Jeff Hardy/WWE after Summerslam

[LEGEND KILLER]

Well i never thought of this until Mark Madden wrote his column and spoke very harshly of Jeff Hardy. I wont quote him because i couldnt find the article but he pretty much bashed him because he believes he is acting like a child wanting to leave WWE when he knows fully 100% he is on top, the World Champ arguably the biggest freshest face of the company. He wants to persue other things like his reality show or whatever...He actually commended the WWE for putting the title on him right before he is expected to leave knowing WWE's track history of burrying guys who are leaving the company....

I think after reading this article Mark Madden is right. Jeff is on top of his game, most probably making more money then he ever has, fulfilling his life long dream being World Champ, is 1 of the few poster boys for the company, failed drug tests, left the company just like this before for TNA and WWE still let him in/has him employed and he is STILL the World Champ...if he was so pasionate about the business why walk away in your prime? Sure the schedule is demanding but the art of negotiation and knowing his star power and lack there of in WWE he could attemp and be IMO successful in negotiating a Shawn Micheals type contract.

so a few questions if i may...

1) do ya think Jeff Hardy is making a mistake?

2) who will replace him? someone from Raw, Smackdown, Ecw?

thoughts...

 

[unique.enigma.666]

I'm a huge Jeff fan, but I understand how he must be feeling, extremely burnt out. Bar his suspensions, I don't think hes took any time off and still put his body and at times life on the line doing insane stuff. I hope he doesn't go however but I know that if he does it damn sure wont be the last time we see him wrestle in a WWE ring, doubt he'd go to TNA, hes to good for the company WWE is his true home. What I could see (or more like hope happens) happening is him losing (although I don't want him to) at SummerSlam, running a storyline where he gets injured, giving him time off and putting Punk over more as a heel injuring there top star who is way over with the fans and never gets booed (in my opinion, hes more loved than Cena, how many times has Jeff been booed? If so, have you heard it whilst watching it on TV compared to when Cena gets booed? But thats another discussion) he can rest for a good while, maybes returning at NWO 2010, OR doing a Y2J/Big Show situation, stay in the public eye for a while but not wrestling, then make a huge return, possibly have the guy return at RR2011 and winning the damn thing lol. He did seem to suffer some bad injuries at ER during the ladder match with Edge, epic match but clearly took its toll on the two, huge props for them wrestling after that. So, I don't think hes making a mistake because quite frankly he needs the time off. And I see Matt and John (Morrison) being elevated into the main event with Punk, hopefully we see more in the making, possibly, and this is just something I'm throwing out there, move Christian to SD and turn him heel, giving the SD main event more heels, but once Y2J and Show drop the Tag Belts, SD will have another top heel.

 

[baken1942]

I was at the Smackdown/ECW tapings last night here in Edmonton and the following could be a spoiler so dont read any further if you dont want to know...................









It looks like last night with the way things are shaping up that if/when Jeff Hardy leaves I think Morrison and/or Matt Hardy are going to take his place. I just have the feeling with the way Matt Hardy is acting, and well Morrison deserves to get a chance so we will see.

 

[Loveless]

I truly hate to say this but I agree with Mark Madden (I feel sick). This is yet another example of Hardy showing contempt for the business. For someone whose only talent is fucking up, he's been given way too many chances and now he's actually top man, he's saying he doesn't want it? That's just unbelievable and it's a slap in the face to those on the roster (and those who have been released) who haven't been given the chance and want it a hell of a lot more. I hope he gets buried when he decides he can be bothered again.

 

[gers09]

i think Mark Madden right too jeff has a right to take time off yes but at this moment it just the wrong time taker out edge out thats two of the top guys out all jeff has to do is hold on a bit longer till at least undertaker is back witch might be that long

 

[TomSmithUK]

I honestly think this Jeff leaving is the best decision for all involved.

I think it's funny how people are happy to bash Jeff regardless, and this topic has especially dragged this side of people out.

For a start, if he wants out, he should be allowed out. His past is well documented, when he burns out he turns to drugs, be them recreational or pain killers. If his body can't take it at the current rate, let him take time off, and come back fresh and healthy. He's had a rough time the last couple of years with all his problems, and all credit to him for not resorting back to them already, but the demons are only going to get louder if he's forcing himself to carry on with the WWE. Let him take the break and he'll come back all the better for it.

Second of all, if he wants to do other things let him. It'll get it out of his system, and I have no doubt, he'll come back when they're done. It's not like the Hardy Show is going to take years to film. Let him take 6 months off, do all his other projects and bring him back. He'll be all the happier for it, and in the mean time, you can build other stars. Matt, Morrison etc could all use the time against a heel punk to build themselves up. Matt can't shine while his infinitely more popular brother, and Morrison can't touch Jeff's popularity either, so he'd just slot in underneath. Plus, you give him 6 months off, he can come back in time for a shock return at the rumble, give him his spot in MitB at WM, you know, bring star power to the time of the year when it's really important.


This would all have been better resolved, if WWE offered him a contract starting say, January time, allowing him to take the break he wants, but still tie him down so all this pushing hasn't been wasted. Like one of the posters above said, let Punk injure him to go out. This feud has been pretty good, and I think it would work just as well without the belt involved.


WWE is all for this wellness policy, but the one chance they have to prove they're putting the welfare of the wrestlers before the product, they bottle it.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Jeff is making a huge a mistake. Right now Hardy is getting a huge push, one of which he may not see again if he leaves after Summerslam. With Taker and Edge on the shelf, Hardy would continue to be a main eventer. Just maybe if Hardy stays clean and doesn't fuck up with anything else, he could possibly be in a WHC match at WM 26!

 

[Motor City Mayhem]

What I dont get is how everyone bashes WWE to have more Stars, that they don't build up starts...Well heres your wish. With Jeff Leaving Smackdown! now has a Main Event Spot open that wont be filled by Rey Mysterio (Which Sucks). So with Matt Hardy turning Face again, and John Morrison being pushed on Smackdown! we now have 3 guys on Smackdown who are developing.(Dolph Ziggler, John Morrison, Matt Hardy)

As for Jeff, go, let him leave, he will be back, its not like hes leaving forever, everyone(Especially Mark Madden) has been acting like hes never coming back, which is soo far off. He will back, let him do hes thing for 6months, a year, maybe 2(Probably not this long) and when he comes back we will love him, we chant hes name, we will want him back.

P.S-- Dont complain hes leaving he will be back, and I agree 100% with what TomSmithUK said so I'm not going to go further cause hes said what id say.

 

[gradysmith]

I completely agree with TomSmithUK. Let Jeff leave for a while and get himself back together, at this time guys like Matt Hardy and John Morrison will be getting built up and CM Punk's heel character will go even further. Who knows what will evolve from all that especially after Edge returns. Brand new things will be happening when Jeff leaves and when he returns it will just get better. I'd rather see him leave for a while and end up coming back rather than staying and turning back to drugs and being released and possibly never seeing him again in WWE.

 

[bioshock]

Does anyone and I DO MEAN ANYONE ever look at it like, the guy puts his life on the line night in and night out, he prolly gets more banged up then anyone on the roster from his bumps, hell hes prolly 3x more banged up then say someone like Orton or HHH, and 5x-10x more banged up then a Cena or Batista, considering the lack of bumps they take compared to Hardy.

I mean he has been going non stop with the hard bumps now since about Survivor Series 2007 or so.

Maybe he really does just want some time off from the company to heal up and do other stuff. He doesn;t really get an offseason like people in other sports do, and as I said he might be the most banged up guy in the company, if not all of WWE & TNA.

But IMO I hope he doesn;t leave, I've been a fan of his since he first got in WWF, and I knew every since his ladder match for the WWE title vs the Undertaker on Raw that he would one day be the top guy, so I hope he stays, but I get why he might leave for a while, and thats what I think most of you just have no clue about.

Just no reason to hate the guy for wanting a break from getting thrown around the ring 4-6 days a week for 52 weeks a year.

 

[andrew_vasquez8693]

i am a jeff hardy fan and do not want him to leave but it is his choice. sure it is a bad time with undertaker and edge on the shelf but undertaker is coming back really soon and this would be a good time to give someone else a push for once. hes tookin alot of bumps since his return. nearly ever ppv hes been involved in, hes tooken bumps. remember his extreme rules match at wrestlemania? or his ladder match at extreme rules? my point is maybe its time to give it a break before he really hurts himself, or goes back to drugs and painkillers to wrestle. guarantee he will be back in WWE in no time. maybe even at the royal rumble in January.

 

[LEGEND KILLER]

i love Jeff Hardy too i think he is top tier talent and well deservent of his position in the company. I also agree he should have a break, but maybe the break he deserves is not a long term break. The feeling i get is the break that is upon us betwenn Jeff and WWE is going to be longer than a few weeks on tv. The WWE selfishly needs him right now, and moreso i truly do believe for all those other hard workign superstars on the roster that a top tier talent such as Jeff leaving while on top is such a slap in the face to all of them whom put their bodies just like Jeff's on the line everyday. Just because the entire roster doesnt jump off ladders doesnt mean they dont all take their own unique beating everyday...

Jeff is making a mistake for not asknig for a reduced "shawn micheals" schedule if he is so burned out...

 

[LikeABoss13]

Jeff Hardy is by far the most popular WWE superstar in WWE today even more popular than John Cena and Rey Mysterio because he is entertaining and can do some crazy stuff. WWE should of put the title on him earlier than this and let him have a lengthy run as World Champion, but instead he loses a month later or loses 2 minutes after he wins the title. I personally liked what andrew_vasquez8693 wrote, everything this person wrote was really good and I understand everything that was wrote. Jeff Hardy has worked probably one of the most hardest matches this year so far from the No Disqualification match at the Royal Rumble to the Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out to the Extreme Rules match at WrestleMania 25 to the I Quit match at Backlash to the Ladder match at Extreme Rules, all together he has had 5 special matches this year so far plus the ones that aren't even on pay-per-view like the Stretcher match he had with Matt Hardy after WrestleMania 25 this year which was the SmackDown right after WrestleMania 25 too. I don't think he should leave WWE, but maybe lose the title and then take some time off like Shawn Michaels and Undertaker did after WrestleMania 25. I do believe he has problems in his body right now because of all these grueling matches, but that can also be more because us the fans want more from him each and every week. The person I think that should take his place is either John Morrison or Shelton Benjamin because both are very good on the mic and both are very good wrestlers as well and can do some of the stuff Jeff Hardy does too which the fans really like.

 

[FoleyIsGod]

I think it is a bit dodgy to bash Jeff Hardy.

I mean, do you want ANOTHER wrestling death, similar to Eddies?

Yes, Jeff has had his drug problems and putting the title on him was a big risk(which has been rewarded by some excellent bouts) and Hardy has carried himself well.

Him walking away to rest up and relax is probabaly needed. The reason I think he was doing all sorts when he was younger was because he was screaming for help from the WWE office, yet they kept sticking him on tv.

And for a guy who has a high impact style( and is built like a normal guy), you can kind of see why he used painkilling drugs.

s, although it would be sad to see Hardy leave the company, it would be for the best. Both for him, the WWE and the fans in the long run.

As for a reducaed HBK schedule, they wouldnt have given him one. HBK and Taker already are off the house shows, taking away Hardy would be a MAJOR mistake as he draws well, especially with the screaming fangirls.

 

[speedy316]

Yeah he has the money and the fame right now, but is VKM's price worth his life. He goes out there and is a 21st century Mick Foley a crazy ass spot machine, and the fact that Mick is not an invalid is suprising to me (not that i want him to be) bt still Mick is totally banged up and the fact that he still wrestles is suprising. I dont think Jeff wants that for himself, practically invalid and what can he say for it, he got a shitload of money, not good enough, I am sure Jeff is a smart man and has either saved sum cash and/or got some ideas in mind.

Good luck to Jeff in what he does Post WWE and maybe we will see him again some day!

 

[Viola Moonlight]

Like many people, I feel terrible that the man known as Mark Madden is actually correct... completely. Saying that right here & now makes me feel dirtier than the 2 girls, 1 cup movie. I always thought that I ranked participating in that movie over admitting Mark Madden is right. Oh well...

Anywayz... one of the worst things that could ever happen to the WWE at the moment is the loss of one of the most over & popular superstars because he is "mentally burned out from wrestling" for the 30th time. Jeff Hardy is one of the pieces to the puzzle that will help WWE create the future talent & rise into a new era of wrestling. Who else on SmackDown currently is a full-time main eventer who is uber-over & has a huge following? Edge might not come back into wrestling due to his achilles heel injury, Undertaker isn't in the physical condition to take on that role anymore, Mysterio is currently the midcard man helping all the midcarders like Ziggler & Jericho is currently all over the place with Big Show who are, as a team, single-handely helping the WWE. Somebody on the SmackDown roster needs to be there for the Main Event to help guys like JoMo & Punk get over. Without moving anyone, that has to be Jeff.

So, assuming that Jeff does leave... the only possibilities that I could think of that would not hurt the current plan of WWE rebuilding itself are:

- Give Kane one last major push. This is the only uppermidcarder that can easily transition between face & heel, has a HUGE following, is uber-over & has nothing much to do that could be placed into the Main Event to put over guys like Punk, JoMo, Matt Hardy and the like. Maybe even give him the title run that many including myself are waiting for.

- Sign a veteran to a contract who could fill Jeff's shoes. Maybe someone like Kurt Angle, John "Bradshaw" Layfield or Rob Van Dam. They are already established in the WWE universe, have had top tier title runs & are easily acceptable to become a main event caliber superstar straight away. Very improbable, but is more logical than shuffling the whole roster to find somebody who could fit into someone elses shoes with the process continuing down the line until some new dude from the developmental region is brought up.

 

[blair4107]

I too must agree with Mark Madden on this one - this is a huge mistake for Jeff Hardy. He has only been back at WWE for 3 years yet it seems like every few months we read about how Jeff would like to take time off. Well, why doesn't he just go ahead and sign a new contract while asking for time off? Other wrestlers have done the same and got what they want but no, he can only take time off if it is for an indefinite amount of time.

Jeff has been wrestling for 15 years and he is just now achieving his highest goals and he should understand that it means that WWE is finally starting to trust in him yet he either doesn't or he just doesn't care. He knows damn well that WWE is in a bad place when it comes to injuries and was depending on him to carry on the show but it looks like it just isn't that important to Jeff.

Also what better opportunity for getting to be one of the biggest stars in wrestling than now? With so many people out Jeff has a chance to shine for a good amount of time. Who knows if Jeff will just be thrust back into this top tier spot when he does return? He could end up being stuck as a mid-level star once again for some time if there's too much going on - especially if the main event scene fills up with the stars that are currently being built in addition to those returning from injuries.

Jeff has one real talent - wrestling. His "style," art, and music is all mediocre at best and he should respect what he has been given. You've (mostly) earned what you've gotten - now's the time to deserve it.

I'd hate to say it but WWE is probably actually good for his sobriety. Yes, his body is being beaten and the painkillers are probably tempting but he has a reason that he can't and he has stability in his life. Jeff could end up falling off the wagon in this time, I'm not trying to say that he will just that it is possible.

But at least it's all good news for Matt Hardy because, as the trend seems to go, they only utilize Matt Hardy, truly, when Jeff isn't around. As soon as Jeff steps in the building WWE forgets about Matt no matter how long he has been working without a break (other than injuries and getting fired for having a girlfriend who screws your friend). Matt is the one that deserves what Jeff gets really but unfortunately he just isn't as popular as his younger brother.

 

[666_The_Game_666]

Though i don't like Jeff hes getting the push into the top ME guy on Smackdown he is probably the most popular guy in the WWE he generates a lot of merchandise sales especially the arm bands. I mean I can see if hes getting exhausted from the amount of work he does but its not like hes left before hes been out of the roster before and has returned maybe hes gonna leave then return after a few months

 

[jrichardson25]

1) do ya think Jeff Hardy is making a mistake?

2) who will replace him? someone from Raw, Smackdown, Ecw?

thoughts...

1) Jeff is going to do what Jeff is going to do. I'm a HUGE Jeff Hardy fan. I hope he i just playing the hold out card to resign right as his contract is going to expire. If he does leave its a mistake in our eyes but it might be the right thing for him but with Undertaker and Edge out now is not the time to leave...

2) I'm hoping if someone is going to replace him it will be either John Morrison or Matt Hardy. Both have phenomenal skill and are both former ECW Champions.

 

[The People's Tampon]

John Morrison is clearly in line to get pushed to the moon as the top face on SmackDown, at least until Calloway comes back. Edge probably won't be back for another couple of months, and when he does, it looks like a feud with Jericho is in the works. Rey Mysterio is the other possibility to contend for the Heavyweight crown as a former champ. I could see him dropping the IC belt to DZiggler, who could have a decent feud with R-Truth or Finlay (although this would be a significant drop in prestige for the belt from the excellent Jericho-Mysterio feud). Another option is to bring over Christian to Smackdown. He's been great on ECW, and is basically an instant contender, and just seems to fit in perfectly with the Smackdown scene (slightly undersized, but a high work-rate)

I'm a big face of JM in the ring, but I worry his character isn't quite ready for prime time. His promos have seen a little too cheesy since he became a face again (he reminds me of Malibu from Gladiators in this clip at times). Granted, the guy who's spot he is taking, Jeff Hardy, is laughably bad on the mic, but at least has his character down with the whole extreme, intense risk-taker gimmick. When you watch JM, you just don't see his characters motivation, when he ran into protect Hardy, I found myself asking why? Is he just Dudley Do-Right? What he needs is to adapt a bit more of a mean streak, a little bit of nasty, to transform himself into a credible contender. When we see him fighting a guy, we need to know where he's coming from in a sense.

 

[FromTheSouth]

First of all, I am not entirely convinced that the Jeff Hardy "vacation" isn't a swerve. I think that people are very willing to believe that he wants to go, but he got time off a little over a year ago. This kind of news entertains the IWC, who are Punk fans by and large, but adding Matt Hardy to the scene signals to me that he isn't leaving.

That being said, however, adding Matt to the feud does signal that he will be dropping the belt. A Hardy tag team reunion certainly enhances the prestige of the tag belts. It also serves to get Jericho and Big Show back into the singles scene. A long term Hardy reign also helps the tag scene as a whole, where these seems to be more heel teams available.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

All I know is that it would be great to see him go for a while. And to get Punk the WWE WHT back. I think it'll be a swerve of a different sort. I think that Matt will ultimately TURN on Jeff, causing him to lose the belt and to 'put him out of action' for a bit. This would be smart, and it would also fit into the regular story they've had the past year. It makes no sense for Matt to suddenly like Jeff again after all of the stuff they've done to each other in the past few months.

I think that Jeff will take some time off and be back for either Survivor Series or if he wants to take a long sabbatical, the Royal Rumble. Out of sight, out of mind is a great saying here. What if Jeff comes back and wins the Royal Rumble, then has his WM moment and wins the big one at WM? You never know with the WWE.

 

[FromTheSouth]

That thing with Matt isn't a swerve, that's what everyone expects.

It seems that Punk is going to win, as one option is Jeff leaves and the other is a Hardy's reunion tour. Either way, Punk would need to win.

My point is that Matt's involvement was a swerve at the beginning, because we thought it was Christian, so maybe they're swerving us again. I would like to see Jeff get a nice long reign as he deserves it far more than Punk does, but I don't see that happening because Jeff is so much better chasing the belt than he is holding it. I would still like to see him get a shot to prove me wrong. Punk has had his chance, and the only thing that ever made him interesting as champ was Jeff.

 

[darklordofthesax]

Until his contract expires, I won't believe a word of it.
Jeff is not the exception to the rule. If you're leaving the company, you get publicly humiliated, roll around in hog shit, and get verbally decimated again on live television. You do NOT become World Champion. No matter how over he is, that doesn't happen. Never has. I may be proven wrong in the coming months... but I doubt it.
Jeff is going to hang around.

 

[Rebecca]

Second of all, if he wants to do other things let him. It'll get it out of his system, and I have no doubt, he'll come back when they're done. It's not like the Hardy Show is going to take years to film. Let him take 6 months off, do all his other projects and bring him back. He'll be all the happier for it, and in the mean time, you can build other stars. Matt, Morrison etc could all use the time against a heel punk to build themselves up. Matt can't shine while his infinitely more popular brother, and Morrison can't touch Jeff's popularity either, so he'd just slot in underneath. Plus, you give him 6 months off, he can come back in time for a shock return at the rumble, give him his spot in MitB at WM, you know, bring star power to the time of the year when it's really important.

That bolded part right there, is absoloutely true. Maybe that's a bit of an overestimated thing for me to say, but when Jeff left in 2002, he did all his hobbies; art work, music, motor cross, and eventually, he started to miss wrestling, and came back. If Jeff takes a break, I can't see any long term harm in it. Then again you are losing one of the most over guys in the company. Although if he leaves now for a few months, wouldn't that be better than him failing another drugs test, and leaving for good?

Jeff has done his best in the past year, from improving in the ring, to keeping clean, he's not touched drugs for well over a year now, but it's easy to fall into a trap that you tried ever so hard to keep out of. A nagging back injury could lead him back to painkillers, which could lead to him being released. I've all the faith in the world that Jeff wont screw up, but who knows? If he wants time off, he should take it.

What it comes down to though, if he does leave, is his replacement. Lets face it, you cannot replace Jeff Hardy. You can try and put another guy like Morrison in his place, but it is not the same. Which leads me to my next point, the closest any wrestler can get to Jeff Hardy, is his brother, Matt. I know, they have different styles, different characters, but at the end of the day, Matt is a Hardy. Anything with Hardy sells, and frankly I think he's more marketable than John Morrison (though I think Rey would be a better choice, and i'm purely basing that point from a selling stand pov). I wouldn't be surprised if they're turning Matt face, just so he can 'replace' Jeff, and be the top face of Smackdown - at least until The Undertaker returns. WWE did fine with Jeff Hardy in 2002, sure, but that was seven years ago; and Jeff is more popular then ever. But as they say, the show must go on, despite the show losing one of their biggest stars. If Jeff does leave, then I wish him the best, and I hope he returns.