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.
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.
I never understood why the rich guy was so chummy with the tax guy. But…BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! I hatez rich guys! I hatez taxes! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! There, that works!
Their opponents on this night were the Natural Disasters! Earthquake and Typhoon were massive and mean – but, oddly, cheered by fans.
Earthquake was previously known for squishing Hulk Hogan, sitting on people, but ultimately, causing no real impact.
Typhoon was a big, scary, young behemoth that was primed for destruction. What would his career hold? (Wrestling fans know about The Shockmaster!)
So, in 2011 news terms – we have the stock market/global financial crisis pitted against the Virginia Earthquake and Hurricane Irene!
Who would win this 1992 battle for August 2011 supremacy?
That should come as no shock to anyone who has read this blog before.
However, I was also intrigued by The Ultimate Warrior.
These two wrestling superstars personified heroism in different ways.
Hulk Hogan was the Boy Scout, waving the American Flag, defending honor, pride and integrity, living by the demandments of training, prayers and vitamins.
The Ultimate Warrior was the embodiment of rage and passion. Uncontrolled, untamed -wearing bright colors with big hair, face covered in neon paint, he was an action figure come to life.
Their battle at Wrestlemania VI in Toronto was one of the biggest matches of all-time. It’s very rare to have a “dream match” where both competitors are good guys or “faces.” Warrior defeated Hogan in an attempt to “pass the torch” and create a new #1.
While Warrior was immensely popular with the fans, he came and went from the industry for much of the next decade. He had some more good runs with the WWF, including a comeback attempt around Wrestlemania XIII, before disappearing for a while.
He returned in the late 1990s in WCW, where Hogan was the prime villain (heel), in order to confront his old nemesis.
That run was disappointing, as it is best remembered for the trap door Warrior used causing a career-ending injury to Davey Boy Smith, which led to painkiller abuse and his ultimate death.
Over the years, Hogan has become a reality show star, which tore his family apart. He is no longer the hero he was in the 1980s, but he is still one of the most recognizable people on the planet.
Warrior pursued artwork, motivational speaking and other interests. WWE made a DVD about him that outlined his alleged shady business practices. A seemingly endless parade of stars and insiders took shots at Warrior.
So, neither of them has anywhere near the level of shine on them they used to.
Which is what makes this so sad.
Warrior will be releasing a long-form video discussing his disdain for Hogan. Here’s a preview that was released this week:
It’s sad to see my two favorite prime-of-their-life wrestlers at such public odds at this stage.
Who does it help?
Kicking around anger doesn’t make you less angry – it often does the exact opposite.
Sad news today, as professional wrestler, spokesperson and actor Randy “Macho Man” Savage died today after suffering a heart attack that caused him to lose control of the car he was driving.
He was only 58.
In 2009 when I first launched this blog, I had an occasional series called “Great Moments in Wrestling History.”
One of the moments discussed was one of my favorites of all-time, as bad guy Savage lost a career-ending match to the Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania VII. Sensational Queen Sheri Martel, his manager at the time, attacked him after the loss. As he was defenseless and shattered, Savage’s on-screen former manager (and real-life wife) Miss Elizabeth, who had been watching from the crowd, ran into the ring and saved her love, even though he had turned his back on her previously.
Savage was touched by her gesture. You see, he had kicked her to the curb years before as he sank into paranoia and jealousy over her friendship with Hulk Hogan. She had no reason to help him, save for love.
Of course, it wasn’t an actual retirement. But the moment felt so real.
He came from a family of professional wrestlers and became the greatest of them all.
His match with Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat at Wrestlemania III was long considered to be the greatest match of all time. His feuds with Hulk Hogan, Sgt Slaughter, Jake “The Snake” Roberts and The Ultimate Warrior provided some of the most iconic moments in WWE history.
He became a pop culture mainstay as the celebrity endorser behind Slim Jim (“Snap into a Slim Jim…OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH YEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHH” is a classic tagline.)
Over the past decade, he had quietly disappeared from the public eye. He remarried just last year (Savage and the late Elizabeth divorced in the mid-1990s) and stood a good chance of being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame next year, according to rumors.
This week, the most decorated star in WWE history, Edge, was forced to retire at the age of 37 because of complications from a neck injury sustained nearly a decade ago.
If he kept competing, there was a serious chance he could face paralysis or death.
Easy choice, right?
You’d think, but in wrestling, people keep going and going and going, never able to say goodbye.
The legendary Terry Funk has retired at least a dozen times over the past 25 years. Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Sting – household names of the 1980s, are still hanging around the active side of the business.
But back to Edge.
In a pseudo-sport where people play over-the-top characters, Edge seemed to always be not that far of a stretch from the performer, Adam Copeland. (We’ll gloss over the goth/vampire phase of his early tears, OK?) But the sense of humor, intensity, inner drive and cockiness never felt like a character he was trying to act out.
Just like the great Shawn Michaels, Edge was living out his boyhood dream.
He was a huge fan growing up in the 1980s, famously being in the SkyDome crowd in Toronto for Wrestlemania VI, where the main event of Hogan vs. the Ultimate Warrior allegedly inspired him to become a wrestler.
And 21 years and 31 championships later, Edge is walking away to face the next challenge of his life.
There is something refreshing and inspiring about seeing people who had a dream actually get to live it out, be among the best in the world, and walk away from it.
So what’s next for Edge?
Unlike Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock and John Cena, Edge has never been a cross-over star. Maybe he’ll dabble in acting, return to WWE in a non-wrestle capacity, or maybe he’ll live out his days quietly with his family.
The great thing is that he’s young enough and healthy enough to conquer a new dream.
And millions of fans will be there to cheer him on, no matter what he does.
But sometimes it’s just REALLY hard not to in certain situations.
Several months back, we discussed Total Nonstop Action Wrestling champion Jeff Hardy, who was given the belt in the fictional storyline of wrestling despite the real-life drug troubles of the performer.
Since he announced he would plead guilty to drug charges, including some felonies, TNA scripted him to lose the title…but then regain it before the case was finished…only to lose it again to veteran Sting, making his big return to the promotion.
TNA chose to feature Hardy as a top contender in their organization, including a main event rematch against Sting for the championship at the “Victory Road” pay-per-view show Sunday night.
No specifics have been given as of yet, but it seems like TNA played with fire…and got burned badly.
While not the current champion, Hardy was a main event player and integral to the show. Because of his alleged condition, the main event title match lasted only 90 seconds, leaving the live crowd and (most assuredly) the pay-per-view audience irate.
In the promotion world, the main event makes or breaks a show. And TNA put their main event in the hands of someone who was dangerous of business. And more than that, they put the life of their champion, Sting, in the hands of an incapable performer.
When you can pick and choose who you rely on, why would leave something so important up to chance?
Here is video from the event…you can make up your own mind about the situation:
it’s World Championship on Jeff Hardy, despite the fact that he was under investigation for felony drug charges.
