Would It Benefit Jeff Hardy To Change His Ring Style?

[Alex]

Now we all know that Jeff Hardy is seen as a daredevil, doing insane spots that few others would take (jumping from 20ft ladders, scaffolding etc) but would it benefit him to change his ring style so its not so daredevilish??

I always felt one (note one) of the possible reasons he's had substance problems is because of all the insane bumps he's done over the years and not having enough time to fully heal.

I'm not saying we shouldn't see him do a swanton bomb anymore, but say keep it for a fued ender for example so it seems more special.

This could also allow him to develop a more mat based ring style to allow him to use more ground based moves (heck people complain he's only a spot monkey and this would allow him to show he can do other things)

So I think changing his ring style would benefit his character, both in and out of the ring. What do you think??

 

[JBSMan]

Hopefully we'll never have to see him in a ring again, so the change of style becomes a moot point. That's certainly one way his health could benefit, as it cuts out bumps altogether!

 

[GameOver]

OIfcourse it would, taking a safer option would always benefit you physically, but would it have affected his ability to keep people interested, that's for him to decide is it not? and a daredevil style alone isn't gonna be a source of substance abuse.
Xpac was a substance abuser and he was never really a daredevil.

Its the business grind coupled with a persons ability to deal with the reality and physicality of what they are doing, put those together and the chances of doing stupid things increases.

I agree though, there's was no need for him to constantly be doing that style, it was good to build him up as a showpiece when he was still a tag guy and going for initial singles gold but he shoulda moved to a safer style along time ago. And yes i do think Jeff is nothing but a spot monkey so for me it would change my opinion in ring atleast, on the mic though i still don't see what others see and he hasn't been in "ring" shape since he got dumped after his first WWE title run, and then they gave him a second chance and it's gone downhill ever since.

to use as example, HBK started off as a daredevil and still did it but for the most part he was more of an alrounder with a few big spots in each match, and it worked but even then he still suffered alot of injuries.

 

[Whatsinaname696]

Well first you're assuming Jeff isn't a spot monkey, sometimes thas all a wrestler can do, not saying he nec. can't but it would be a HARD transition I think, and on top of that even if he could, fans may not buy it or like, but more than his ring style, needs to change his life style, I like to drink... a lot... but there's a time and place... work isn't it Especially when your work can put others in harms very real way, and yeah the bumps mighta been why he initally got hooked on some things, but hey this is a hard business, ask ANYone in it, and that doesn't give you the right to f them up cuz you got f'd up and then got high, but really he might be able to tone a few spots down, but not much, thas his thing and nothing I've seen from him says he's great at anything else really

 

[Post]

Now we all know that Jeff Hardy is seen as a daredevil, doing insane spots that few others would take (jumping from 20ft ladders, scaffolding etc) but would it benefit him to change his ring style so its not so daredevilish??

I always felt one (note one) of the possible reasons he's had substance problems is because of all the insane bumps he's done over the years and not having enough time to fully heal.

I'm not saying we shouldn't see him do a swanton bomb anymore, but say keep it for a fued ender for example so it seems more special.

This could also allow him to develop a more mat based ring style to allow him to use more ground based moves (heck people complain he's only a spot monkey and this would allow him to show he can do other things)

So I think changing his ring style would benefit his character, both in and out of the ring. What do you think??

It would certainly help his body , but I really don't think he'd be able to pull it off. I'm sure that he could go through the motions of basic in ring moves (arm drags, hip tosses, etc...), but he lacks strength and power. I think that if you take away the daredevil aspect to Jeff Hardy, then he is pretty average in the ring.

It could definitely add something to his character though. Jeff could rebuild his AntiChrist persona by saying that since the fans love the big, dangerous moves, he is no longer going to do them. He will never give the fans what they want. It is guarenteed to get a lot of heat. Mick Foley did this in ECW and the fans damn near rioted. Foley renounced his hardcore ways and threw in a bunch of head and wrist locks, arm bars, go behinds, and other boring shit. Seriously, the hardcore fans HATED him for it.

This could definitely work for the short term (maybe up to a year).

Nice thread Alex!

 

[Alex]

It would certainly help his body , but I really don't think he'd be able to pull it off. I'm sure that he could go through the motions of basic in ring moves (arm drags, hip tosses, etc...), but he lacks strength and power. I think that if you take away the daredevil aspect to Jeff Hardy, then he is pretty average in the ring.

It could definitely add something to his character though. Jeff could rebuild his AntiChrist persona by saying that since the fans love the big, dangerous moves, he is no longer going to do them. He will never give the fans what they want. It is guarenteed to get a lot of heat. Mick Foley did this in ECW and the fans damn near rioted. Foley renounced his hardcore ways and threw in a bunch of head and wrist locks, arm bars, go behinds, and other boring shit. Seriously, the hardcore fans HATED him for it.

This could definitely work for the short term (maybe up to a year).

Nice thread Alex!

I never actually thought of it that could be used in conjunction with a storyline but yeah thats a great idea. It would keep his character fresh while benefiting him physically so its a win on both counts.

 

[ECWDanSelby]

To use it in storyline's a good idea. TNA love the idea of mixing it up a bit, as well.

I would actually argue the point that Hardy has significantly slowed down since his youth days. You check out a late 90's match in comparison to his PPV matches. They're a completely different pace.

Very much in the same vein as RVD. Although he still does alot of what he used to, there's alot more downtime in between and the pace of the match is generally much slower.

Selby

 

[hardcore4life_is-KoOl]

no just no his dare devil has nothing to do with him being on drugs if anything its a exuse (i know many druggys) but if/when he gets clean i hope he gets back in the ring & does the highest damn swanton in years why? becaus its what he does best all he has to do is get clean & go back to his extreme style & his fans will go back.. (i hope hes only addicted to weed & not alcohal alcohals way more dangerous)
PS. i know i misspelt

 

[wushady]

It would definitely be a good idea for him to slow down on his daredevil spots. Many guys even Mick Foley slowed down on doing big bumps, and it added time to his career. Even his opponents in the TLC matches Edge and Christian cut way back on the daredevil spots. In Edge's case those spots took a huge toll and cost him his career in the long run.

I'm just not too sure he could pull it off. He's relied on that style his whole career. That's what the fans expect from him, plus I don't think he's a good enough wrestler. First he would obviously have to get his personal live in order before he even gets in the ring again. I really wouldn't be surprised to never see him back in the ring again.

I also don't think his style has much to do with his drug problems. Edge, Christian and the Dudley Boyz all took some massive bumps over the years. None of them have had serious drug problems that I know of. Mick Foley either and he's probably taken way more bumps over the years then Hardy has.

 

[AntiChristDeicide]

Meh, i don't know. Yes it could help him long-term, but most wrestling fans know that Jeff Hardy was / his a high flyer (not drugs), so i don't think the fans would buy it. And yeah by the way taking bumps is not the only reason he takes drugs, because if it was Edge, Christian and his brother Matt would be as fucked up as Jeff Hardy is.

 

[aboynameddirt]

The ways it could benefit him as a wrestler are obvious, but fan-wise...I'm not too sure.

I feel like a style change that is too drastic at this point in his career could hurt him in the fan aspect. He has built his popularity with a fairly consistent wrestling style that has done well for him through the years, to change it now might be a little silly. It's hard to tell what fans might think of it.

Die hard wrestling fans that aren't crazy about Hardy have already condemned him for his wrestling style. It's fairly obvious to me that they are rather unforgiving. It wouldn't matter if he turned into Kurt Angle, little credit would probably be given. At least not enough to change their minds about him.

From a storyline aspect though, this seems quite interesting. Maybe not a permanent change, but something temporary.

By the way, very cool idea for a thread.

 

[Top Gun]

I don't know how it'd work out but I think it's a good idea and it'd be good to see something different by Jeff. I'd like to see him wrestle a bit similar to Matt Hardy you know. A bit more technical and not focus as much on high flying. (not saying he should stop being high flying). I just think it'd be good to see Jeff wrestle a bit different. Also I think if he had a really good gimmick it'd be a good chance for him to change then.

 

[ABMorales787]

Wasn't he kinda doing this already when he turned heel? He sticked to more grounding moves than just jumping off ladders. Hell, the only time he ever did it as a heel was in a Ladder Match. Nothing before or after. Hardy's style doesn't need change. His heavy reliance on 20 foot ladders is definatly another thing though. He was kicking that to the side rather well as a heel.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Generally speaking, Jeff Hardy's ring style really isn't as dangerous as it's made out to be.

To hear some people talk, you'd think that Hardy's move set consists of one suicide dive, flippy move off the top rope or Swanton Bomb off of a 20 foot ladder after another. It's not like that at all. Generally speaking, you'll usually see only a couple of big spots from Hardy during the course of most matches. Of course that average goes up dramatically for something like a ladder match but, then again, it does for everyone else as well. A spot monkey is someone that relies almost entirely for high spots throughout the match that sacrifices basic necessities such as selling, storytelling and basic in-ring psychology. Jeff Hardy simply doesn't do that.

 

[Rayne]

Every wrestler with any sense of longevity changes their wrestling style as time goes on, and Jeff Hardy hasn't been any exception. Take Edge as the most obvious example. Early in his career, he performed athletic moves like somersault planchas, and as his star cache grew, toned down the aerial portion of his moveset. When you pull off a crazy move once every few months on PPV, it pops the audience a lot more then when you pull off that same move every week on free TV.

Jeff Hardy has been no exception. He's aerial a lot less these days. You still see him dive off of ladders and perform the Swanton, because that's why you go to see Jeff Hardy. Him not performing a Swanton would be like going to see Frank Sinatra and him not playing "New York, New York". It's part of the show.

So, to answer your question, he already has, and will continue to do so, as much as the ever cumulative costs of age and injury allow him.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

It may be a bit like closing the door after the horse has bolted really, as it's been a while since he's been as fluent with the amount of high-risk/flying moves in matches. Kinda depends on his physical shape when/if he returns too. If he's about the same as when he left then yes, a grounded style would be good. If he comes back thinner then it's not gonna be as believable really.

I'd be glad if he limited the amount of times he did the Swanton, maybe just reserve it for 1-on-1 PPV matches like Kurt Angle's moonsault. There have been a few times where he's gone for it and not executed it that well, so if he's going to stick with being more grounded then that takes an element of risk out of the match too insofar as injuring himself or his opponent.

 

[Dagger Dias]

It depends. Jeff Hardy is criticised for only being good at doing insane spots..... However, that is what got him over. He's terrible on the mic and could be awful at other in-ring styles. Even if it would benefit his health and open up a chance to do something new, I don't think changing his ring style would benefit Hardy unless he finds something else that he is really good at because he honestly is only good at one thing and that is the insane spots.

 

[gbswim972]

It wouldn't be Jeff if he changed his style... the Twist of Fate and the Swanton are his finishers, and Whisper in the Wind is a trademark... He was born to fly around that ring.... No what you could do to help him fight against the drug problem is don't have so many High Profile type of matches for him... refrain from the ladder matches and the high spots off of the set.... Keep the matches in the ring and it would help lessen the stress

 

[abbyjhon]

Thanks for info...




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Clamps, Nuts

 

[911 JP]

Why?!? High flying, risk taking wrestling style is what got him over as a performer and because he stuck with it for so long it got him both major WWE Titles. As the old saying goes stick with what brought ya to the dance. And that is what Hardy has done.. Is doing (Was before he went).. and should keep doing, why abandon your unique ways to fit into the cookie cutter of current performers.

And if the high risk high reward style was what encouraged Jeff to relapse back into drugs I seriously see what good it would do to change his style. He gets back in the biz.. that he loves.. then the style, that he has proclaimed love for is taken away..

No?!?!