*MERGED* Hardy/Sting: Judge For Yourself (While Available)

[EStreet]

I wrote in another thread, if this was a real business management would be held accountable and people would be fired. In this case those people should be Hardy, Bischoff, Hogan, AND Dixie Carter. Not because the product has become poor, but because they legit have lost respect and control of employees (based on the reports coming out thus far), and they have made decisions that could really damage the brand and more importantly lives. They have no regard for fans (cutting a ppv short like that when its one of their revenue drivers and things people pay for) and have designed a year of story telling around a junkie who has serious legal issues and drug addictions (again based on reports and facts).

I study business and corporate structure, and if any public company (or private) acted so negligently, shareholders and board of directors would step in and fire individuals. In this case that needs to be Panda Energy. Spike TV should also act responsible and cut ties (as sad as I am to see TNA end) I think its necessary. How do u sell this brand to sponsors after such a huge shortcoming?

 

[Wonderland Warrior]

Hey All,

I've followed these message boards for years but never joined because I didn't really have a reason...until today. I may be pushing it but I have a theory about this whole Jeff Hardy situation that I haven't seen anyone else mention. What if this whole thing is one giant work?! Think about it. We all know Bishoff and Russo love to work real life sitations into storylines for the "smarks" out there. What if this whole "Jeff Hardy must have been on drugs last night" thing is all a work? At a time when Charlie Sheen is the most talked about celebrity simply for his wild antics this "work", if it is that, would be doing exactly what Russo and Bishoff want it to do...get people talking about TNA. There's a saying that no press is bad press and maybe that is the theory they are going with here. Get people talking about the situation and ultimatly tuning in to Impact to see what will happen. What do you all think?

 

[TheKev]

I would not put it past TNA to have planned something like this. It does seem like something they would try to do to get noticed and have some attention. However, if thats the case then Hardy deserves an award.

Sting is obviously pissed and is very unhappy with the situation. I wouldnt be surprised if he was regretting his decision to go back to TNA. Which struck me as a bit hypocrytical.

 

[T2KFreeker]

The Bottom Line Is This; TNA is taking a serious look at this at the moment. "IF" they were smart, Jeff would get released from his contract, period. I would also say that whoever thought it was okay for Jeff to go to the ring in his obviously impaired condition, would also get fired, or severely punished for the "Oversight" of the matter. I am a TNA fan and actually enjoy Jeff's work, however, what happened at the PPV was inexcusable and this is more than the last straw for Jeff Hardy. The guy is out of control and has been for quite some time. At least they sent him home from the tapings and I honestly can say, sadly, I hope he doesn't come back. The guy is now a liability to the business and the wrestlers around him. It's time to pull him from TNA and walk away from him as obviously he's not worried about himself or anyone else around him. Let him go before we get the news that he has died from an OD or something. Time's up and it's time to move on now. He's burnt his bridge, and that's that. If TNA keeps up with this, I believe this is the straw that may finally cause a mass jumping of ship, which TNA does not need right now. Yeah, Jeff was obviously screwed up and Sting was pissed, as he should have been. He did what he had to do from a safety standpoint. This match should not have happened. Screw it, I would have yanked Jeff from the card and had a impromptu three way between Sting, Anderson, and RVD. It would have been much better than the crap that happened.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I watched the video. It's hard to say that this was a work after seeing Hardy's condition. He wasn't stumbling all over himself like I thought he would, but he was out of place. It took him a whole minute just to come out. He was very off balance walking to the ring and trying to walk to the apron. You can see how upset Sting was when Bischoff talked to him and you could see the disgust in Sting's face after he won the match.

I noticed that Hardy was unwilling to cooperate with Sting the entire match. Not wanting to lock up and even trying to kick out of the Scorpion death droop. You can see the shock in Hardy's face after the pin and how upset he was with the referee. I didn't hear the "bullshit" chants due to the commentary, but I did hear Sting look at the crowd and say "I agree".

I guess you could call this the TNA "screwjob" to Jeff Hardy, but considering Hardy's state of mind, no one can blame them for ending this match. Its unfortunate that TNA went through with this match to begin with.

 

[Dzone]

I've got a weird suspicion that backstage Hardy didn't want to let anyone else wrestle Sting and Sting was pissed off at Hardy's state, the Bischoff's audible was an excuse for him to tell Sting to cover Hardy with all his weight because Hardy clearly couldn't wrestle (Pissing Sting off even more). Then everything else...?

 

[Azane]

I hope they clean him up or ship him out. if I see them making fun of Addictions with a real life addict, it'll be way too disgusting to actually watch.
This goes beyond Kayfabe, and its time to start worrying about Hardy and his families well being.

Predicting TNA, they'll do partially the right thing, but keep it Kayfabed.

Bischoff loves to push the edge, but I REALLY don't see them taking this lightly. they'll find a way to put a story spin, but not in a disgusting angle.

 

[BASSER911414]

HEY

what if sting grabbed a chair and beat hardy senseless with it. tht way it wud look legit cover up screwups and not make the audience feel ALL tht cheated

 

[stilltippin]

Sounds like Eric is pleading with Sting that sayin "It's gonna be all right, he's good" and Sting pissed off gets cut off when trying to say "Why don't u tell them why your really out here"..

This is EXACTLY what happened.

Sting wanted no part of wrestling with Hardy fucked up.. That is why he force pinned him the way he did.. hardy knew the match was supposed to go on longer so he tried kicking out but sting had all his weight on him and kept hardy forced down.

Its the only Explanation.. TNA didn't want to replace hardy as they have enough ppl trash talking them online.. SO they tried to keep the match the way in was spite hardys conditon and sting just wanted no part of it.

 

[BASSER911414]

well vinnie mac must be laughing his ass off... with the rocks return and stone colds, hhh vs taker, rock hosting, and stealing away 2 of the biggest tna stars at a very crucial moment for tna wwe just struck gold.

whereas tna just got buried. huge hype for sting return going as far as to copy a wwe promo and even hes pissed off at wat happened at victory road. they pulled out all the stops. involving kurt angles entire personal life in storylines which is seen by many as a distasteful storyline. trying to get MEM back only to fail miserably when their main 2 guys signed with WWE. then trying to reignite the spark by resigning sting who by now probably regrets it (not tht he wudv signed with wwe in any case)

wwes at the top of the mountain right now while tnas in a valley
hope to see the roles reversed one day

 

[Jason Scene]

If you were a legend like Sting is, and somebody came to the ring, completely out of it, what would you think? You'd think that it's all downhill from here.

People keep saying, "Why didn't Sting hit him with a chair", or "Why didn't Sting beat him up for a while."

Well, maybe it's because Jeff was so drunk that when he went for the lock up it looked weak as hell! You can't beat someone with a chair when they're drunk, and you certainly can't wrestle against them.

Jeff didn't even want to lose! Sting had to force him down. And it's blatant that Jeff was like, "WTF?" when he lost.

And you know what, I guarentee last night that at least ONE point, Sting thought to himself...

"Why didn't I pick up the phone and ring Vince McMahon when I had the chance? I could be at Wrestlemania, instead of putting up with this crap."

And then you got guys in the back, like Doug Williams who is better than this shit and he isn't even on the fucking card!! And Jeff is??!

TNA; Crossing the line of deceny since 2009!

 

[BTLion1990]

You used to read about how Randy Orton met Andre The Giant, and how Cody Rhodes used to hang out backstage as a child. Whats the chances of that with Hardy running about. The lockeroom will NO doubt be affected by this.

 

[EStreet]

Another reason the screwjob theory doesn't hold any weight...that would make Sting heel!! He obviously was pissed and didn't agree with what was going on. I understand him going along w/ it for his safety but if it was a screwjob that would align him with Bischoff and Immortal in ousting Hardy.

It would be classic of TNA to go this route as a way of explaining it - maybe say they felt Hardy was a let down for losing the belt twice and that Hebner Jr. (Ironic) was in on it. But once again holes in this story as nobody other than Hebner seemed to play nicely. Then again holes in many storylines.

 

[the wapper]

I've got a weird suspicion that backstage Hardy didn't want to let anyone else wrestle Sting and Sting was pissed off at Hardy's state, the Bischoff's audible was an excuse for him to tell Sting to cover Hardy with all his weight because Hardy clearly couldn't wrestle (Pissing Sting off even more). Then everything else...?

I think so , or maybe Jeff told the referee he wasn't going to lose and Bischoff told Sting to force pin him , either way it looked like Jeff was the only one in the ring stunned by the 3 count.

 

[vampirek]

This is EXACTLY what happened.

Sting wanted no part of wrestling with Hardy fucked up.. That is why he force pinned him the way he did.. hardy knew the match was supposed to go on longer so he tried kicking out but sting had all his weight on him and kept hardy forced down.

Its the only Explanation.. TNA didn't want to replace hardy as they have enough ppl trash talking them online.. SO they tried to keep the match the way in was spite hardys conditon and sting just wanted no part of it.

If they think that then they have no place in any business nevermind wrestling. If TNA saw an issue with Jeff that would raise questions as to the safety of both men, he should have been pulled. TNA shouldn't think about the fans, they should think about the safety of its employees first and foremost. At least the majority of us would see TNA did the right thing and then put on a match with someone else. That way the live audience, the people who paid for the PPV got their money worth too. What TNA did instead was quite frankly stupid and to some extent dangerous.

Jeff could have been written out by being attacked backstage, which would also explain his absense (his likely suspension). Then in the coming weeks decide who attacked him. You then keep a storyline going from it from this they have a much harder time explaining.

The only reasonable explaination is that Jeff could have been ready from whatever state he was in and they didnt have a backup plan for it if he wasnt.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I really feel sorry for TNA at the moment.

If you feel sorry for the company, you're not looking at the big picture. They enabled this......in fact, it could be said they were asking for it by hiring Jeff Hardy in the first place.

Did he leave WWE because he wasn't getting enough money? Hardly; he must have been making more there than TNA could pay him.

Did he leave WWE because he wasn't getting a push he felt he deserved? No way; in fact, he was in the midst of a monster push.

So why did he leave? Could it have been because WWE didn't want him getting high? Could it have been because he had two strikes against him and the company was going to fire him if he got one more?

So, if he left WWE because getting high was more important to him than professional success, what was the discussion between Jeff and TNA when they were recruiting him? Could it be they told him they didn't give a damn what he did, as long as it didn't affect his performance on the job?

Okay, so now it's affecting the job. A main event at a PPV, no less. But to feel sorry for TNA? What for? They were probably so excited at getting a major WWE star, they were willing to take a chance on a substance abuser. So, they took a chance and lost.

I don't feel sorry for TNA. I've had people take issue with me on this forum because I called them a minor league organization.....but I stand by my opinion. A top notch company doesn't let the inmates run the asylum.

 

[EStreet]

Sting taking it upon himself to end the match = only plausible explanation (SO FAR) for what went down....but to play devils advocate, why didn't Hardy go after Sting when he hit Eric? The whole thing makes NO sense and sadly the truth may never come out.

 

[Karaoke Superstar]

There's two ways they can go about it, address it or hope everyone forgets about it. I think the latter would be the better option. A Charlie Sheen gimmick wouldn't work, first of all Jeff is a professional wrestler, the company should not tolerate it and it's not good for people to perceive they do, it wouldn't be just a gimmick either, too much truth to it. Second, Charlie Sheen is funny, to a few people at least Jeff Hardy couldn't make a Hyena laugh. One thing is for sure, if the problem was Hardy being under the influence then they need to just cut their losses and release him. He's not reliable and is too much of a liability at this point, plus when he does get sentenced it's better if the TMZ article don't start with 'TNA Wrestler Jeff Hardy' . This may even be a good thing, there's several younger guys that I think could do well with his chances.

 

[lancir]

I have watched this video like 100 times since a version came up last night at about 12 am(ive been up all night watching it.) I am one of the first people to try and defend Hardy since i became a fan and after watching this video i am no longer trying to defend him. Jeff is clearly unable to walk straight if you watch when he first comes out of the entrance area it looks like he almost stumbles up those stairs then when he gets to the ring he pretty much cant make the stairs. I believe bischoff came out and told hardy something to keep him calm then told sting to end the match quick. If it was sting who chose to end that match early i believe he would of been in trouble not Hardy. After the ref throws up the X sign he clams someone over from the side an talks to them probably telling them to get someone out there.

One thing I would like to point out is kudos on Bischoff to be able to go out on a moments notice and come up with something that was at least believable in order to talk to both guys. I know all the facts aren't out yet but if the headlines on the main site are true EVERYONE backstage is pissed of at what happened so i don't think there is anyway Hardy wasnt intoxicated.

And to the people saying he might be injured am i the only one who noticed he only limped when he talked to the ref then immediately stopped limping again?

 

[BASSER911414]

well they took him off the tapings. thts a good thng. it means they took reasonable action in the short time they had to do something. lets see wat the future holds

 

[gmanversion1]

TNA should do an on-air, in-ring, public firing of Jeff Hardy. They should make the facts known straight up.

A public firing would not be unheard of in wrestling. Back in ECW, Paul Haymen did a public, in-ring firing of Sabu when he no-showed to go to Japan.

 

[Kcirdor]

it looks like he is on ecstasy. or pain meds. it is beyond obvious he is messed up. hener throws the X up when he watches Hardy fall out of the ring.

 

[byrnside]

This is EXACTLY what happened.

Sting wanted no part of wrestling with Hardy fucked up.. That is why he force pinned him the way he did.. hardy knew the match was supposed to go on longer so he tried kicking out but sting had all his weight on him and kept hardy forced down.

Its the only Explanation.. TNA didn't want to replace hardy as they have enough ppl trash talking them online.. SO they tried to keep the match the way in was spite hardys conditon and sting just wanted no part of it.

Really? No body told me that Eric Bischoff was a regular poster.

Anyway.. This is really crazy. There's not much that I can add that others haven't touched on already. Jeff was way too sloppy in that for this to have been a work and why some of you keep suggesting it is far beyond me. If it was a work than Jeff Hardy should leave wrestling and start acting. The evidence is there. The fact that Sting even acknowledged the crowd chanting: "This is bullshit!" is pretty crazy. Jeff was clearly messed up on something and that's unfortunate.. The man needs help. Period. Hopefully he gets it.

No offense to any hardcore, long-time TNA fans, but this kind of stuff is exactly why I don't watch TNA. There was almost zero professionalism through this whole mess. The only thing that seemed the slightest bit professional was the fact that all responsibility for the safe outcome of this disaster was that Sting had to take matters into his own hands, which is sad. The whole thing is just sad. For his sake, I for one wish Sting would've gone to the WWE, if nothing else to just appear at Wrestlemania. It isn't right that Sting had to deal with this.

 

[EStreet]

Haven't seen a thread dedicated to this, sorry if I've missed it, but I wanted to discuss creative decisions last night and highlight how poor a job the ppb was booked in the last hour, especially in regards to Sting/Hardy.

Other posts have talkd about what went down but none have offered what should/could have gone down. Hardy couldn't go, we know that, and have to assume it was a last minute thing or else why end the show like that? But if he was really that fucked up then wouldn't people have seen it and couldn't it have been disguised. Considering how poorly booked the end of the #1 contenders match was (w/ no winner) why not use RVD and Anderson in the main event. Either a 4 way (and immediately take out Hardy via violence or fighting with RVD to the back) OR better yet, a three way. Say Hardy no-showed and that it would be a 3way would have been 100percent plausible. Especially since Hardy should have been suspended on the spot for once again being fucked up for tapings. This writes him out in a logical way by saying he is suspended and still gives a credible main event. Another alternative could have been using the whole Network angle and saying since they screwed Immortal, Immortal would screw Sting and bring back Abyss, or have JJ (both have long history w/ Sting) to fight him (again writing out Hardy). Other guys could have also been plugged into the spot by "the network" to further the annonymous character (obvious rip off of Raw's GM). For gods sake, Kurt Angle one of the only main stream stars in TNA was left off the card - USE HIM!!!!

There were so many alternatives that could have gone down that its just obvious TNA lacks any creative behind their product. I thought of
all these on the walk through the park last night leaving the Impact Zone. Yet nobody backstage could come up with something?

This lack of creative leads me to believe whatever really went down w/ Hardy was a very last minute thing. Maybe he puked backstage before coming out and is why he was so late for his music. Or shot up another drug or took another drink, something that happen so quick it became impossible for them to let him go. But even then to end the match like that was ridiculous. For a creative that loves playing up real life so much, why not have him "arrested" and let Bischoff get pissed about it and then insert anyone else to wrestle - fucking Gunner/Murphy/Terry in a handicap match would have at least been a match - not a mockery of Sting as a champion and a legend.

Thoughts on how you would have handled the alternative plan or last minute decision differently (granted we don't know all the details yet)?

 

[oldschoolfan1985]

A storyline?!? Forget that storyline crap he needs to go into rehab or be fired if he refuses to seek help! Jeff Hardy is clearly spiraling down a path of chaos and tragedy and I'm no Jeff Hardy fan and never have been, but this my friends is very sad! I don't know what is worse: Jeff coming out to compete in the condition he was in last night and has been in a few times before or the fact that the people around him know what is going on and are doing absolutely nothing to help him I mean my God Dixie get some control of YOUR company and do something about it because it is an obvious problem! Making a storyline about what he did last night is just encouraging his behavior and chaotic state and it would be a further slap in the face to every TNA fan as well as each and every man and woman on the TNA roster who work hard to try and get noticed and become a star themselves just as it was a slap in the face to even send Jeff Hardy out there last night. Storylines or not you could have sent Angle or Styles out there and had a good match or had RVD, Anderson and Sting fight in a Triple Threat, hell even sending Flair out there would have been better than Jeff Hardy at least Flair would have done his best to compete and make the match look good. Hardy obviously has a problem and doesn't give a damn about the fans or the other talent right now, so why keep him around in his current state?