Is Jeff Hardy Part Of The Reason For Delayed Pushes??

[Alex]

I was just thinking about when Jeff Hardy left WWE in 2009. He was arguably the most over person on the entire roster, he was selling merch like hotcakes. He'd been WWE and World Heavyweight champion and right in the middle of it he left (as to why is a different matter)

What I mean is since then WWE has only really put the title on guys that weren't going anywhere, whether that was because they were locked in a long contract or were loyalists regardless.

The only person in recent memory who managed to get a championship reign so close to the end of their contract was CM Punk (another candidate for why they do delayed pushes now) and even then he'd signed a new contract before he was even champion.

So I'm wondering was Jeff Hardy leaving right at the pinnacle of his WWE career the reason for delayed pushes, is it coincidence or a bit of both?

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Jeff Hardy himself was "delayed push". His title reign comed after lots of years of good matches and hard work for him. Partially because WWE probablly knew that he was troublesome and partially because they maybe never saw him as the guy who would "carry the company". They give pushes and titles to guys they have faith in succeding at the moment and beyond. So they given it to Jeff at the moment when he was over as Hell and not before it because, as I said, they probably didnt see Jeff as "The Man" on long track because of his behavior.

So its just a coincidence and has more to do with WWE and their view of someone then contracts...

 

[THTRobtaylor]

No... Hardy left because there wawed up for the TNA match off his face... in WWE you don't get in the building in that stas a very real chance he was going to do jail time and WWE had the precedent with Angle where they let guys with major issues go rather than risk the bad stuff happening on their watch. Remember this is WWE right after Benoit and Eddie...while Linda is on a Senate run... however "over" the guy was, he was not untouchable. He ruined it for himself by being an addict and getting in trouble with the law, not WWE binning him for no reason. They saw a chance to make a quick, perhaps cynical buck off him before they let him go, but the chickens came home to roost when he shote, much less to the ring... they release you.

They offered him rehab, he refused, to a guy who is on the verge of a drug supply conviction the best they can say is, we're not renewing till this is done... when you're found not guilty, we'll talk... he wasn't, he copped a plea... Jeff screwed Jeff...

Is he the reason WWE is more careful? no... cos they knew what they had, he had been over before, he had been a part of their machine for many years and while flaky was a safer bet than someone from outside the bubble.

They are careful now cos of guys like Lesnar, Lashley, Umaga... the ones who get a big push and balls it up or simply walk cos either there is a better offer or they just "can". Indeed Umaga was told rehab or leave too... and they had pushed him to the moon... How embarrasing is it for Vince that he puts 2 guys in "his match" with Trump at Mania and both are gone within a year?.

Punk doesn't count, he is a unique case up there with Bret, Austin and Flair walking from the WWE... there were issues beyond simple push there, many coming down to Vince not keeping his famed word.

They are making Bryan walk over coals cos a) it's the only angle that works for an underdog, b) they perhaps have legit concerns over his marketability long term and c) Vince isn't gonna allow this to be his call, it'll be Trips... hence Trip's doing the favour on the way, being the focal point... Trips has had ADR, brought back Dave... his picks so far for top guys don't have great runs... so Vince wants to be sure this time, it's as much a test for Paul LeVesque as it is for Daniel Bryan...

 

[Mr.Maikeru_Sawyer]

if ANYONE is responsible for any delayed pushes it would be BRRROOOOOCCCCKKKK LESNAR --no joke.

when he came in he was fresh off NCAA championships and was a legit beast on the mat. WWE gave him EVERYTHING quickly, yet after only a two years he bolts for a FAILED NFL career and moderate sucess in UFC where he would have been a star if not for repeated serious intestinal infections.
think the only reason he returned to WWE is a small "sorry for dumping on you 10 years ago" for a TON of money. he don't really want to be there and don't think there was ever even 5 minutes where he truely wanted to be a Wrestler in WWE

 

[JJ15776]

I'm not sure what you mean by delayed pushes. Nothing has changed since Jeff Hardy left as far as how quickly people get pushed. Some get pushed slowly, others are pushed quickly, just like they've always been. And like somebody else mentioned, Jeff Hardy himself was an extremely delayed push. One of the most delayed pushes in WWE history. You could say Brock Lesnar might make the WWE more hesitant to push people, but again, nothing's changed since Brock Lesnar's push either. People are still getting pushed quickly when it's deserved.

 

[ABMorales787]

The argument can be made, but I believe there's far more to it. For one, they always knew what they could and couldn't get out of Hardy right down to cutting him weeks before his major bust. Pushes in WWE nowadayeing petts die over the silliest of things dating back to Melina sticking up for John Morrison to Dolph Ziggler making a passing comment about Randy Orton.

To me, it's more a case of them being petty than concerns over talent leaving. It's not like Jeff Hardy or CM Punk leaving had any major negative effects on WWE TV.

 

[Animeboy010]

No Fans not caring about young talent is the reason for delayed pushes..The WWE isn't ignoring young talent, WE (the fans) are. The WWE keeps putting the young guys out there and we keep not caring. Most fans are bandwagon-jumpers hopping from "flavor of the month" to "flavor of the month" but quickly growing tired of the guys who's bandwagons they jump on. They even have the established big-name veterans like Cena and Orton pushing the younger guys, and still we don't care about them. We seem to only care about the WWE bringing back the old guys like The Rock, Lesnar, Goldberg, Austin, Foley, Jericho, etc., stars of past generations. We chant "we want Edge, we want Shawn, we want Brock" while the young guys are out there doing their best to entertain us.



Not Jeff Hardy's fault Jack Swagger Push as a Main Eventer failed..

PS: Leave Jeff Hardy alone, for once the man is happy in his life'' here you are trying to tear him down!

 

[Headman]

Regardless of whomever may be the reason (most likely several people) it is wise to make sure as best as one can that the person you are about to pump millions of dollars worth of time and resources into is worth the effort. There have been too many guys given the fast track to the top only to flake out when they get there. Hardy was the cause of his own demise but he also cost the WWE a lot of time and money. So did Lashley, Lesnar and many others. I think the WWE would be foolish to put the belt on anyone they don't trust is in it for the long haul.

 

[Mustang Sally]

So I'm wondering was Jeff Hardy leaving right at the pinnacle of his WWE career the reason for delayed pushes, is it coincidence or a bit of both?

Probably a little of both.....and it's an interesting question. If WWE does have a policy of "delayed pushes," it most likely evolved from more examples than Jeff Hardy alone; they've had to deal with many performers who possessed markedly different personalities. There's no set rule for dealing with everyone, especially when it comes to "who can we trust with a world title?"

Obviously, that last point involves more than just deciding who will make the most money for the company with his performance in the ring.....and who will sell the most t-shirts. One of the prime factors is trying to determine whether or not this guy will stick around......and if he does, can we depend on him to do what he's supposed to do?

Well, drug use makes that a dicey proposition, doesn't it? That Jeff had advanced over a long period of time to reach the absolute summit of his profession......yet tossed it all away to go with a lesser sports entertainment company that wouldn't get on his back about his damn drug use.....speaks volumes. His priorities became clear, didn't they?

Sure, you can talk about the easier schedule performers have with TNA, but honestly, I could sooner understand that in the case of a Kurt Angle, whose advancing age and injury status made his a reasonable choice more than a young guy like Jeff Hardy.

Okay, this thread is about delayed pushes, not the Jeff Hardy story.....but I still think the OP's choice of Jeff to illustrate the point is a good one. In all, I would think that with the occasional exception of a Jack Swagger or even Goldberg, everyone is subject to the delayed title reign for the obvious reasons; a performer needs plenty of time to prove himself/herself before advancing to the top......and, as to the idea of delayed pushes that aren't even related to title shots, it depends on the performer. There's almost always a plan in place when management looks at a new guy and evaluates his ability to achieve.....and before pushing him/her to the moon, they take into account the personalities involved to determine whether to go ahead. Needless to say, habitual drug users alter the equation considerably; good luck trying to figure them out.

The Jeff Hardy example is just a link in a continuing chain; the company's experience with him taught them many valuable lessons, but in a field that will never be an exact science, it amounted to just one more learning experience.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

If there was any single person responsible for delayed pushes, which I personally don't think there was, it'd be Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar was the embodiment of the perfect pro wrestler in Vince's eyes and the guy did bring a lot to the table. With his presence, look, strength, the fact that he was genuinely pretty good in the ring and Paul Heyman as his mouthpiece, the table was set for Lesnar to carry the WWE for the next decade. Lesnar loved the money and the spotlight, but wasn't so crazy about the fact that he had to work his ass off to pay the price for all that wealth and fame. No matter how much money you offer someone, no matter how physically gifted they are, they're not gonna last if they don't have that drive and passion. Lesnar didn't have it, was gone in less than 2 years and all the long term plans Vince had for Lesnar went up in smoke.

Lesnar was given a mega push the moment he debuted on WWE TV. Within 3 months of his debut, he was WWE Champion. The only guy to get pushed to the title quicker was Hulk Hogan. If I'm not mistaken, Hogan had only returned to the company a month or so before winning the title from The Iron Sheik. Hogan stayed and we all know what happened. I honestly think Vince saw Lesnar as an improved version of Hulk Hogan, or at least he had the potential to be.

When it comes to Jeff Hardy, I don't think he really had much to do with delayed pushes. Hardy was extremely over at that time, but there were also a few issues with Hardy. Hardy failed the Wellness Policy twice, the second time came while he was Intercontinental Champion, and I'm not sure management had long term trust in Hardy. I'm thinking that one reason why Hardy left WWE is because of his issues with drugs, which only got worse after he left the company. It was only a few days after his WWE contract fully expired that his home in North Carolina was invaded by the cops.

I think Lesnar and Hardy are a couple of wrestlers who MIGHT have made it more difficult for other guys to get to the main event because management wants to be sure they can trust them. In the territory days, a huge reason why so many of the top stars of those territories were also the owners was because the owners knew they could count on themselves. In Vince's case, I think he wants guys on top who're committed to the company instead of ONLY being out for themselves.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

There are a couple of guys who would be responsible for delayed pushes:

1. Brock Lesnar- The guy was given everything and was pushed as the new face of the WWE, and he decided to bolt 2 years later. Major disappointment.

2. Bobby Lashley- He got a huge push, with 2 big ECW title runs back when it meant something, and a feud with Vince McMahon that lasted several months. Last guy who had such a mainstream feud with Vince was DX. Dude was given everything and he walked out just like Brock did.

3. Mr. Kennedy- Vince pegged him to be their new top star, and this guy screwed up every single opportunity he ever had. Money in the Bank? Screwed up. Vince's bastard? Screwed it up. Feud with Orton? Screwed it up. There is literally no better horror story than Mr. Kennedy to make Vince have reservations on who he pushes.

And on top of all of them, both Jeff Hardy and CM Punk walked out on the company. Pretty crazy.

The only truly reliable top stars have been John Cena and Rey Mysterio.