

As for the future, TNA should take a wait and see approach with Hardy. Short term, he should not be on television or even mentioned anytime soon. Hardy's problems (if they are as severe as they've been made out to be) will require at least 6-12 months of in-patient therapy (treatment center, sober living, etc.) to get him cleaned up. After that, there is an extended period where Hardy himself should assess where he is in his progress and if a return to wrestling is even in his best interest.

Said differently, Hardy coming back to TNA or anywhere else is entirely dependent on how Jeff manages the situation from here. I'm sure TNA would love to have him back, especially with all the controversey surrounding him right now. However, they shouldn't take another chance on him right now or even soon in light of the whole Victory Road fiasco.

rehabs are a scam, someone either wants to quit or they don't, if they do then they will, it's a simple as that. someone who doesn't want to quit.. rehab can't help them anyways. and if someone truely wants to quit, then they will have the willpower to stop doing it. I've been around drug addicts for pretty much my entire life, i've seen people go to rehab and not get a damn thing accomplished, and i've seen people decide to quit and quit w/o rehab. Addiction is a mental choice, not some disease or sickness that takes treatment to cure.

 

[sfury2005]

They handled it like cowards. Dixie should have come out. TNA should fire him forever and WWE should send him to rehab.

On a side note, what the hell happened to TNA's top 10 list of title contenders? Didn't they use to have a list the wrestlers had to move up or down in order to get a title shot?

If TNA can get him to go to rehab why should they fire him?

And exactly why should WWE send him to rehab? Could it be you're a WWE fan and want him fired from TNA so WWE can swoop in send him to rehab and get him clean then he can be back on WWE TV.

 

[DethMetal]

This statement irritates me more than any other I can think of. Alcoholism and drug addiction are NOT diseases. This was made up by enablers and excuse makers so people wouldn't have to take responsibility for their actions. An alcoholic can make the decision to stop drinking any day he or she wishes. A drug abuser can make the decision to stop abusing their body.

The day a person with cancer can wake up and simply CHOOSE not to have cancer anymore is the day that the argument that alcoholism and drug addiction are diseases will become a valid one. My Dad died of leukemia last Christmas. I sure wish he had thought of simply choosing not have it.

Exactly. Alcoholism is NOT a disease. "Disease" is an excuse. Does it spread through contact?? No. When one gets addicted, it's up to them to change. It's like losing weight. You have to want it bad enough. Weight isn't a disease, is it?

Now with that being said, they didn't handle it the way I thought they would, but what else could they do? Air the man's dirty laundry on national television? That would've been like WWE saying, "The REAL reason Undertaker's not here is because he's healing injuries and banging Michelle McCool." or "The REAL reason Benoit died..." You just don't do it. I actually applaud them, not for burying him, but there was nothing else they could do on the matter.

I believe in second chances but exactly how many chances does Jeff Hardy deserve?

Imagine wrestling as a game. Jeff Hardy has 3 lives and it's game over. He lost the first time back in 03. He quit back in 09, and he's losing the game now. It's only a matter of time until it's game over.

 

[jellmoo]

1. How do you feel about the way they handled the Hardy situation on iMPACT?

I think that they went the cowards route by not publicly apologizing for what happened at Victory Road. They offered no explanation as to why they gave their paying audience a 1 minute main event, and put all of the blame on Hardy. While he is certainly accountable for his actions, TNA needs to address why they were comfortable with not providing a main event match.


2. Should Dixie have been the one to come out and do something about it?

Absolutely. Storyline or no, she is in charge and needs to be up front with the fans regarding matters like this. TNA ripped off their fan base, and at the very least should apologize for it. Pretending it never happened is not the way to go. A short pre-taped message at the start of the show would have been an excellent way to rebuild trust.


3. What does TNA do now with Hardy? Fire him, send him to rehab, what?

Fire him, without a doubt. The man has had more chances to fix himself up than anyone else I can remember. If you can't trust a performer to show up and work not just a match, but the main event at a PPV, he has no place on your roster. Over or not, Jeff HArdy is simply not worth the risk involved.

 

[sfury2005]

rehabs are a scam, someone either wants to quit or they don't, if they do then they will, it's a simple as that. someone who doesn't want to quit.. rehab can't help them anyways. and if someone truely wants to quit, then they will have the willpower to stop doing it. I've been around drug addicts for pretty much my entire life, i've seen people go to rehab and not get a damn thing accomplished, and i've seen people decide to quit and quit w/o rehab. Addiction is a mental choice, not some disease or sickness that takes treatment to cure.

This is true which is why I have said and wonder if they let Jeff go out there and did this to him to embarrass him to the point he would want to stop. Figuring if he got embarrassed in front of the entire world he would hit bottom and decide he needed the help. Kind of a Tough Love type of thing.

 

[mrbooker]

What do you really expect them to do? You people complain when they try these worked shoots in TNA but now when a real life situation occurs you won't all the dirty laundry to be shown on TV. That is probably the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

If it was me, I wouldn't have said a single word about him. Not one. He would have been fired and would never be mentioned again till all of his crap was figured out. Thats the way the WWE would have handled it. Something like this happens, do you think they come out the next day and have a big promo surrounding what happened? No way, they sweep it under the rug because they are bigger than this problem.


TNA should act the same way. The bottom line is they really don't need Jeff Hardy. It wasn't like he was exactly taking them to the promise land. Move on from him and be done with it. If he comes back clean, great. He should be a face when he comes back. Doesn't matter how much of a heel in real life he really is. This is fake wrestling.

Took the words right out of my mouth goes to show that people who post dont give two shits about TNA or the product every week people bitch at how unproffesional TNA looks but now everyone wanted it to be a fuckin jeff hardy roast

Im no going to quote anyone because you that said it know who you are but Hogan isnt that fuckin stupid to roast the living shit out off the guy him and the company put their whole gameplan behind, the whole "they" angle that built for months and the one guy in the company with the biggest amount of fans. Him saying Jeff Hardy could not hang and throwing his customized title is plenty enough if you can read between the lines.....

but im sure most of you would like a 20 minute segement of him roasting the shit out of hardy and you would be the same ones saying hogan is always on the screen they need to give the younger talent a chance

People that want him fired and never to be heard from again i have news for you continue to be haters, because the only way Jeff Hardy does not wrestle again is if he continues to use drugs and if he doesnt serve jail time that means he will be tested regualrly by the CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM so you can pretty much bet that he will be clean

if/when he gets clean you can bet ur savings account TNA will willing take him back

and if they didnt you can bet ur ass Vince would wait till his probationary period is over get him back for pennies on the dollar and he would easily bring him back as a face shove him in the mid-card without touching any titles, jeff would be a fan favorite, getting over young guys in front of jam packed arenas that would pop like crazy for him and sell millions in merchandise that would pay off hardy's contract in about of month. its Business smart and vince is a genius

So TNA handled it well and how a business should handle ONE employee, instead of looking like a damn feels making it seem like ONE employee is bigger then the company

 

[Fargo]

Sting handed Hogan the Hardy Belt, and Hogan flipped it over the top rope and to the floor like a pair of dirty old socks. That was TNA's way of telling us Hardy is toast. I thought you guys were Smart Marks....I guess I've been a wrestling fan for too many decades.

 

[neildittmar]

rehabs are a scam, someone either wants to quit or they don't, if they do then they will, it's a simple as that. someone who doesn't want to quit.. rehab can't help them anyways.

I agree with what I bolded, and it's kind of what I was saying in the post you replied to. No one is responsible for Jeff's drug problem other than Jeff. That's why I said that it is not up to TNA to, by default, send him to rehab. It's simply not their problem to solve.

That said, for all of the rehab failures I'm sure there are quite the share of successes as well. It was mentioned here about someone hitting "rock bottom" and wanting to quit. Something like long-term drug addiction or alcoholism often transcends your ability to properly judge. You really, really want something (drugs, alcohol, etc.) even though you know it's wrong. That's a problem that has grown beyond your control. Those who truly hit "rock bottom" see themselves for what they have become and want to change. In many cases, these folks see their situation as hopeless and cry out for help. Rehab can possibly provide that help.

Is it a surefire way to cure the drug/alcohol blues? Of course not. Is it the straightline path that Jeff Hardy must follow to become himself again? It's hard to say. What's not hard to figure out is that Jeff's problem is his own. It's not caused by TNA or Hulk Hogan, Dixie Carter, or even his brother Matt. When (If?) Jeff decides that enough is enough, then that is when he will potentially be on the road to recovery, regardless of the specific method he chooses. I personally wouldn't be so quick to write off rehab though. If it helps even one person, then the option itself is more than worthwhile.

In any case, hopefully Jeff gets where he needs to be. I personally think that this whole situation is not a work.

 

[Tugboat77]

If TNA can get him to go to rehab why should they fire him?

And exactly why should WWE send him to rehab? Could it be you're a WWE fan and want him fired from TNA so WWE can swoop in send him to rehab and get him clean then he can be back on WWE TV.

The person stated that WWE should send him to rehab because the WWE offers all expenses paid rehabilitation services to anyone who has ever been employed by the company...even if they work for someone else. They started this a long time ago and several ex-employees have taken them up on the offer including Scott Hall and others. Educate yourself before making dumb comments please.

 

[SpecialFNK]

Sting handed Hogan the Hardy Belt, and Hogan flipped it over the top rope and to the floor like a pair of dirty old socks. That was TNA's way of telling us Hardy is toast. I thought you guys were Smart Marks....I guess I've been a wrestling fan for too many decades.

this is what I noticed last night. Hogan took the belt and didn't even look at it or set it aside, he simply just tossed it out over the top rope. the same way he tossed the other belt in the garbage.

I don't think firing him is the right thing to do. let him try and get some help at least.
if it was a wrestler of smaller stature, then maybe he would not last. whatever your opinion is of Jeff Hardy, he is main event. it's like a superstar in the NFL. he can get away with more than a player of lesser talent.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I thought they did a fantastic job, frankly.

Hardy was essentially buried, which helps to fast track the angle away from him and shift the focus back to the remainder in the main event, but he wasn't buried to the point that a return as the babyface Hardy (at some point in the future when he's actually clean again) would be far fetched. Admirable job, if I don't say so myself, especially in getting Ray over as a main event caliber talent (for the time being, perhaps).

 

[sfury2005]

The person stated that WWE should send him to rehab because the WWE offers all expenses paid rehabilitation services to anyone who has ever been employed by the company...even if they work for someone else. They started this a long time ago and several ex-employees have taken them up on the offer including Scott Hall and others. Educate yourself before making dumb comments please.

Read the post before you post to me and try to be condescending with an idiotic remark on what someone else meant.

No he did not say what you say he did. His exact line was TNA should fire him and WWE should send him to rehab.

A 33 year old wrestler with past history of being a star in WWE is fired and not under contract to TNA. Do you think if WWE sends him to rehab and gets him clean that they are then going to cut him loose?

I know what WWE does with their former employees but Scott Hall is a different story as he was past his prime and basically not wanted. Hardy is 33 and if he's cleaned up he has several good years left.

 

[AmericanDragonSW]

The biggest problem here is how many. How many times has Jeff Hardy been given chances? And call me crazy but hasn't he pulled crap like this during his last stint in TNA? He's like the younger equivalent of Scott Hall. At what point does TNA say enough and for Hardy to be given an ultimatum to clean up and get his act together or he's gone? Hogan tossing the belt could have elements of a lot of things but I think it was mostly that TNA is PISSED at Jeff Hardy right now and I don't blame them. They took a gamble on Hardy and he screws them over. But TNA screwed up by having him still go out there in the first place.

 

[risephoenixrise]

1. How do you feel about the way they handled the Hardy situation on iMPACT?
There's nothing they can do to properly reverse this. TNA look like a bunch of morons because of the Victory Road not-so-main event. No matter what they do, they are now putting band aids over bullet wounds.

2. Should Dixie have been the one to come out and do something about it?
I think Dixie needs to apologize to the fans, get away from the cameras, get out of the storylines, and go back and fix the damn office. She has allowed a lot of stupid crap to happen in the company for almost three years now, and if she wants TNA to survive, she needs to get off her high horse and listen to the fans.

3. What does TNA do now with Hardy? Fire him, send him to rehab, what?
They need to fire Jeff Hardy, and fire whomever let him in the ring that night, and they also need to fire whomever hired him. The man failed a publicly known Wellness Policy, multiple times. He was hired during a time he is on trial for drug charges. He is one of the greatest performers alive, but he is a drug addict. What can you really get out of him, other than a walking liability? TNA's audience is no larger than before he was around, so there was no point to bringing him in.

 

[ipswichicon80]

1. How do you feel about the way they handled the Hardy situation on iMPACT?
There's nothing they can do to properly reverse this. TNA look like a bunch of morons because of the Victory Road not-so-main event. No matter what they do, they are now putting band aids over bullet wounds.

2. Should Dixie have been the one to come out and do something about it?
I think Dixie needs to apologize to the fans, get away from the cameras, get out of the storylines, and go back and fix the damn office. She has allowed a lot of stupid crap to happen in the company for almost three years now, and if she wants TNA to survive, she needs to get off her high horse and listen to the fans.

3. What does TNA do now with Hardy? Fire him, send him to rehab, what?
They need to fire Jeff Hardy, and fire whomever let him in the ring that night, and they also need to fire whomever hired him. The man failed a publicly known Wellness Policy, multiple times. He was hired during a time he is on trial for drug charges. He is one of the greatest performers alive, but he is a drug addict. What can you really get out of him, other than a walking liability? TNA's audience is no larger than before he was around, so there was no point to bringing him in.

Totally agree.All due respect to the OP but this thread is kinda irrelevant in my mind as they handled the VR situation horribly.Why the hell they didn't change the ME and how they could possibly let Jeff perform in that condition is beyond me. Again totally agree what ever they do is "putting band aids on bullet wounds".They gave people who bought they're PPV a 6 month subscription to an online service.Why the hell do they think anyone who bought that PPV would want anything to do with TNA anymore? They screwed fans out of $40 because no one had the balls to pull Jeff from the match. TNA screwed TNA.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I thought TNA handled the Hardy situation well. Hogan and Bischoff trashed Hardy to no end, and Hogan took things a step further by throwing Jeff's customized World Title belt on the floor. I hope Jeff will FINALLY get some help, because he really needs to straighten out his life. Still, what Hardy did at Victory Road was inexcusable. You can't show up to a pay per view high as high can be. Especially if you know you're going to be in a World Title main event match. TNA can now move past Hardy, because the focus will be off of him, and they can concentrate on building a new #1 heel.

 

[risephoenixrise]

I thought TNA handled the Hardy situation well. Hogan and Bischoff trashed Hardy to no end, and Hogan took things a step further by throwing Jeff's customized World Title belt on the floor. I hope Jeff will FINALLY get some help, because he really needs to straighten out his life. Still, what Hardy did at Victory Road was inexcusable. You can't show up to a pay per view high as high can be. Especially if you know you're going to be in a World Title main event match. TNA can now move past Hardy, because the focus will be off of him, and they can concentrate on building a new #1 heel.

- Hogan and Bischoff burying people is not justice for the fans. Hogan and Bischoff bury people faster than Roseanne Barr downs a box of Krispy Kremes. So they buried Jeff Hardy? The casual fan doesn't know Jeff does drugs, they just know he barely had a match that they paid for. It's a product of worked-shoot Russo booking that only makes sense to marks like you and me.

- Jeff Hardy doesn't want help. He's had drug issues for years, and even with the stringent WWE Wellness Policy forcing him to get help, he never really accepted the information. There are drug addicts than can overcome their demons and get straight. Hardy doesn't want that; He's had plenty of help before this.

 

[Fargo]

The casual fan doesn't know Jeff does drugs, they just know he barely had a match that they paid for.

Not everyone lives under a rock like in the GIECO Commercial. He is a known doper, everyone knew it when he was in the WWE! We've been calling him Junky Jeff for years around here.

 

[risephoenixrise]

Why the hell they didn't change the ME and how they could possibly let Jeff perform in that condition is beyond me.

I agree, it is a tough situation. The fans paid for Sting vs. Jeff Hardy. And if they had to do a two minute squash with Jeff, they could have sent Matt Hardy in for an impromptu match against Sting to fill up the time. No fan ever complains about more good wrestling matches, and you can easily get a good match out of Matt Hardy and Sting.

Whomever thought a one minute, thirty second match was acceptable does not deserve to book wrestling. That guy should have been buying a ticket.