Why TNA Had Jeff Hardy Go Over Bully Ray Last Night

[It's Damn Real!]

As the opening lyrics to Ted DiBiase's theme would say — "Money, money, money, money, moneyyyyyyyyyyy..."

Did ya get that?

No?

I'll try one more time, this time with visual aid:

One thing you all have to understand, or learn, is that at the end of the day, TNA is in the money-making business, not the "pleasing fans" one, because the latter is a money pit, not a money-maker, as fans rarely know what they actually want.

So why Hardy over Ray? Quite simply because Jeff Hardy supersedes TNA. He supersedes wrestling. I wrote about this after the calamity that was Victory Road 2011 when TNA began his redemption angle to bring him back to the forefront and what I said then still stands as far as I'm concerned.

He is a major, major drawing name on a ticket that TNA is going to want to sell to the heavens. Hardy v. Aries at BFG (if it is indeed going to happen as planned) is a sure-fire way to assure yourself as a company promoting the match that people will buy tickets, merchandise, plane tickets, etc. to see Jeff compete for a chance at the World Heavyweight Championship again.

You can say whatever you will about Jeff, about his personality, about his tumultuous history with Pay-Per-View main events, etc, but at the end of the day, he makes TNA a fuck ton of money, and as such any decision TNA makes to continue that trend IS THE RIGHT DECISION.

Bully Ray had a fantastic run and we almost certainly have not heard the last of him, but at the end of the day, Bound For Glory is the biggest show of the year, and the logic of making money always trumps the desire to see one particular wrestler come full circle. This is the same reason James Storm—who lead the BFG series through it's entirety—is also not main eventing the show, and the same goes for Samoa Joe.

Jeff Hardy may not be the best story answer, but he is the money answer, and the money answer is always the RIGHT answer.

 

[SpecialFNK]

it is also a good story. after what happened to Hardy with the Victory Road incident, he has come back and remained clean. it's just a matter of time before he is heavyweight champion again, and I'm betting at Bound For Glory. IMO Austin Aries is just not someone who can maintain a lengthy title run or even main event level on a full time basis.

 

[Tired0FthePeople]

Id find it hard to believe that most people dont understand why TNA had Hardy go over Bully Ray. Its for a shot at AA and the TNA Title at BFG, of course its going to be Hardy Vs Aries. Bully Ray main eventing BFG would be like Mark Henry (back when he was relevant) main eventing WM...its not going to happen. I guess people thought Bully was going to win after Jeff came down injured. The only reason they did that was to give viewers the impression that the outcome of the match wasnt a forgone conclusion. Otherwise everyone would have known instantly that Hardy was going to win. While I get why they did it, I dont know how it does the Bully Ray character any favors by running the angle that he cant even beat a badly injured Hardy, but hey, there was no way Hardy wasnt going to main event BFG. He's their biggest draw and everyone knows that.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

it is also a good story. after what happened to Hardy with the Victory Road incident, he has come back and remained clean. it's just a matter of time before he is heavyweight champion again, and I'm betting at Bound For Glory. IMO Austin Aries is just not someone who can maintain a lengthy title run or even main event level on a full time basis.

Absolutely on both accounts, though in Aries' case, I actually think his status in TNA will continue to grow as he gets more and more runs with the title. His first is not going to be enough to really get him over. The same goes for James Storm and Robert Roode. Roode has a head start due to how long he held it, but regardless, they're going to need multiple runs to truly solidify their "legacies" in the company just like Angle, Sting, etc. did.

 

[IHW]

Hardy winning actually cam out of nowhere. I didn't see it coming. It never crossed my mind.

Of course, everyone expected James Storm to win the BFG Series, but when he lost his first match of the night to Bully Ray, I was almost sure I was looking at the new Number One Contender for Aries. I did expect Hardy to go over Samoa Joe. I wanted to see Hardy vs. Storm. I got Bully Ray vs. Hardy. I was still happy, but expected the near two year long build up of Bully Ray was finally going to pay off. Then Jeff won. I am still pleased, because I know what this means for the future. Looking back, this all seems like a great way to build toward BFG.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It will get a pay-off, but also remember that Bully has literally just signed his contract... For most of BFG he has to an extent "held TNA up" so for now he gets the final and a win over the man most expected to win as his reward. The title etc may come later for him but had they gone right off the bat with it it would have been a clear signal to all the veterans whose contracts will be up to just threaten to go to WWE and you get your way.

TNA have clearly made a commitment to Bully, but not at the expense of logic and the rest of the roster.

 

[ABMorales787]

It's outrageous to think Hardy can't live up to the win. This is the man that no matter how irrelevant he is, he always gets a loud pop. Every single house show report his the same line over and over again. "Loudest pop: Jeff Hardy" You see everyone wearing his pantyhose arm things, his face paint and now you see people with painted eyes. You always read how Hardy is the top merch seller (behind Don West, of course) and so on. 2 years ago, this man hit rock bottom. One year ago, fan welcomed him back with open arms. This year, he got his prize for his hard work. Bully Ray will get his dues. The man just signed a new contract and he's another guy who turned his career around in the same time-span. But you already have your major story in the form of Roode/Storm. Why not go for the money match in Aries/Hardy?

 

[D-Man]

I have to agree with IDR on this one.

I'm probably with many others when I say that I wished Bully Ray won last night. The guy has really skyrocketed since becoming a singles star. I have an entirely new amount of respect for Bully Ray. Here is a guy who did it all as a tag team competitor and is well over the age of your average main eventer, these days. Instead of sitting back and collecting his paycheck, the guy motivated himself to the point where he lost a ton of weight, got in shape, created a believable and money-making character, gained the fans' respect, and catapulted to main event status... all of this after a failed singles attempt in the WWE. The guy learned from his mistakes. He fell down, dusted himself off, got back up and succeeded.

With all of that being said, (and since I can sing Bully Ray's praises forever,) you have to look at things from a business standpoint. One thing that TNA has suffered from too many times in the past is succumbing to their internet, smarky, dirt sheet fans instead of the ones who make money for the company. Choosing Jeff to go over shows that TNA is maturing as a company and realizing that, although this business is about entertainment, it's also about financial gain. Jeff Hardy, regardless of his past transgressions, will ALWAYS BE A DRAW. Putting him in the main event of TNA's flagship show is smart business. Bully Ray will have his time and is obviously going nowhere. Jeff Hardy is their key to the largest PPV draw they can possibly put together.

It's about time they woke up and started thinking this way.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

I really don't think a lot of people are "furious" over Hardy winning. The way I see it, most people wanted to see Bully win, but they respected TNA's decision to have Hardy win the whole thing due to:

1. Hardy's been working his ASS off since he returned. The Jeff Hardy of old is gone. This guy was losing to people he never should at one point, kept having consitently good performances and lighting the crowd on fire as he always does. This time around last year he was begging for fogiveness. It's been a year, Jeff is a new man and it shows in the ring as well.

2. The story TNA told in that ring was great. It was executed perfectly, both men played their parts and you also had a shock factor in there. I did not expect Hardy to win. Not after Bully's promo.

3. It was a pretty decent match for a limited Jeff. The story outshined the wrestling and it satisfied the less jaded fans out there. P

I didn't want Jeff to win, I wanted Ray to win but the fact that he didn't doesn't piss me off and it seems it doesn't piss off everyone else. You cannot possibly call this a stupid decision on TNA's part. It was done right and for the right reasons. Bully going over would've been cooler, true, but we'll still get an awesome match at Bound for Glory.

We really shouldn't let our expectations get the better of us and shit on TNA for a perfectly justified, logical and smart decision.

Still, a part of me senses that Hardy won't be facing Aries at BFG. Aces and Eights are after Aries and his belt. Unless Hardy is WITH Aces and Eights and turns into the Antichrist again, I don't see him fighting Austin. I still think Bully will be revealed as the leader, take Jeff out and force Hogan to book him against Aries so he has an opponent and Aries can avenge whatever he has to avenge.

 

[Theo Mays]

I've had Hardy tabbed as the BFG series since Aries went over Roode in their rematch. It just made the most sense. Bully Ray was the sexy pick, the best heel in the business, but we've seen him and Aries already. Samoa Joe, a darling of TNA fans, but we've seen him and Aries already. Storm, there was no story and we knew him and Roode had unfinished business. I felt the best route would be going Hardy or Angle. The two guys are arguably the biggest names in TNA and made the most sense.

Honestly I'm a-ok with Jeff Hardy winning, he is the guy I actually wanted to see win the most. I'm a sucker for a good comeback/sob story and Jeff Hardy has just this. Killjoy hit the nail on the head. Two years ago he screwed up and over the course of the past year he has made it up and seemingly turned his life around for the better. I look forward to what him and Aries (hopefully) do at BFG. It should be one hell of a match and for the first time I may actually order a TNA PPV.

 

[Reality Era]

Zeven Zion that's a top idea, have hardy become a greater baby face, nothing says baby face like a mass beat down, bully ray wins the title, cuts a great heel promo on impact. Hardy comes out but does nothing due to the ring being surrounded by aces and eights. Then over the coming weeks hogan and Aries and sting invididually take out each member of aces and eights, working as a 3. Then leaving hardy and bully ray, bully ray wins but tna draw out a hardy win over 3 pay per views like wwe did

 

[midgensa]

I must admit I did not understand so many people's confusion on this issue.

It was clear that this was a money issue ... BUT ... it is also a story issue. This is about Hardy's shot at redemption. This is about two wrestler's that should be able to put on a show in the BFG main event ... and this was about the fact that while Austin Aries is a superstar rising, he is not a big enough name to be the top draw in the biggest show.

Jeff Hardy is the only guy who qualifies as a huge name among those that were left in the series. Once Roode fell out of the title picture it was clear that Storm vs. Roode for the title was not going to happen, so Storm falling made sense. While Samoa Joe or Ray would have been solid paired with Aries, could imagine either of these guys main eventing with A-double in the biggest show of the year?

Hardy had to win. He will sell the tickets and the PPVs. It is that simple.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I don't think that anybody is really furious about Hardy winning, it's just that it seemed kind of random. Let's face it, the guy that's gotten all the hype for the BFG Series has been James Storm and I think a lot of people were ultimately hoping for Storm vs. Roode to main event BFG.

TNA has a month to change my mind but, right now, it just doesn't feel like a "big match" in an environment that needs a "big match". At least that's how it looks to me. Hardy is by far and away the biggest merchendise seller in TNA right now and the fact that the man makes money is ultimately what really makes you a star. Hardy is someone that's succeeded almost in spite of his general lack of personality. He has a different look, a freaky sort of emo/goth style appearance and it's worked just fine for him. Hardy's weakness has always been his lack of promo ability.

In the end, I'm sure it'll help BFG draw well among TNA standards and that's what the company is looking for first & foremost. For me personally, I still see Hardy as damaged goods and I just don't think he has what it takes to be a long term main eventer without someone to do his talking for him.

 

[RawIsJericho]

With the belt off Roode, it always seemed pretty obvious to me that we would be getting a Storm vs Roode match at BFG that was not for the belt and thus Storm would not be winning the BFG series. That match at this point doesn't need the belt, it's been building for like a year now.

With Storm out of the equation, Jeff is a logical choice for the points already illustrated. He's the biggest draw in the company, he's the money maker, this is TNA's top PPV, in to the main event he goes. Simple stuff. As great as Bubba has been, and I am a huge fan of what he is doing, main eventing your biggest PPV?

Aries vs Hardy

Aries vs Bully Ray

One of these to me looks clearly more big time than the other. Plus there's still reason to believe that Bully is in the mix with the Aces and Eights angle, but if not, I'm sure he'll still be around being a prick and pushing for a title shot after BFG.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Another thing I've been thinking about is that I don't think TNA was planning on giving Hardy the win for a long time.

If you look at Joe, AJ, Hardy, Storm, Bully and even RVD, all of those guys were booked in such a manner that if ANY of them won it wouldn't be random and completely out of whack.

I suspect that TNA was unsure of who they wanted to go with and the decision was made EVEN prior to this match. That promo from Bully Ray was too damn passionate and prepared for a match he was expecting to lose. Or he's just more gracious that I think and he did it like that to improve the shock value of the finish to which I say ... well fucking done, sir.

 

[DJS92491]

Why did Jeff Hardy win the tournament over names like Joe, Ray, and Storm?

Easy: For the biggest PPV in TNA, they went for the guy who was ready.

Samoa Joe; great wrestler, one of the best, but Aries vs. Joe already happened. Joe would have been a great option, but not the best.

James Storm: TNA tried it's best to give one of their homegrown guys a shot to become a main eventer. Storm has tons of potential. Even enough to catch WWE's eye one day, but he is not ready. In sports entertainment, you can be the greatest technical wrestler in the world, but it is not even close to being the most important element in the ring. It's in-ring psychology, it's inserting his personality into his moveset, and James hasn't fully grasped that yet. For the biggest PPV in TNA, he'll have to wait till next year where I hope to Wrestling God that he will be ready. If he's not, then someone in TNA messed up terribly.

Bully Ray: He's close. He's been in this business forever, and he is a great psychologist in the ring. He just isn't there yet. It's obvious that he's much closer to finding himself as a singles competitor than James Storm is. He's a surefire Hall of Famer, but not for his singles career. He does all the right things to get himself booed. It's old school the way he gets heat; whether it be leaving the ring to "gather himself" and get into it with fans, or trash talking to generate more sympathy towards his opponent. My biggest beef with him? He isn't consistent with it throughout the match. I'm not sure why it is. He starts off strong, but then he forgets about the crowd. You have to work the crowd and your opponent. Near the end, Bully seems too focused on the finish. It's a habit that I'm sure he'll be able to work around, and he can most definitely be the top heel in TNA once he works his very few kinks out.

Jeff Hardy: It's amazing to me that he can be so charismatic in the ring, but he falls flat on the mic. The good thing is that the majority doesn't seem to mind. A wrestler's main goal is to tell a story through his actions in the ring and he is still one of the very best. When he came out, he looked like an absolute mess, and thankfully it wasn't due to extracurricular activity. This guy is a sympathy generating machine. I have faults with his performance last night: I didn't like how he was able to walk off in the end as I feel as if someone in so much pain is in danger of passing out and should need all the help he can get to walk to the back, but the faults are few and far between because of how great a storyteller he is. He always has the crowd in the palm of his hand, and that's an ability that very few wrestlers in TNA covet.

Jeff Hardy is definitely one of the biggest money drawers for TNA, but it's for a reason. I expect James Storm to give Jeff a run for his money in TNA's popularity contest once he finds himself, but for now, TNA made the right call in making Jeff Hardy Austin Aries' opponent at Bound For Glory.

 

[New Hot Fed]

Zeven Zion that's a top idea, have hardy become a greater baby face, nothing says baby face like a mass beat down, bully ray wins the title, cuts a great heel promo on impact. Hardy comes out but does nothing due to the ring being surrounded by aces and eights. Then over the coming weeks hogan and Aries and sting invididually take out each member of aces and eights, working as a 3. Then leaving hardy and bully ray, bully ray wins but tna draw out a hardy win over 3 pay per views like wwe did

Brilliantly put. I actually think there's MORE money to be made by having Bully and AcesAnd8s taking out Hardy and Bully entering BFG as contender. So then you can have a hot feud between the two afterwards when Bully is champ and they can switch the title between one another over a period of months. Also I think both have a great chemistry between one another in the ring. Have the attackers take Hardy out. Hogan replaces him by Bully wich falls into Bully's hands. Then at BFG Bully reveal himself to be the leader and win the belt. Hardy would be white hot furious when this happens and he would go after Bully with another underdog story where he has to beat the group to get at Bully.

As far as Hardy's role in BFG, he would have to be there in a magor way. So I would have a match with Sting and TNA wrestlers vs some of AcesAndEights, maybe Sting gets beat-up during the match and he cannot continue and Hardy runs to the ring to help the TNA wrestlers with a huge pop.

 

[Prince Punk]

Ladies and gentlemen boys and girls PEOPLE OF ALL AGES!!! Screw money, screw logic, and look.... LOOK CLOSELY!!!! Ok i'm done with being an ass i'm tired so i'm just going to spill it...

It's not just booking the main event. Look at the possibilites for the Under card of TNA's BIGGEST SHOW OF THE YEAR!

Main event we have Jeff Hardy vs. Austin Aries if hardy wins he has his story book ending if Aries wins he is a main stay in the TNA Main Event

Secondary Main Event James Storm vs. Bobby Rhoode these two have been bouncing off each other for the past year I only skim TNA and I know this now if this match does not have at BFG then there is a MAJOR booking/logic flaw

Aces and eights needs to do SOMETHING be it be a new breed vs originals angel I really don't care some kind of conclusion or enhancement needs to take place. which could involve anyone over the next few weeks

and Bully Ray will have a major match of some sort along with Somoa Joe, and RVD I mean their roster is so thick with established talent right now and they are spreading it all around for their biggest event of the year. Hell I've had a major love hate relationship with this company since they brought in Hogan and right now I want to watch this ppv because of their booking of it XD

 

[braveh]

I'm glad we are all no the same page here actually. I heard Metlzer and Alvarez talk No Surrender and though "geeez everyone is going to turn on TNA and Aries"".

It makes 100% sense. They will get a stacked card for BFG. That was the end game. To sell BGF. Their biggest face against their hottest star, the resolution to the Storm/Roode feud.

And they can do popular wrestlers like Angle and Sting against Aces....and Alvarez has turned on the Aces storyline...I think it has grown every week and right now the Aces angle is at its best so far. Impact is good right, much better than Raw.

 

[Warrior]

You are absolutely right. Austin Aries vs. Jeff Hardy is a much bigger draw than Aries vs. Storm or Aries vs. Bully Ray. Hardy is a bigger draw then all of the alternatives put together.

Put let me say this, Aries vs. Hardy is a better match as well. We have seen Aries versus Ray before and granted it was a good match,it was not a main event. Aries vs. Storm would be a great match, but it just doesn't match up. The style of wrestling between the two will be truly great to see. Could you imagine a ladder match? This match would be far better than the other options. So yes it is a huge money draw, but it was the best choice in most areas.

 

[New Hot Fed]

You are absolutely right. Austin Aries vs. Jeff Hardy is a much bigger draw than Aries vs. Storm or Aries vs. Bully Ray. Hardy is a bigger draw then all of the alternatives put together.

Put let me say this, Aries vs. Hardy is a better match as well. We have seen Aries versus Ray before and granted it was a good match,it was not a main event. Aries vs. Storm would be a great match, but it just doesn't match up. The style of wrestling between the two will be truly great to see. Could you imagine a ladder match? This match would be far better than the other options. So yes it is a huge money draw, but it was the best choice in most areas.

Depends what you mean about biggest draw. Has there been any numbers released of when Hardy was in the main event at any PPV? It's one thing to hear to cheers of the crowd but TNA has proven that angles where there is a long build up means more money in the end. Lockdown and Slammiversary had the biggest buyrates this year and because it was Storm-Roode, Roode-Sting feuds that had been build up like crazy. If TNA had put all his eggs into Storm vs Roode for BFG I think it would have been bigger than Hardy vs Aries. There's no emotion in Hardy vs Aries, it's almost a novelty act, a special attraction. It should not be for the title, it's not the most important event of the year.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I don't like this implication that good business and pleasing the fans are mutually exclusive. You wouldn't get Dixie cutting checks for Ron, the fifty-year-old alcoholic homeless man who lives in a box, to sit in the ring and roll around in his own shit and vomit for a few hours every Thursday. It wouldn't make money because it's not what the fans want. Wrestling fans (well, people) are fickle fuckers, it's not always best to play up to expectations, and good storytelling won't always sell the most tickets, but if wrestling companies don't make money from wrestling fans, who do they make it from? Oil refineries might not need to keep people happy, wrestling companies who depend on merchandise sales and pay-per-view buyrates might want to take it under advisement.

I think most fans will actually be pleased with the decision - hence why it will sell more tickets. Jeff Hardy is popular with fans; fans who buy tickets to see Jeff Hardy; fans who buy Jeff Hardy t-shirts; fans who give money to TNA. He's not a wizard who vomits money for every main event he's put in - he's a very over wrestler who draws fans, and their wallets, in.

Furthermore, when your tastes and the tastes of the majority don't align, I don't necessarily think it's best to go, "Welp - it'll make money, I better shut up and bow down." Hershey's chocolate tastes like crap, Harry Potter isn't all that and a bag of chips and the Transformers movies are just plain gash. That something makes money doesn't make it immune to criticism. Otherwise, well, what's the point of criticism? Just put up the buyrates and that'll decide which matches are five stars and which aren't.

As for this particular case, I'm not particularly bothered. Bully Ray gave the promo of a lifetime, he's in my good books and it would have been a neat, compelling tale. That said, Jeff Hardy is a good wrestler, Austin Aries is a good wrestler, they're probably going to put on a very good match, at the end of which Jeff Hardy will be the world heavyweight champion. It's hardly the end of the world. If it is, I'll keep myself warm at night in the post-apocalyptic wasteland with the thoughts of how much money somebody else made from it.