Last Sunday at TNA's Victory Road Pay Per View event, TNA Heavyweight Champion Sting and Jeff Hardy were scheduled to have a title match. This was the main event, and had been used in commercials and press releases to advertise the show. According to TNA backstage sources and multiple wrestling news sites, Jeff Hardy showed up to the event and was described to be "in no condition to wrestle." After conferring backstage on how to best handle the situation, TNA creative, management, and both wrestlers agreed to still have the match. After ring entrances and other stalling tactics, the match lasted about 1:28. You can view the match here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lckr9OLR2Ow
During Hardy's entrance, he stumbles a bit and almost trips on the steps going into the ring. Additionally, after the match, Sting looks visibly upset. As the crowd chants "Bullshit" in unison, Sting can be heard yelling "I agree."
The night after Victory Road, Hardy showed up to the Impact Zone for the TV tapings, and was immediately sent home. Due to TNA's routine of taping the next two week's shows on back to back nights, this ensured that he would be kept of the air for at least two weeks. TNA has also taken him off all live events. In addition to Hardy's de facto suspension, TNA attempted to further save face by offering fans who purchased the Pay-Per-View six months of free access to the company's online On Demand service.
And so here we are, over one week later. Things have calmed down a bit. TNA performed some damage control, and things are moving forward. While there really isn't any pressure to come to a complete resolution right away, the question now is what will TNA do with Jeff Hardy?
To backtrack, Hardy isn't exactly a stranger to running into problems. A former WWE star, Hardy had two stints with the company, both of which were marred by no-shows, tardiness to events, poor performance, and drug issues. His first stint with the company ended in 2003, when WWE released him after failed drug tests and his refusal to enter a drug rehab program. In September 2009, Hardy's house was raided by Law Enforcement. Police found 262 Vicodin prescription pills, 180 soma prescription pills, 555 milliliters of anabolic steroids, a residual amount of powder cocaine, and drug paraphernalia. He was charged with drug trafficking and possession of anabolic steroids. The case has been continued multiple times, and Hardy is still awaiting trial. As of right now, he is due back in court on April 20, 2011.
On the surface, this situation seems cut and dry. Firing someone who shows up to work under the influence of drugs seems like a no-brainer. Unfortunately, there's more to it than that. Jeff Hardy is a star. He draws money for TNA, and while he may be past his prime, he can still have good matches. Unlike WWE, which has a full cupboard of talent and a developmental territory to draw from, TNA needs all the help they can get to stay as competitive as can be. Dismissing Hardy would mean giving up potential opportunities to draw money. Another concern is if the company does decide to cut ties, and Hardy miraculously avoids jail time for his drug charges, there's an outside possibility WWE may give him one more shot. Did you hear the pop Kevin Nash got at the Royal Rumble? Wrestling fans have a long-term memory. WWE fans would eat that up. TNA would essentially be handing the competition an attraction.
Of course, if Hardy ends up being a guest of the government, these are all moot points. In any event, there's definitely a lot for TNA to think about.
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