The Case Of Jeff Hardy

[Hem]

Hey there everyone, this is a thread I'd like to dedicate to one of my favorite wrestlers, Jeff Hardy, and what could have been of him.

At first when Jeff started wrestling in the WWE he was a mere jobber but he quickly gained fame as a tag team wrestler with his brother Matt Hardy. He would go on to make a name for himself by being one of the most charasmatic and wild WWE superstars on the roster. He won many championships in his time with the WWE, including the WWE championship when he was at the peak of his career.

Then it happened, he'd started to get injured and also had previous drug issues and left the company. Although Jeff Hardy returned to TNA (Impact Wrestling) only a few months later, his fan following had lost it's luster.

The main point in this thread is, what would have happened had Jeff Hardy not left the company in 2009? The company did not seem to mind his previous issues with drugs as they had given him both the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships, the latter he held twice.

Would Jeff Hardy be a main event talent for the WWE today? Would he still have shots at the WWE Championship? Would he have done drugs again and have lost his value in front of the company?

I personally feel that had Jeff Hardy not left and returned after healing his injuries then he would have been made to look like a million bucks. The fans were crazy about him, he was good in the ring, had a great look, was good on the mic and the guy sold tons of merchandise (some of which I proudly own).

I feel he would have been WWE champion at least 4 to 5 times by now and would probably be a key piece in the Authority Storyline which WWE is currently running. In fact, I'd go far enough to say that after Punk left, Jeff Hardy would have been the one to take his spot, not Daniel Bryan.

What do you think would have happened with Jeff Hardy? Would you like to see him in the WWE again? Will he ever be that big of a star again?

 

[Softcore Holly]

Hard to say, he was still really over by the time he left but he was also suffering from a lot of injuries and assuming he came back around the same time he returned to TNA, that's a ton of time for people to pass him over. There were also his run-ins with the law including actual jail time, no idea how WWE would've handled it but it certainly would've ticked some people off and made them wary of him in the main event. I also can't help but have the feeling that he was a wellness risk which would've hurt his chances even further, if not eventually cost him his job. And lastly if he did anything like he did at Victory Road at a WWE PPV he would've been royally screwed.

Really it would've all depended on if he managed to stay clean, if he did his career could've been greater than it already was, if not....well least he would've had TNA as a fallback plan. If he came back nowadays I don't think he'll be nearly as big as he was back then. They're more interested in pushing younger guys like Rollins and Reigns, Hardy could very well end up as a part timer like RVD.

Too bad too, if the stars aligned right and Jeff was somehow Edge's last opponent that would've been extremely fitting.

 

[Khalifa]

I myself am a huge Jeff fan. Would Jeff be a main event talent today? I'm not so sure, I think he would be like Mysterio were he is just always so over so you can throw him in the title picture if you wanted something different. However I don't think he would ever be considered a champion for more than a month or so in the business today. There is a lot more opportunity's for feuds now that there isn't a brand split so Jeff would never be that guy that was "Oh we have done Taker/Edge to death and now they are both out so who do we go with apart from HHH".

He would simply be that guy that you can throw in those money in the banks or the elimination chamber because it's not totally unbelievable that he could be champ and he will certainly get the crowd going. In all honesty but I think he wouldbe floating around the higher midcard for majority of the time for the past 2 or 3 years.

I would like to see him in WWE again but I know he has had his days and can't stay on the WWE schedule to long because he gets burnt out quick so I would like to see maybe just one more feud in the WWE. Nothing special, maybe one more TLC or Ladder match and I would be happy. That is being greedy though and I would be more than happy for him to continue his days in TNA because as he is my favourite wrestler of all time and I like to see him in the main event where I know he isn't always being outclassed in the ring and being looked at as that guy that shouldn't be there.

 

[Mustang Sally]

There were also his run-ins with the law including actual jail time, no idea how WWE would've handled it but it certainly would've ticked some people off and made them wary of him in the main event.

Of course, this statement brings to mind the PPV garbage he pulled with Sting in TNA. I'd like to think he never would have been allowed to stoop that low had he remained with WWE; that they would have ridden herd on him and kept him on the straight and narrow, relatively speaking.

Then again, the reason he chose to go to TNA was because he couldn't stand his employer telling him he had to cool it with the damn drugs....a decision that cost TNA plenty with the blown PPV main event....and cost Jeff plenty, too. Subsequent events made his decision stupid....to choose an employer because they didn't bug him about his self-destructive personal habits.

As far as whether Jeff's body would have lasted given that daredevil style of his had he stayed in WWE, it's impossible to say, yet didn't he continue doing the same crazy things in TNA? Of course, by doing so, he risked his health for a lot less money than he would have made in WWE. Hey, pro wrestlers have only a limited number of years they can do this kind of stuff; they might as well get top dollar if they can.....and Jeff could.

Through all the speculation we've read about whether Jeff might ever come back, I wonder what the real story is. Especially after he somehow cleaned himself up without the benefit of rehab, I wonder if Vince McMahon wouldn't have taken a chance on him if hell froze over, despite many fans who figured if Jeff was clean, Vince would want him back.

But what does Jeff think? Despite the TNA purge of large salaries, he still works for them, right?

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think if Jeff had remained in WWE (and obviously stayed sober), he'd have enjoyed more title reigns as a top star for a couple of years and afterwads would have remained an upper-mid carder who was able to be added to the title picture when neccesary (kind of like a Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, Chris Benoit). Jeff has always been incredibly popular and had a connection with fans that most wrestlers can only dream of, so the audience would have been fine with him in that role.

However, I think if he'd remained with WWE that his body would have been broken down by now, working the heavy WWE schedule would have taken it's toll on him with his high-flying style. It seems he's staying clean now, after the horrendous rock-bottom he hit on camera at Victory Road and if he was truly clean I think WWE would show interest in him if he ever leaves TNA. He'd make alot more money back in the 'E than he would in TNA and would undoubtably get back into the upper card, but it would depend on whether Jeff could (or would even want to) work a bigger schedule. He knows his body, and perhaps he thinks TNA is the better place for him these days.

I think it's safe to say that if he had been in WWE and gone out to perform high, he'd have been fired before he'd come back through the curtain- that's if WWE had even let him go out there so messed up.

I've always liked Jeff, and I do hope we see him back in WWE someday, even for just a short part time run.

 

[stingray11214]

Jeff Hardy, had he stayed with WWE, would have been Future Endeavored for breach of the Wellness Policy long ago. He would be right where he is right now: In TNA and the Indies. People forget Victory Road 2011. That could have easily have been the Royal Rumble or RAW, or Wrestlemania. If he was WWE Champion at that time, VKM would have had him blackballed, or would have sued him for everything.