Jeff Hardy annoucned on Twitter earlier this week that he was scheduled to make his return at this weeks Impact Wrestling tapings, which are being filmed in Huntsville, Alabama. Hardy, a former World Champion in both WWE and TNA, has been out of action since March due to health concerns.
And by health concerns, I mean the dude has a fucking drug problem.
To be more specific, Jeff Hardy hasn't been seen since March's Victory Road Pay Per View, which he was tapped to be in the main event with the Icon Sting. However as he approached the ring, Hardy looked to be noticibly intoxicated, going as far as almost slipping off of the ring. Not wanting to put Sting in harms way, TNA managment decided to call an audible and had Sting finish the match as quick as possible.
TNA wasted no time in sending Hardy home and severing the story line in which he was the primary focus.
Edit Note: The storyline had Hulk Hogan and business partner Eric Bischoff complete a hostile take over of the TNA company, forcing (real life president) Dixie Carter out. They Aligned themselves with Jeff hardy at Bound For Glory (revealing themselves as the "They" I wrote about a year ago), and titling their faction as 'Immortal'.
Hogan and Bischoff opened the first episode of Impact after Victory Road by burying Jeff Hardy, and in one simple act- throwing his custom world championship in the garbage- Jeff Hardy's status within TNA was both creatively and actually in question.
Had Jeff Hardy wrestled his last match in a National promotion? His drug problems have long been publicized (to date, Hardy is still under trial for trafficing charges steming from a September 2009 raid of his North Carolina residence.) and his bridge at the WWE has seemingly been torched ( in 2009 he declined to resign with the WWE, siting that he needed time off. Four months later, he signed with TNA).
For months Hardy has been out of sight. Only reports of his trial being postponed and the ever occasional confusing tweet on his personal twitter account would be the evidence his fan base needed to know that the Charismatic Enigma was still above ground.
According to interviews with both Kurt Angle and his Victory Road opponent, Sting, Hardy had used the time off productively and was working on getting healthy.
A leaked rumor on multiple wrestling websites had Jeff, returning near Bound For Glory to team with his brother Matt Hardy ( who had at that time, just been suspended for showing up late to shows). Those plans have seemingly been scrapped, as brother Matt was fired from the company this week following a car wreck, and possible DUI charges.
So where does that leave the 2 time TNA champion? With his Impact return happening in either of the next two weeks all we can do is speculate, and speculate we will.
First things first, Jeff Hardy should not come back as a heel. The days of the 'Anti Christ of Pro Wrestling' need to be over. Atleast for the time being. Jeff Hardy's heel heat came from his on screen betrayal of the fans and him joining up with Hogan and Bischoff who were taking over the company. Hogan and Bischoff buried him on screen- his ties with them are over.
If I were booking TNA ( Lord knows I should be), I would have Jeff Hardy return as a sympathetic figure. Hardy's initial return should be staged around an apology. He's not involved in a story right now, and this close to No Surrender ( which is focusing on the BFG series matches) there isn't much sense in putting him in one. Pull a page out of the current WWE strategy, and have Hardy come out with no make up, no ring gear, just looking like normal, every day Jeff Hardy. Make it feel like TNA is pulling back the current. Make it feel like a shoot.
Hogan and Bischoff already planted the seeds for this type of return by mentioning that he has 'demons' on air, and those 'demons' were what caused the fall of Jeff Hardy to take place. I wouldn't go as far to have him say " I do drugs" or anything, but I absolutely would have him cryptically referenced poor decision making. I would have him say something with lines like, "I'm rehabing my life" "I allowed myself to be corrupted" and "I've hurt alot of people." By being cryptic, you can work a story around the idea that his problems started when he joined Immortal. He needs to finish his inital diatribe by saying he is sorry, apologizing to his fans and all the 'boys in the back'.
One of two things can happen now: A face can come out and say that he isn't welcome, or Immortal can.
Before Hardcore Justice, I would've wanted Angle to do it. Angle could've come out and say something like " I put my legacy in jepordy by leaving the WWE and coming to help establish this company. You nearly screwed up my five years of work. You want to come back, you need to prove it to me that you are ready." And then challenge him to a match at either Bound For Glory. Angle and Jeff Hardy had one of my favorite matches of 2010 at No Surrender last year, I would've absolutely be down for watching a sequal at Bound For Glorry 2011.
Unfortunately, TNA can't make up their mind on characters, so they turned Angle heel and put the title on him and unless something retarded happens in the next month he will be in the main event title match at Bound For Glory.
Filling in for the Face side, I'd have AJ Styles. He has been in TNA since day 1 and his group, Fortune, has been feuding with Immortal all year. AJ, who is arguably the face of TNA, can say roughly the same things that Angle could, " your stunt could've brought down this company. You want to come back, you need to prove it to me." This makes Styles the obvious choice for calling Hardy out on his integrity. Jeff Hardy vs AJ Styles has happened before, but not backed with the heat of a story. You build a story around Hardy looking for redemption while AJ Styles is looking to protect the company he helped build. Put that at Bound For Glory. Shoot, you can even make it a Ladder Match for Hardy's contract. Hardy would win the contract, as well as his fans back when he gives a Swanton Bomb from the top of the ladder.
After winning at Bound For Glory, AJ Styles comes out and says that Hardy has earned his respect again. Have Taz and Mike Tenay (Impact's commentators) hype that AJ's approval is like being 'made' in the Mafia. The combonation of AJ's respect following an insane PPV ladder match, you can bet your last dollar the fan's would be back in Hardy's corner. It would be time to begin his story with Immortal.
As he starts to pack up wins, you can put him back in the title picture at the end of next summer leading in to Bound For Glory 2012, and focus on his continuing quest for redemption can only be complete by winning the title. Which he does, completing a 'Rocky' like story of underdog and redemption.
The second option is throw him into an immediate feud with Immortal. That first night, after Hardy apologizes, he gets inturrupted by his former stable. Bischoff and Hogan proceed to publicly dress down Hardy for almost bringing down the Immortal group in it's infancy. They need to use phrases like, "you're too weak," "we picked the wrong guy," and " you aren't welcome here anymore". Hardy responds by claiming that wrestling is his life, and he won't stop untill he's dead. Hogan and Bischoff (who have been talking about 'killing' alot lately) send the troops down to take Hardy out. Which the do- violently. Consider it a pay back for fucking up a ppv mainevent. It ends with everyone hitting their finishers, and Bully Ray putting him through the table.
After Bound For Glory, Hardy returns. But his character has evolved. He is now a cross between Crow-late 90's- Sting and Raven. He shows up randomly, sometimes weeks in between appearences, and distracts members of Immortal-causing them to lose their matches. He stay's silent though. Then they start having backstage segments where Immortals locker room gets tagged with creepy riddles spray painted on the walls.
At the start of the new year, it escaltes to backstage violence. Backstage segments showing members of Immortal unconcious, laying on the ground. Bischoff, Hogan and the remaining members of Immortal finally have had enough of the attacks, so they demand whoever is reponsible to come out and face them.
Jeff Hardy appears on the screen, but still not saying anything. They start yelling at the screen for him to come down and be a man. Finally, after a solid minute of Hardy just looking blankly back at them, he says, "x marks the spot" and a cage lowers to the ring. The members of Immortal slide out of the ring, except Hogan, who is hobbled by a bad back. He is trapped in the cage. Also coming from the rafters, are four men. These four men take Hogan out with kendo sticks and bats. They reveal themselves to be Shane Helms, Shannon Moore, Matt Hardy (if he can get HIS shit together) and lastly, Jeff Hardy.
Bischoff initially refuses to give any of them contracts, but the members of Immortal are embarrassed about being punked like that on national TV. Bischoff then annoucnes that if Hardy and his buddies want to ever wrestle again, they will have to compete in a Lethal Lockdown match at the 'Lockdown' ppv (which takes place in March) against Immortal.
So at Lockdown, Jeff Hardy and Omega take on Immortal.
After much deliberation, I think the first option is my favorite. AJ and Jeff's Ladder match is the stuff wet dreams are made out of. And even if you start with Hardy looking for respect initially, you can still lead it into an Omega vs Immortal at Lockdown. The second one is cool too, though.
Pick your poison TNA. And Jeff, please stay clean.
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