Opinion

Mishal: Saving Jeff Hardy

How do you save Jeff Hardy? Mishal has the simple, one-step solution.

Published

4 years ago

July 23, 2020

Mishal Shuhaiber

How do you save Jeff Hardy? Mishal has the simple, one-step solution.

Being a babyface in the modern era of professional wrestling is no easy task, to any performer across any company around the world.

Over the last decade or so the landscape of the business has changed in ways many never saw coming. The very nature of storytelling in professional wrestling isn’t what it once was in the 80s or 90s, it’s evolved in ways that make it both intriguing but obviously a challenge when presenting to a generation that you could say is more critical, vocal & potentially a lot more intelligent all due to the presence of the internet & the online wrestling community many of us argue within on a day-to-day basis.

To be a babyface in the current landscape doesn’t seem to be the ‘cool’ thing to do anymore, especially if you pay attention to the millions of fans who consistently turn their backs on most major babyfaces handed to them, especially within the world of WWE. In the past, the likes of John Cena, Seth Rollins, The Rock, Roman Reigns, Batista & dozens of others have faced the wrath that fans can bring on the modern-day babyface in professional wrestling. Granted none of the flack they received was simply due to being the ‘good guy’, it’s a complicated blend of booking, the state of the fanbase & how storylines are playing out at that specific moment in time. All these men were examples of the traditional, hardworking, flawless, happy-go-lucky babyface no longer being the most digestible option for a fanbase that’s greatly evolved.

But through all these years of change, one character has withstood the test of time, that being Jeff Hardy.

Jeff Hardy is an oddity to me. His character is one that seemingly never ages over time, one that drifts perfectly between every generation of fans & one of the very, very rare cases in this industry where (in my opinion) a character doesn’t actually need to change drastically in order to remain relevant. That isn’t to say Hardy hasn’t attempted to change his gimmick in the past, because there have been changes, some of which have worked, and one in particular that we’ll touch on in a few seconds.

His WWE gimmick has remained more or less consistent, portrayed as the defiant, daredevil underdog that somehow always overcomes the odds regardless of the obstacle in front of him. His battles with the likes of Triple H, The Undertaker, Edge, CM Punk & Randy Orton were proof of that ‘never say die’ attitude that’s made him so popular over the years. The Jeff Hardy character was never one to talk or hold a crowd by the words coming out of his mouth, he does his talking through fighting & risking everything he has to entertain his fanbase. And that’s where Hardy’s appeal has always lied, in the sacrifice he gives for our entertainment, despite the hiccups that have occurred outside the ring.

That is where my fundamental problem with the Jeff Hardy character comes in, or at least how he’s been handled over the last number of months, that being the constant need to drag the man’s personal life into a storyline. In the past, WWE has used this trope, and like almost any other idea they touch, is met with a host of mixed results from fan & critics alike. They constantly rewind to Hardy’s troubled past with drugs, alcohol, substance abuse & battles with depression or family struggles, and while within moderation these angles can add to the reliability a character has with an audience, at times the way the company handles these genuine, real-world issues can come across as offensive in their writing.

Many other stars such as Shawn Michaels, Daniel Bryan, Edge, Randy Orton or even Jeff’s own brother Matt have used their real lives to craft together a plethora of interesting storylines, develop their characters further & manage to give the audience more than just be the standard over-the-top character professional wrestlers are stereotyped for. Beyond anything, these men became more human when opening up to the fanbase, resulting in a connection that will always be quite special, whether heel or babyface.

Where the difference lies in how WWE treats their other talents as opposed to Jeff Hardy, which raises some major concerns.

Jeff’s life has been a central theme in his rivalries against Randy Orton, Edge, Triple H, CM Punk, Jeff Jarrett (during his infamous TNA days) & as anyone keeping up with the current product has witnessed, Sheamus of all people. Of the previous names, arguably the best example of using Hardy’s past to build on a story is during his battles against CM Punk, which remain criminally underrated. The battles they waged over both the Spring & Summer of 2009 weren’t just fantastic storytelling & advanced both their characters forward in incredible directions prior to Hardy’s sendoff from the company, but remain an excellent example of how to make stories personal without crossing boundaries. Everything they engaged with worked for one simple reason, it fit into the characters of both Hardy & Punk. Punk’s character at the time was morphing into the ‘Straightedge saviour’ he would later identify himself with, justifying his abuse of Hardy over his past altercations with people as a result of alcohol & drug abuse, but also solidified him as the heel he so masterfully played. On the other hand, it only aided the fans in wanting Hardy to bounce back from his past & beat Punk for the World Heavyweight Title at the time, helping him as the babyface that never gives up.

Compare this to the current storyline with Sheamus, which presents similar themes only with one gigantic difference, the lack of subtlety behind anything. Rather than be a refreshing storyline on his past demons haunting him on his journey back to the top of the mountain or to attain a goal, his feud with Sheamus feels like a parody of ones that have come before. There’s an over reliance on comedy, sketches, reenacted personal problems (the controversial car accident & drug test angles as examples) & on-the-nose dialogue that bogs it all down from being something truly personal. All of it is mauled by the writing team clearly trying too hard or not understanding that sometimes the flamboyant & ridiculous nature of professional wrestling isn’t always what a feud needs to thrive. Sometimes it’s just about the conflict, as Punk demonstrated years prior. On top of the bad presentation, it just doesn’t fit the character of Sheamus himself, who plays the role of the brutish heel far better than a martyr of sorts trying to bring someone ‘out of the dark’, the storyline from the get-go tries to tackle too much ground when one of the rivals involved just isn’t suited to accomplish what it sets out to do.

Nothing in this article is to suggest that WWE shouldn’t delve into using personal issues per se, but rather think them through before shoving it into a rivalry that probably doesn’t need a personal conflict to even be decent. On its own, this feud could have been a perfect rivalry based on bitterness, not alcoholism or battling your past demons which are presented in the most ridiculous manner possible that just don’t reflect how serious the subject matter is.

My big gripe with the storyline is that it’s wasting arguably the best pure babyface in WWE at the moment, by relegating him to a story that clearly just exists to be a form of shock factor to WWE’s new audience over on FOX. It’s clear the deal the company has going on with FOX is lucrative, and definitely raking in substantial amounts of money to their already sizeable profits, but this is one of those times a storyline is so disconnected from what the fanbase wants & thinks. So little about it rings like it’s genuinely written to appeal to fans, instead feeling like an attempt to drag in casual viewers through ‘controversy’.

Obviously a star like Hardy needs a solid, gripping storyline to engage with & so would fans, but all of their work as of late misses the key appeal he’s always had as a character. He’s never been one to talk extensively on the mic or work well with comedic segments, which is so frustrating to witness as a fan of not just the product but Hardy himself since I was a young fan seeing him redefine the business as we know it. The same goes for Sheamus, who’s ‘no holds barred’ persona has been abandoned for a gimmick similar to CM Punk, something that sadly doesn’t work due to his far weaker skills on a microphone.

The key to saving Jeff Hardy is simple, embrace who he is.

Jeff Hardy is all about the art he displays in between the ropes of the squared circle, the risks, the dives, the unique presentation & damage he puts his body through. With age, the latter has reduced but still remains a central part of who he is, both as a person & character, a concept so simple to utilize in the current wrestling landscape where this kind of action is appealed to all over the place, especially with the likes of AEW on the rise. Opponents such as AJ Styles, Bray Wyatt, Daniel Bryan, Matt Riddle, Drew Gulak, heck even Sheamus himself are all viable selections to run programs with when handed the right material, but their current ploy is just a major misfire for me personally. Completely failing to be what it wants to & instead feels like a parody of better angles that have come before in spades.

Rumours have swirled lately of a Jeff Hardy release sometime in the future due to (apparent) forgoing contract negotiations, and while I’d imagine WWE throw the biggest deal imaginable at one of their most beloved stars, it’s hard to imagine this storyline playing well into a potential decision he may have to make at some stage. It seems more disrespectful to the man rather than a fitting tribute to all the battles he’s waged to become the icon he is at this point in time, something no fan wants to feel when watching someone we’ve grown to love since the mid-90s. At a time of so much uncertainty should we play into the rumour wheel, the man deserves better than what he’s playing with right now.

This is more of a letter to WWE than Hardy himself since the decisions generally come from the top. But with the state of the company’s ratings & fan approval over their handling of this feud, it’s hard to imagine a change shouldn’t be contemplated in some manner or another. What happens this coming Sunday at Extreme Rules will give us a clearer picture of where we go from here, but as of this writing, Jeff Hardy deserves & is worth so much better than what he’s doing for us right now. Regardless of his status, a legend deserves to be treated like one.

About Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Up Next

DeMarco: Can The Former Zack Ryder Do It On His Own?

Don't Miss

Cook’s Top 5: Annoying Wrestling Phrases (At The Moment)

Opinion

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS: WWE Bash In Berlin Immediate Reactions

Join DJ and Tunney for their immediate reactions to WWE Bash in Berlin. For the latest, greatest and up to datest, ALWAYS #UseYourHead and visit THECHAIRSHOT.COM

Published

2 months ago

August 31, 2024

PC Tunney

Join DJ and Tunney for their immediate reactions to WWE Bash in Berlin. For the latest, greatest and up to datest, ALWAYS #UseYourHead and visit THECHAIRSHOT.COM

@TheMindlessPod @PCTunney @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – TONS of Great designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY – Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY – Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY – The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY – Keeping the news ridiculous… The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY – DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY – The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY – The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE’s PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS…IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O’Dowd’s 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network
Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts… Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

Listen on your favorite platform!

iTunes | iHeart Radio | Google Play | Spotify
Listen, like, subscribe, and share!

About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

AJ’s Top 3 Favorite SummerSlams

AJ is back with his annual opinion article, and this time the SummerSlam buzz got him wondering about his personal Top 3.

Published

3 months ago

August 2, 2024

Adam Balaz

It’s been a while since I have done any form of writing and SummerSlam is this Saturday. Of all the SummerSlams I’ve seen over the years; which ones are my favorites? While it’s not a revolutionary idea, I figured everyone loves to debate favorites of well, anything. Don’t worry though because this isn’t just going to be pure recency bias. I’ve watched the majority of them so with the ones I put on the list, it hit me more in some way shape or form whether it was story, a really good match or it just felt like a solid event.

At least this proves WWE is trending in a good direction for me, when it gets the ol’ brain juices flowing just because a show is around the corner!

#3: 2022 (Ol’ Brock Lesnar Has A Farm)

Starting off the show, we get Bianca looking for a rematch against Becky from last years SummerSlam and it was better than the 21 second affair that everyone claims was a squash. This time Bianca holds her own and beats the Man in a fairly decent match, good way to get the event started. Next up is the heat seeking missile, Logan Paul against the former heat seeking missile because, well he wasn’t cut out for it and wasn’t a guy in everyone’s eyes, The Miz. After they had their blow off at Mania with Logan coming out on top which… isn’t awful, I just don’t like Logan Paul because he has that dude bro aura and swagger to make him more hateable than any other person on the card. Which I suppose is his gimmick…so…kudos?

First Championship match is for the US Championship and it’s as expected that in Theory, he should never beat someone to the caliber of Bobby Lashley which is no surprise. Dominik and Rey still back when Dom wanted the good fight against the Judgement Day before joining them later. The former Colts players, which they hammered it dahn in this match up showed that the canal swimming, trash talkin’, podcastin’, current RAW Color Commentatin’ goofball we all love, Pat McAfee came out on top again Bum Ass Corbin.

Usos putting the Street Profits on lockdown in the penitentiary since I believe this was peak Bloodline with the belt collecting and running all of WWE. Liv beat Ronda Rousey which isn’t astonishing but it’s not something people had on their bingo cards for anything with WWE so it was a nice little shock factor. The most memorable part of the night is obviously the Main Event, Lesnar brings the tractor, Roman catching the Microphone and Brock stands on top of the vehicle. Damn good match that showed off what they do in the ring since Roman caught his stride as the main bad guy and Brock… liked people after all of this? That is still a weird statement in my head. Brock being a good guy people person. If Liv wasn’t on bingo cards for wrestling, that is not on bingo cards in any aspect of life really.

That is more of the event that had solid matches and story going for it. No weird double count out, multiple people involved, 5 tag matches on the card. Things made sense and weren’t convoluted, had shocking moments that were great to see like Liv actually getting a title defense and there were the results we all expected at the time like Theory losing in 4 minutes to Bobby Lashley.

#2: 2009 (Are You Ready for The Return?)

This event wasn’t that strong. It was strong with the star power involved in 2009 with guys like Rey Mysterio as Intercontinental Champion, Orton and Cena for the WWE Championship as it was becoming as stale as month old chips and CM Punk was facing Jeff Hardy before he ultimately returned to TNA at the beginning of 2010 after this PPV. For me, it’s not so much of the show itself, it was more of the memories because the Balai as our friends Chris Platt and Rey Cash like to call my brother and I, we were just coming back into wrestling and we were TNA Fans. We didn’t watch WWE that much really, it was just what came on after another channel had old ROH shows before they moved to three hours and swallowed the 8pm Eastern Slot. No, the reason why this has so many memories for me is three main reasons. First, Orton and Cena. They have had their rivalry since the beginning it seems, being each others foils like Hogan and Piper before them and there had to be a stipulation where if Randy was Counted Out or DQ’d, he’d lose the championship regardless. This was prime Viper Randy and the obvious joke we had of Super Cena where he very rarely lost, unless it was SummerSlam surprisingly enough.

Number two reason was CM Punk and Jeff Hardy. Hardys known for the Ladder and TLC matches in the past and this being the penultimate match for this feud and it was a banger of a match. If you didn’t know Punk before, it was a great introduction to his wrestling. I used to like Punk a lot because of this match because he could talk, wrestle… and not insanely personal with things in wrestling. In all seriousness, this was a great match. Ultimate risks, high reward for Punk grabbing the World Heavyweight Championship and he was given his next feud because of the final boss of SmackDown at that time. Thanks, Teddy Long.

The main and final reason though why this match gave me the memories flowing back is more of the fact that one of my closest and longest termed friends of 23 years, also loves wrestling. Back when we were younger, he’d do MoCap videos on YouTube with his figures. We’d have friends come over for parties at his house and we’d do the one thing WWE always told us not to do and that was try it at home. He was always stronger than me, I was always more charismatic. He had the power aspect and did things with brute force, I could talk my way out of trouble with parents if we did something wrong. There was always one thing that our respective mother’s always called us though… it’s on the tip of my tongue… oh right, ‘Degenerates’.

As soon as we were called that, we kind of parodied the DX line. I was limber enough to do the HBK pose and do a Superkick before it became the new DDT and he would just Spinebuster people and knew how to do the water spit. So what do you think was the main reason we even ordered this PPV for his 13th Birthday? I think the two guys we were pretending to be were set to return on a tank and toss out some glow sticks. The return of DX, Shawn Michaels coming back after Mania with Triple H to deal with the Legacy problem was an amazing return for them and made everything so much fun.

So we have the solid card and this one has a personal story… what’s my number one SummerSlam? Is it personal? Well yes but not going into that. Is it a good card? To me, it was a phenomenal card! Is it memorable? Seeing how wrestling fans still mention at least three matches to this day.

#1: 2005 (Octopus in the Washer, Lover’s Quarrel and Where the F%#$ is Vickie?)

Quite possibly some of the best matches I’ve seen and one that was just the most hilarious moments of overselling in wrestling history, I know why I love this SummerSlam but it’s also a really good card at the same time. Redacted beats Orlando Jordan in 25 seconds for the US Title and they made jokes about it like, he can make a coffee faster than he beat Orlando and stuff like that, it’s pretty funny. Angle getting sick of Eugene’s antics for his Gold Medal was also a great bit they had play up, the Year long feud of Randy Orton and Undertaker was still going on where Orton comes out on top this time around to get the win back from Mania, Jericho returning for the match with Cena in a whole promotional thing for each other’s groups, Fozzy for Jericho and the Chain Gang doing Bad, Bad Man for Cena leading up to a match for the WWE Championship. JBL won a 20 man battle royal on SmackDown to win the Championship…… Opportunity to face the newest member of SmackDown, Batista but the three main matches that a lot of people talk about to this day; Edge vs Matt Hardy, Rey vs Eddie for Dominik and Hogan vs HBK in the Main Event.

I have reasons to enjoy the Hardy/Edge match but it looked like a real fight, it really made us believe that Matt Hardy was going to kill Edge because real names were dropped during this tirade from Hardy. It wasn’t Edge and Lita, it was Adam and Amy. Matt was so dead set on beating the hell out of Edge that they made a situation into gold and it was a great moment for this match to happen, I believe it was also an Unsanctioned Match too which added the intensity until matt got concussed and knocked senseless that it looked like he couldn’t fight for anything but the build up was what made it seem like a marque match. It made it feel real, it made it feel awesome and it made it feel personal.

Eddie kept tormenting Rey Mysterio about Dominik not being Rey’s but Eddie’s for the summer. That’s all you heard from Eddie being the weasel he was is hanging out with Dominik, making the world believe it’s his son and what not (Let’s not do a fast forward to today where he has the mullet, mustache and everything like Eddie) but they settle this in a Ladder Match where the top of it is a document for the custody of Dominik and my god, this match is better than it should have been. I expect nothing else from Eddie because the man hated having a bad match, Dom got involved and stopped Eddie, Vickie was late and stopped Eddie. The whole match was good it was just very weird with the premise but was a great match. I wonder if Rey regrets his decision to win the match now…

Octopus in a Washing Machine… those five words have resonated with Shawn Michaels’ performance in this match, forever. It was supposed to be an amazing match up between Hogan and Michaels, Icon vs Icon it said and suddenly Hogan’s back gives out, can’t do a trilogy of matches so we can only do the one and then pull out of everything after. This match was set up to be a classic and instead turned into the most unbelievable sell fest ever. A Hogan big boot caused Shawn to tumble 3 or 4 times, getting crotched on the ropes had HBK bouncing higher than he should have, being tossed out of the ring made it look like Shawn never broke his back in 1998 from how much he flopped and flipped around like crazy. It’s bad… or maybe even good that a lot of current wrestlers watched this match that went, “I can sell like that, I want to be a wrestler” and did. So good or bad, I don’t know but for some reason this PPV has always had a place in my heart for how memorable it was.

Those are my top three SummerSlams so far but who knows, 2024 has potential to maybe bump something or at least get me to consider a shift. Should be fun to see how the show plays out! What are some of your favorite SummerSlams?