Last year, TNA Wrestling (now kinda-sorta known as Impact Wrestling), put 
it’s World Championship on Jeff Hardy, despite the fact that he was under investigation for felony drug charges.
I covered that situation in detail here.
Hardy will be returning to TV tonight on SpikeTV, in a segment taped two weeks ago, asking fans for one more chance.
But that chance shouldn’t come any time soon.
Today, those charges that Hardy faced last year led to him pleading guilty – and being sentenced to 10 days in jail, 30 months probation and a $100,000 fine.
I’m not saying Hardy shouldn’t be given another chance.
What I’m saying is, how can an organization to allow him to return BEFORE his court case was settled?
This is a major embarrassment to TNA, as they are going to portray him as a fan favorite looking for redemption just hours after one of the darkest moments of his life.
What lesson does that teach people? It’s OK to do drugs and commit crimes! Come to TNA!
Timing is everything and this is the WORST timing possible.
What could have been a feel-good moment of Hardy returning AFTER his legal matters were settled, humbled after serving jail time, will now become a hollow TV segment – we know that the “one more chance” isn’t coming from the judicial system.
(Mar…
Well, I was never a Jeff Hardy fan even when he was big in the WWE, so I was rolling my eyes at his weak promo last night, not just at the fact that he'll be absent during his "comeback" in the next few weeks due to jail time.
I think it's difficult for TNA and the WWE to control what their talent does outside of the ring, and both companies don't know how to reconcile those actions with their in-ring personas. Both companies have had their share of DUI's, drug use, and domestic abuse cases, all the while they ignore those realities when they put these guys (or gals) in the ring each week. It's more troubling because many of these wrestlers are "real" to the youngsters and are hailed as role models for them.
I agree with you that it may have been premature to put Jeff Hardy out there before he served out his sentence. However, it seems it's up to the fans to decide his fate, and if they're forgiving of his actions outside the ring and pay money for their tickets, then that's reason enough for TNA to push him. If only it were that easy in the real world, right?
@Krista - It's another in a looooooooooooong line of poor decisions by TNA management. Congratulations, TNA, your redemption character just plead guilty to three felonies!
Looking back on their entire history (and I used to order their weekly PPVs when they first started), they have failed to advance to become a "grown-up" company. I know there are a lot of hurdles in the wrestling business, mostly systemic issues derived from the carnival days, but that's no excuse for so many bad decisions.
The end result is fan disengagement, poor character development and confusing storylines. When the Impact overrun conflicts on my DVR with The Daily Show and Chelsea Lately, it's getting harder and harder to delete one of the comedy shows to tape the "climax" of Impact.
@MikeSchaffer Agreed! I think the only thing TNA has going for it, and the main reason why I sit through it each week, is Sting. Well, that and they have a lot of the old timers I was used to seeing from the WWF...god, that makes me sound old!