Who Is Smackdown Missing More Right Now....Jeff Hardy Or Edge?

[Mitch Henessey]

Undertaker/Batista will most likely be the main feud heading into the Elimination Chamber ppv or Royal Rumble. Rey Mysterio is injured, and all the steam for a program between Chris Jericho and The Undertaker has been taken away because they've already wrestled twice (three times if you count the tag match) on free tv. CM Punk is riding the mid-card, and then after that, there's really no one left to feud with The Deadman.

Smackdown is really missing Jeff Hardy and Edge right now. My question is, who are they missing more right now? Seeing as there's really only one top face and one top heel on Smackdown at the moment, the blue brand is really missing their other power-players.

I'll start with Jeff Hardy. Many people think he was nothing more than a glorified spot-monkey, but you have to face facts, this guy was way over, and sold merchandise like crazy. The people would root for him no matter how many times he got suspended or what his lifestyle was outside the ring. Both his world title wins drew an insane reaction from the crowd, and if not for his troubles, and desire to take a break from wrestling, he probably would've held on to the world heavyweight championship for a while.

Then there's The Rated-R Superstar, Edge. A great heel, and a superb wrestler, with an awesome cocky persona to match. Now we all now Edge was shutdown a few months back with an injury, and that's when Smackdown lost it's top heel. Edge's presence is greatly missed on Friday Nights. Although I'm excited that the seeds have been planted for a feud between him and Jericho.

So what's your pick for who Smackdown is missing more right now? Jeff Hardy Or Edge? Thoughts?

 

[Blade]

That is a very interesting question.

On the one hand, Jeff Hardy brought the ratings. He was WWE's anti-golden boy. The crowds loved him and even now that he's gone, he's selling merch by the bucket loads. On SD last week, a Hardy chant started up when Punk showed the DVD to the crowd even though he's been gone for about 4 months. He would no doubt help out WWE right now.

But on the other hand, Edge would ge a huge asset in WWE's current goal of trying to create young stars. He's credible as a main eventer and he can put on a good match with almost anyone. He'd definitely be able to help John Morrison take that last step to becoming a main eventer. The thing about Edge is that he can put someone over any time any place. And it doesn't hurt his credibility. It's not like Cena or Triple H, who rarely put people below them over. So Edge would be very useful right now on SD.

Honestly, I can't pick one. Edge would help out young guys, but he never drew huge numbers that Hardy did. On the other hand, Hardy would bring in viewers but the main event scene would feel very crowded with both Hardy and Undertaker, two huge stars. Plus WWE wouldn't use Hardy to put younger guys over much since he's not totally credible as a main eventer.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Plus WWE wouldn't use Hardy to put younger guys over much since he's not totally credible as a main eventer.

This was a HUGE flaw with Jeff Hardy. Yes he could sell merchandise like crazy(and still does), and he was way over with the fans, but he was never built up to be a dominat champion. When he won the belt at Armageddon, it seemed like luck. And his WHC win seemed like he barley got away with the title. Jeff never had that title win that made him look like he was "the man".

 

[RavensFlock1990]

I'll go with Jeff Hardy. The guy is only 31 and was a breath of fresh air in the main event scene. He could be booked in a way where he could take a loss to a mid-carder and it wouldn't hurt him at all and he could turn around and beat any main eventer on the roster. He was easily the most over wrestler with the live crowds and his merch sold like hotcakes. Plus Jeff just had the Cena feel where you truly knew who was the face of the brand. With Taker tho you just wonder if he's gonna be able to walk to the ring.

I think Edge was alot easier to replace. Jericho is better and Punk is just as good. Losing Edge hurt the overall depth of the roster but I barely notice he's gone tbh.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Sorry I didn't put this in my OP, but my pick is Edge. Mainly because I don't think Batista is able to fill the void of being #1 heel Edge has left behind. Undertaker is a strong enough face to carry the blue brand, but I don't think Batista can match Taker's presence on the heel side of things.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Who is Smackdown missing more.... Jeff Hardy or Edge....? Edge. No questions asked. Here are some of my reasons why.

First of all.... Jeff Hardy had too many wellness policy violations. If he gets one more if/when he comes back, he's gone. Edge has more chances and is far less likely to have violations than Hardy. This makes him more useful in the long run, despite the injury he is working on recovering from.

Secondly, Hardy is AWFUL on the mic, whereas Edge is top tier. Edge is far more entertaining. He is great as a heel and if he comes back a face, then he would make a great face as well. Hardy was over because of all the insane spots he would do.... but Edge is superior to Hardy in every aspect other than that. He is MUCH more entertaining. Hardy's not the only high flyer, and can therefore be easier to replace. Edge would be useful no matter what role they place him in.

Third.... I remember when Smackdown was the obvious "B" show compared to Raw being the obvious "A" show. Then things started to change, in the first half of 2007 Edge cashed in on Taker and became part of Smackdown. Soon (VERY soon, I might add) Smackdown started to become more entertaining and caught up to Raw (at least from my point of view). By the next year, Smackdown was the "A" show and Raw was the "B" show. This was all before Hardy was sent over in the 2008 draft.

Finally.... I conclude that Smackdown with Edge but not Hardy was more entertaining than Smackdown with Hardy but not Edge. I don't miss Hardy at all, but am hoping that Edge recovers soon because, in my opinion, he has been the face of Smackdown ever since 2007. So, Edge is who Smackdown is missing more. Not Hardy.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Far and away, the Smackdown roster misses Edge. Jeff Hardy isn't really missed because he was only put in for spots where a good rivalry was needed. He was never the centerpiece for the show, whereas Edge WAS Smackdown for the better part of a year, and with his injury, it's been a lot tougher to make up for his absence. Edge's presence in the WWE, much less Smackdown is sorely missed. He was a guaranteed good match, good TV, and is one of the best heels in the WWE right now.

It's a shame that people still think so highly of Jeff Hardy. Sure he can get the fans fired up and sells merchandise, but the man was a liability in the ring and was not a good example for kids. Any person who has the demons that Jeff has isn't really missed. Matter of fact, I'd go as far as saying that the WWE is glad he's gone, that way they don't have to be worried about their WWE Champion having a violation for Drug use. With Edge, there's no danger in that happening.

 

[JBK2008]

I'm going to have to say Edge. Batista looks awkward as a heel and is just filling the void Edge left behind when he went down. Jericho is sadly going to be locked in the tag team championship loop for a while longer, and Punk seems to be in the mid card beating up R Truth and Matt Hardy.

Edge was the top heel there for so long, and he put over all the young and older talent. He made everyone look good and that's what I think will be the hardest to replace with Jericho and Punk not available at the moment. Jeff was a spot monkey who was way over with the fans, however was never a dominant champion. Smackdown is def missing Edge more right now contrast to what the crowds are cheering.

 

[HBK-aholic]

This is a really good thread, well done for that.

Personally, I prefer Edge. I was a big fan of Hardy, but the way Edge wrestles is fantastic. However, Hardy was completely over with the fans - very few people got the same reaction that he did. He sold merchandise, and got people completely involved with his matches. Call him a spot monkey, but he knew how to get a crowd excited.

 

[CenaSux4Life78]

Who is missed more on SD? Well, for what it is worth, I would say both are equally missed. I say this because both brought there special talents to the product, and it is hard to duplicate that in there absence. I will however give props to CM Punk for what he is doing with his heel role. In some ways it does remind me a bit of Edge, and if Punk is not trying to fill that void he is still doing a good job.

Jeff Hardy is a talent you just can't replace. He has that charisma, and ability to thrill fans weather they like him or not. Words really can't describe what he means to the business. I am not saying he is a Flair or Hogan caliber performer, but when it comes to drawing crowds he is definitly in that caliber.

We know Edge will be back soon, I think in or around WM. As for Jeff....sadly that is another issue of its own. But only time will tell.

 

[Alex]

Who is missed more on SD? Well, for what it is worth, I would say both are equally missed. I say this because both brought there special talents to the product, and it is hard to duplicate that in there absence. I will however give props to CM Punk for what he is doing with his heel role. In some ways it does remind me a bit of Edge, and if Punk is not trying to fill that void he is still doing a good job.

Jeff Hardy is a talent you just can't replace. He has that charisma, and ability to thrill fans weather they like him or not. Words really can't describe what he means to the business. I am not saying he is a Flair or Hogan caliber performer, but when it comes to drawing crowds he is definitly in that caliber.

We know Edge will be back soon, I think in or around WM. As for Jeff....sadly that is another issue of its own. But only time will tell.

I agree with this totally Edge is missed because he was extremly good as a heel,
(Jericho is great but he's busy with the tag division to be in any major singles program), he can also have a good match with anyone and put them over as well

Jeff Hardy love him or hate him, he was extemely popular, this in turn made people pay attention to who he was facing (it was Jeff's popularity that got Punk the amount of heat he did) he could also have good matches with people as well (admittidly not everyone)

 

[Leafy]

Hmmm interesting question. I'll have to say Jeff Hardy. I'm not a fan of Hardy in no way but Smackdown is missing the athletic face. Right now the only possible main event faces are Undertaker, Morrison, and Kane (I guess, what is he?). Jeff Hardy brought that role that you could rely on him to fight as the face champion in any type of match you asked him.

When Edge left Smackdown provided great heels. CM Punk showed us his brilliance with his Straight Edge promos and Batista has impressed me. Both have filled the void he left. When Jeff Hardy left Undertaker had to come back to fill the void. Undertaker can not be relied on to be a top face. Jeff Hardy was the champ you could rely on to be that top face.

 

[bucks8897]

This is a really good thread and as much as I hate to say it the answer is Edge no question.

The toughest part of answering this question for me is that honestly I can't stand Edge and I'm glad that he hasn't been holding the title. Let me say that I wish Edge a speedy recovery and dont wish him to be injured, I wouldn't wish that upon any person I was just getting wore out of the whole "oppurtunistic" crap. I was ready for someone else to get in the main event scene.

You can see though on smackdown right now that they are having a really tough time filling the main event heel void that Edge did a great job of doing. (see my paragraph above about not being able to stand him, WWE did a great job on his character.) They tired right away to put CM Punk in their right away and I think it worked good but he just hasnt' been in the main event scene as long as Edge and didn't have the same status.

Now to get to Jeff Hardy, Jeff brought something to the table in the main event scene that is missed. I was one of many big Jeff Hardy fans and in my eyes many of his matches always stole the show in my eyes. He had 2 really big weaknesses.

1. His first big weakness was his mic work. It was terrible, but what he lacked on the mic he easily made up for with his in ring ability and reputation of always "pushing the enevolope".

2. All of his out of ring issues. As stated earlier in the thread by many he's a liability to the company for one. It was no secret to the public of all his issues outside the ring which made him a really bad role model for kids. Which in the "attitude era" probably would not have been a big deal but in the "PG era" does it really send the right message to have you World Heavy Weight Champion and known drug abuser etc.? That is not what Vince wants to promote in his PG Era.

I really miss Jeff Hardy and I hope the best for him in the future. I hope he get's straightened up and lives a good healthy long life. I will miss his matches, his high flying, out of this world moves that each time hes does them you always find yourself saying "I can't believe he just did that"

In conclusion what is Smackdown missing more right now? Edge

Who is bucks8897 missing more right now? Jeff Hardy

 

[TakerFan30]

To answer that question, I'd probably say that they'd miss Edge more than Jeff. Why? Because Jeff had become too much of a responsibility issue for McMahon and the McMandroids to deal with (Reminder: 2 Wellness Policy Violations). On the other hand, I had gotten used to seeing Edge as a darn good heel on SmackDown, and he hasn't had any Wellness Policy Violations as of yet. It'll be great if he gets the chance to find a mystery partner to feud with JeriShow when he comes back (won't really matter where or at which PPV).

 

[TakerFan30]

Leafy,

What do you mean the Undertaker can't be the top face on SD? He's been in the business for going on a score (20 years, or 2 decades), undefeated at WrestleMania (soon to be 18-0 after he DEMOLISHES Supercena with multiple Tombstone Piledrivers, chokeslams, Old Schools, and Snake Eyes, LOL), and a multiple-time champion. If that ain't enough to make a legendary wrestler the top face for a brand, then I don't know what is.

 

[gully side adidja]

this it quite tricky, jeff has the pops, but edge has the unpredictable/suprise factor, erm........ i say edge, he has more star power to him,more consistency,he is more reliable, and like i said just more unpedictability about him, rated r superstar i say.

 

[Castillo]

Edge.

Jeff Hardy has, and always will suck. I actually laughed when Matt 'told' off the IWC for hating on Jeff every now and again. Can you blame us? The guy's just a dumbass running around in the ring, jumping like an idiot. I never understanded how he had a lot of fans. And I WILL NEVER understand how he actually won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. That had to be the WORST Moment in WWE History. Though I was happy Triple H didn't win it.

So yeah, one of the greatest wrestlers ever, Edge, WWE is missing. Plus, he don't need no drugs/steroids!

 

[Slowdude]

I was enjoying Smackdown every week until Taker came back. Yeah he is a legend and all but in my opinion he just sucked the life out of the world title scene. He only appears every second week. The show survived on without Edge, it has survived with Jeff. I obviously know what Taker has done but I gotta say his title reign right now is just boring and made Smackdown allot less entertaining. I hope Batista wins the title tomorrow so at least we will have a champion that is able to show up each week.

The answer to this thread, its not what is missing in Edge or Jeff. Its what is there in Taker.

 

[BigAdz]

Edge.

Not to say that Hardy isn't missed, mind you. Hardy had that X factor working for him; a match/feud that looked bland and potentially missing on paper could be turned on it's head and score a big hit with the fans because of the Hardy Factor. Take last year's run against Orton for example. Orton is one of my all time faves and even I admit, this feud was poorly executed. What saved it? Hardy coming off the side of the Tron and crashing through Orton with a Swanton. Love Hardy or hate Hardy, THAT was awesome!
Hardy was also incredibly versatile; you could put him in any kind of match against any kind of competitor with any kind of stipulations and could rely on him to pull out a good result. Sure, he has 2 strikes on the wellness policy and a bad past with drug abuse but hey, I think he proved quite well that he was past that and moved on with the rest of his life with his excellent breaking through the glass ceiling this year. It's a shame noone will nominate his achievements for a Slammy.
Plus, Hardy had a lot of candor to his character, made it very easy for people to empathise with him. Taking actual life tragedies and turning them into storylines is a ballsy move and can go either way but Hardy could sell it with convincing empathy. Not an easy thing to do.

But Edge...Edge is, quite simply, the man. Until Randy Orton finally came into his own, Edge couldn't be touched as the top heel in the biz (not just WWE, the BIZ!). I'm still impressed at how this guy once put Batista AND CM Punk over on an ep of RAW without even so much as lifting a finger and didn't lose an ounce of heat for it.
And I'm gonna go ahead and say this; his angle as Mr. Vickie Guerrero was pure GOLD! Put Vickie over as a credible heel manageress too, quite the achievement considering she ain't that great on the mic.

So yes. Edge, we miss you! Get well soon.

 

[tornadof86]

smackdown needs jeff hardy....why do you think they released a new dvd about him and they also are doing storylines about him between punk and matt...i guess to keep jeff's character fresh...unlike edge who, since he's been injured they haven't done anything with him. edge is a good heel but they got batista, punk and jericho so they don't really need him right now, they only got one main eventer that's a good guy, so if jeff does go back to the wwe, the sooner the better.

 

[Dagger Dias]

smackdown needs jeff hardy....why do you think they released a new dvd about him

That's not why they released the DVD. They knew he would be leaving so they built him up far more than he needed to be, so that once he left they could capitalize on that by the fans buying a DVD about him now that he's gone.

and they also are doing storylines about him between punk and matt...i guess to keep jeff's character fresh...

Not exactly. That's to get Punk over as a heel and to give Matt another random push. They could have done that with any other face. Punk beats the face in big matches, face leaves, Matt (or another random face) shows up and sides with the face, Punk talks about how he got rid of the face and gets more heel heat. See? That could have been done with anyone. They just happened to pick Jeff so they could capitalize on him leaving to make more money.

unlike edge who, since he's been injured they haven't done anything with him. edge is a good heel but they got batista, punk and jericho so they don't really need him right now

There isn't much they CAN do with him right now though because he's injured. Sure he could do taped promos about how his recovery is going.... but it will be more of a surprise when he returns if they don't. They DO need Edge because he is the face of Smackdown. He can play a great heel OR a great face. How many other main eventers on Smackdown can do that? Batista, Rey, and Taker are better as faces, Punk is better as a heel. Only Jericho and Edge are able to do excellent in both roles.

they only got one main eventer that's a good guy, so if jeff does go back to the wwe, the sooner the better.

No. They have Taker as a main event face, then they have Rey and Morrison as the upper midcard faces. Edge can be the second main event face alongside Taker if he returns as a face. Or he can be the top heel again. Smackdown needs Edge far more than they could ever need Hardy because he can be used in more ways on the show and be entertaining in every single one of them.

 

[RavensFlock1990]

^ Since when is Edge a great face? Edge has been heel forever and he's stale as fuck. Hell Jericho mentioned Edge on RAW this week and it got NO REACTION! Everybody is overrating how important Edge is. The only time he was ever over as a face was teaming with Hogan. They could have put Essa Rios as Hogan's partner and even he would have gotten cheered back then. Edge was never getting past the mid-card as a face tho and damn sure never gonna be a real world champion.

Even as a heel he's still nothing but a transitional tool. The only reason he has had more than 1 or 2 reigns is cause Vince simply ran out of guys who could be transitional champs. Plus has Edge ever drawn heat by HIMSELF? What got him over as a top heel was not himself. He got heat cause of Lita and Matt plain and simple. Lita was far more hated than Edge was. Then after Lita left what did Edge do? O ya become on screen lovers with Eddie Guerrero's widow. ANYBODY could had been in Edge's place during that time and got heat. Vickie's face alone drew heat. She's nowhere near the heat magnet now but when her and Edge first became a on screen couple she was one of the most hated on screen characters in wrestling history.

So the point is SD is not missing Edge the way his die hard fans believe. Jericho is more talented in every way than Edge and its not even close. Batista is the bigger star than Edge and its not even argueable. Punk is 50x more fresh than Edge was when he got hurt.

On the other hand the only other credible main event face is Taker. Please nobody say Rey cause when he was world champ before ratings dropped lower and lower each week and his reign was a disaster. Taker has done nothing but make the main event scene a bore. He buried Punk and having a world champ that shows up one or twice a month is not a good thing at all. Jeff was fresh and the fans went crazy for him. He could have great feuds with anybody cause he was small enough to put on great matches with Punk and taking a loss would be believable but he also meshed well with bigger guys like HHH and Taker which is something most guys with his ring style and size can't do.

Plus Jeff was a bigger draw, has a bigger fanbase and sold more merch than Edge. I bet he made WWE more money over the course of last summer up until he left this year than Edge has made WWE over his entire career.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Since when is Edge a great face? Edge has been heel forever and he's stale as fuck.

You just answered your own question. Sometimes a heel/face turn can help someone's character when it begins to get stale.

Hell Jericho mentioned Edge on RAW this week and it got NO REACTION!

That was because they had a difficult crowd. The biggest reaction was for Cole saying "hook em horns".

Edge was never getting past the mid-card as a face tho and damn sure never gonna be a real world champion.

You don't know that. Everyone deserves a run as both a face and a heel. He's had his heel run, and I know I'm not the only one who would enjoy seeing how entertaining the face version of him would be. He's great on the mic, good in the ring, and fans miss him. When he returns it will be the perfect time for Edge to turn face.

Even as a heel he's still nothing but a transitional tool. The only reason he has had more than 1 or 2 reigns is cause Vince simply ran out of guys who could be transitional champs.

Again, you don't know that either. What is Edge's character? The Ultimate Opportunist. Taking matters into his own hands for his own benefit is exactly what his character is supposed to do. So if a weakened champion is left in the ring, of course he was going to cash in his MITB in both cases of Cena in 2006 and Taker in 2007. He's also won the title without doing this.

He's not always a transitional champion. He has had 3 long reigns. 76 days, 70 days, 105 days. Those were all twice as long as most of the recent world title reigns. Doesn't sound like a transitional champion to me.

Plus has Edge ever drawn heat by HIMSELF?

Cashing in on John Cena, and cashing in on Undertaker. He's the ultimate opportunist, that's what his character would be expected to do and fans of the faces got upset.... thus, he's gotten heel heat on his own because neither Lita nor Vickie were involved.

What got him over as a top heel was not himself. He got heat cause of Lita and Matt plain and simple. Lita was far more hated than Edge was.

That may be true, but he remained over afterwards. If he wasn't as good as people say he is then his heat would have died down as quickly as Matt's pops.

Then after Lita left what did Edge do? O ya become on screen lovers with Eddie Guerrero's widow.

Lita left in fall of 2006. Edge feuded with Cena and DX until he won the MITB and cashed it in on Taker in may of 2007, then he remained champion until he got injured by Kane in July of 2007, he came back in December of 2007 and THAT's when the Vickie stuff began. Maybe you forgot about all the stuff he did between September 2006 and January 2008.

ANYBODY could had been in Edge's place during that time and got heat. Vickie's face alone drew heat. She's nowhere near the heat magnet now but when her and Edge first became a on screen couple she was one of the most hated on screen characters in wrestling history.

Vickie didn't get much heel heat until she was helping Edge defeat Taker during the summer of 2008, that was she REALLY started getting heel heat.... and from helping Edge. At THAT point it could have been anyone, but Edge helped her get there.

So the point is SD is not missing Edge the way his die hard fans believe. Jericho is more talented in every way than Edge and its not even close. Batista is the bigger star than Edge and its not even argueable. Punk is 50x more fresh than Edge was when he got hurt.

Jericho is better, I'll give you that. Batista is not a bigger star though. Batista was injured and out for a long time, when he came back right after Wrestlemania this year not that many people cared. When Edge returns the fans will be extremely excited. Heel Punk is fresh, yes.... but Face Edge will be fresh too if he turns.

Jeff was fresh and the fans went crazy for him. He could have great feuds with anybody cause he was small enough to put on great matches with Punk and taking a loss would be believable but he also meshed well with bigger guys like HHH and Taker which is something most guys with his ring style and size can't do.

Edge puts on great matches and great feuds too though, and they are more memorable than Hardy's. The fans only went crazy for Hardy's win because he lost to Triple H so much and finally got to be world champion. As for Hardy meshing well with HHH and Taker.... have you forgotten the great feuds and matches that Edge had with both of them in 2008? Far more memorable than anything Hardy ever did.

Plus Jeff was a bigger draw, has a bigger fanbase and sold more merch than Edge. I bet he made WWE more money over the course of last summer up until he left this year than Edge has made WWE over his entire career.

Jeff was only built up the way he was so that WWE could still make money off of him when he left. Edge is superior to Hardy in every single way. Edge is better in the ring, MUCH better on the mic, better gimmick, better entrance music, and he can play both face or heel. Edge is a bigger draw and more needed on Smackdown than Jeff because of that.

I'm willing to debate this further if you still disagree.