Why Jeff Swanton Bombed his career

August 25th 2009 - That'll be the date etched on Jeff Hardy's memory, that's the date he wrestled his final match for World Wrestling Entertainment, in that match he'd main event the show in a Steel Cage match for the WWE World Title in a losing effort to CM Punk.

All through 2009 the rumour mill was going into overdrive about whether or not Jeff was going to re-new his WWE contract, many conflicting and often contradicting reports would come out almost daily, one thing was for sure, Hardy was gaining momentum and interest that only one other man in the business (John Cena) was garnering at the time, his stock was sky high, yet somehow he managed to flush it all down the drain.

His rise to prominence was predicted long before the WWE seemingly decided to pull the trigger on him but he himself would appear to be his own worst enemy on numerous occasions.
Since his arrival as a regular in the WWF as a member of the Hardy Boyz in 1999 he (and Matt) tapped into the Emo market, whether it was intentional or coincidental is a matter of opinion but one thing is for certain, they gained a pretty strong following from the beginning and that following only got bigger as time passed.

In 2002 after the 'Heyday' of his Tag Team glory days he was given an opportunity to Main Event Monday Night RAW in his first World Title match, a match against The Undertaker, there was no-way it was ever going to be a successful challenge but the hope was that he'd do enough to capture the imagination of his loyal followers and an opportunity to see if he could work the bigger matches against the higher standard of Pro Wrestler's the WWF at the time had to offer.

I think it's fair to say that match was a resounding success and surely gave everyone watching a glimpse of what the future may hold, while it was a losing effort, Hardy looked a million bucks against one of the strongest WWF/E characters of all time, he was shown to have guts and heart, while not enough on its own, when added to ability and recklessness it does have an alluring quality that we as fans/viewers buy into, even if we don't always like the guy portraying these characteristics.

Jeff Hardy was a vulnerable character and as was mentioned previously often portrayed as quite reckless, we'd be told how he would put his body on the line, unfortunately that recklessness would follow him in his personal life too, a recklessness that would have serious consequences on his future career and how it would go on to pan out.

His recklessness would come into play more prominently after that Undertaker match, his drink and drug use became more frequent as his stock rose, he was living the dream and was out partying every night to milk as much of that dream as possible, ironically, if Milk was what he was drinking he'd have been in a far better physical and psychological condition, still it all added to his character, here was this flawed genius that his fans watched in the ring and on TV and here he was partying with them, it all added to their belief he was 'One of us', strangely the more damage he did to his career the more the fans seemed to love him.

By 2003 Vince McMahon had enough, at that time you could pretty much get away with whatever you wanted to get away with so long as the standards you set yourself didn't drop, Jeff's out of hours antics were not only bringing in bad publicity but they were without question effecting his game and most importantly caused him to no-show events, possibly the biggest no-no in McMahon-land, at this time the WWE where so overloaded with talent that McMahon didn't want or need someone that brought so much negativity to the table when despite his popularity wasn't close to being the star his fans thought he should be.

It was over 3 years until he was seen again in the WWE, the landscape had changed dramatically, gone where The Rock, Steve Austin, Brock Lesnar, Chris Jericho and Goldberg, Eddie Guerrero had died, Kurt Angle and Christian had signed for TNA, JBL had retired from in ring activity and Shawn Michaels had made it clear he wasn't interested in a World Title run, Cena, Batista, Orton and Edge had been promoted as the new guys to lead the WWE, numbers didn't match up though, Hardy sensed opportunity would come his way this time around.

His biggest win of his singles career came almost a year and a half later, he had some pretty big wins over Shawn Michaels and Umaga as well as John Morrison but he managed to beat Triple H clean at Armageddon 2007, it was presented as a fluke but a clean win over HHH is a clean win, many cynics believe Triple H only did this to derail the hype surrounding Chris Jericho's comeback and it certainly pushed Hardy higher up the ladder, it led to a main event feud over the WWE title with Randy Orton that would climax at the 2008 Royal Rumble, before this match Hardy's in ring recklessness was again highlighted and his lack of concern for his own well being was once again the focus of how much he wanted to win the WWE Title, it also served to re-establish that unique bond he has with his fans, many old fans still loved him and at this time many new fans began to warm to him, he was still considered a 'spot monkey' but that was often overlooked.

Once again his WWE Title opportunity was a losing effort, it's believed he was going to be given the belt that night right up until a few hours before the show when John Cena declared himself fit for action, that move was enough to keep the title on Orton (the Cena/Orton feud hadn't been allowed to finish due to Cena's injury) but Hardy went from strength to strength, he again beat Michaels in a great singles match on RAW, he also looked extremely strong in the Elimination Chamber at No Way Out 08, he pinned Jericho and hit finishers on Umaga and Shawn Michaels before others else got the pins, he was eliminated last in that match.
He then qualified for the WrestleMania XXIV Money In The Bank match and by all accounts was the heavy favourite to win that match and go on to win his first World Title, true to form though Jeff Hardy became his own worst enemy again, he failed a Wellness test 7 days before the biggest night of his life, he subsequently dropped the IC Title and lost the chance to win the MitB at WrestleMania, as it was his second violation he was suspended for 60 days.

When he returned he had lost all his momentum although to be fair he was so hugely over that it wasn't going to take much to rectify that, he returned beating Umaga on two occasions, not the achievement it would have been a year earlier but for a comeback feud it done the job it was required to do.
Surprisingly he was drafted to SmackDown! This to many suggested that the WWE had run out of patience with him but when you take a closer look you can see why it was done, SmackDown! was moving to a new channel, one that demanded more star power, that was why Edge and The Undertaker remained on SD! while Jim Ross and most shockingly Triple H were drafted, rather than being a demotion, it was actually a show of faith, they believed him to be a big name, that was a major boost for Hardy.

Having arrived on SmackDown! Hardy immediately became involved in the World Title scene, he recommenced his 'respect feud' with Triple H that they touched upon in late 07 and this time there was more edge to it, while Hardy still appeared vulnerable, he was once again shown to have heart, guts and determination and to his credit his in ring ability considerably improved during this period, he was involved in PPV title matches on 3 PPV's in a row and despite coming up just short it only heightened the fans belief that he'd finally make it, he was due to compete in the Title match at Survivor Series but was 'taken out' having been found unconscious in the stairwell, many had feared Hardy had blown his last chance but it was revealed it was a storyline, poor taste given his own past and what had transpired in the WWE in the recent past, still, it was a storyline and fans could breath a sigh of relief.
He was back in contention for the Title at Armageddon 08, a year after beating Triple H clean, this was the match they finally pulled the trigger on him, Jeff Hardy won the WWE Title on this night beating Triple H and Edge in a triple threat match, this only told half the story though, while his fans thought he smashed through the glass ceiling he didn't, for one reason or another he barely appeared on WWE TV and didn't wrestle throughout his first Tenure, in fact his first defence came at the Royal Rumble and he lost the title due to the shambolic heel turn of his brother, this of course was Vince McMahon's reaction to fans working out that the 'guy' behind Hardy's stairwell attack was due to be a returning Christian, this set everyone back, it gave new Champ Edge no-one to feud with until after No Way Out 09, it turned Matt Heel when he was enjoying his best run as a singles, it left Christian in limbo and subsequently stuck in ECW and demoted Jeff from World Champion and main eventing PPV's to mid-card feuds with his brother, horrible decision that hurt Jeff more than anyone.

After a feud with Matt, one I personally believe he lost he was finally given the chance to reclaim the Title, he entered a feud with Edge, it was an exciting feud and once again he came up just short, the more he lost the more the fans seemed to love him, his vulnerability was his greatest asset.
The re-match at Extreme Rules gave the fans the moment they where all waiting for, having hooked Edge through the ladder in a mimic crucifixion pose, Hardy was able to stand over Edge and all his fans knew at that point that Jeff was going to clinch the World Title, the fans went crazy for him, but just when the fans thought they where seeing the beginning of something special CM Punk would appear, lay him out and win the World Title a mere minutes after Jeff realised his dream, the drama was fantastic, the victim was perfect.
Hardy would beat Punk for the title two PPV's later leading into SummerSlam, Hardy was hot as anyone in the business at this point, it was widely accepted though that Jeff just wasn't interested in re-signing on another long term contract, at the time it was suggested that Hardy wanted time off to heal from numerous injuries, Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and two herniated discs in his lower back, it'd be fair assumption to think he'd need time off but Hardy was never a big fan of being tied to the Wellness policy the WWE had and he himself saw this as an opportunity to 'be free' of that for a few months before re-signing again in early 2010 and sticking to the regulations everyone contracted to the WWE is bind too.

It's almost impossible to imagine that anyone would wait until they where on the brink of being considered into that top bracket level by WWE then decide to take time away to 're-charge', Hardy had put his body through torture on numerous occasions to become a top guy, then when everything began to fall into place, despite the Wellness violations and the fact his contract was running out, the WWE choose to stick with him, but like he has all through his professional and personal life choices, the recklessness shown through again.

He went from the brink of Superstardom to a guy who was charged and convicted of "trafficking in controlled prescription pills and possession of anabolic steroids, after a search of his house yielded 262 Vicodin prescription pills, 180 Soma prescription pills, 555 milliliters of anabolic steroids, a residual amount of powder cocaine, and drug paraphernalia" and was damn lucky not to be given jail time longer than the 10 days he got.

His first 14 months in TNA was shambolic, he lived the life he wanted to when he declined the WWE offer and it wasn't exactly a shrewd move, he was a bloated joke and a shadow of his former self, it peaked when he got so wasted he wasn't in any fit state to compete in the Main Event of a PPV, one of the most unprofessional things done by a full time performer in a main stream Wrestling promotion in the last 15 years.
I think it's fair to say in the last year Jeff Hardy has turned his life around and physically he's probably back in his best shape and mind-set since around 2007 but for me he'll never again have the opportunity to be that true blue chip star that he could have become in late 2009/early 2010 and whether you love him or hate him, like him or are just indifferent toward him that's a shame considering how much he put his body through and how close he came.

In my own view I find it ironic that the recklessness and vulnerability that got him so over was the very same thing that annihilated his career.

Another great read KF.

As a fairly recent returnee to pro wrestling, I just caught the back end of Hardy's "demise" in TNA and honestly didn't expect to see him ever return again.

Since his comeback though he does seem to have been as straight as a die. Still playing the vulnerable face and the fans still going crazy for him. I must admit I've become a big fan of his too. I don't find him particularly engaging as a character, but his performances in the ring are usually very watchable.

Wasn't really familiar with his WWF/E history, but from what you've written it does sound like they did all they could to support him, until both parties realised they just couldn't live with each other anymore.

From what little I do know of him, he does seem very much the free-spirited, artistic type, which may go some way towards explaining his behaviour (though I don't know if he got into painting and music before or after his drugs and booze period).

I suppose the best thing you can say about it is that Jeff has survived with his health intact and has rebuilt his career to the point he is one of TNA's biggest stars. The other good thing is he still has enough time on his side to remain a top performer for a good few years to come.

The major downside (as you alluded to with your thread title) is that unless TNA somehow manages to grow and become a serious rival to WWE, he'll never have success on the scale he enjoyed back then. Then again, maybe he's content to be a big fish in a small pond and maybe he prefers how TNA run their business.

As you said though, with his level of ability and appeal, he could've been a wrestling megastar. Shame it didn't work out that way.

Thanks DW, much appreciated

I totally agree with you in that I didn't expect him to show his face again after the way he left but fair play to him, he got clean, he came back and he's been professional at least on the surface.

I also agree with you that I don't find him engaging, this for me has been a big problem throughout his TNA run, while he was never great on the mic I did always find him engaging whilst in WWE, he's hardly done anything in TNA positively though that's made me interested in him.

When I said Jeff missed his chance to become a true top tier blue chipper I didn't mean he wouldn't get another big run, he's 35 so there is no reason should he remain clean that a year or two down the line he can't go back to WWE and even win a World Title or two, but by the time he's 37 and all the public negativity he's received I doubt he'll ever get the opportunity to be pushed to the level of superstardom again however as long as his fans remain as fiercely loyal as they have been all through his career then Vince will see potential to make money

Great read Gaff.

I loved watching Hardy from 2007 to 2009. It was old school booking at its finest. I havent been as pleased to see someone win a World Title than when Jeff did at Armageddon. The whole way he was booked up to it was nigh on perfect.

I dont think its fair to lay the blame squarely on him though. Yes he had his issues with drink/drugs but I cant help but feel that the fued with Matt killed it for him. Like you said, it was shambolic and made no sense. So what if people figured out Christian was returning? In the age of the internet nothing is a secret anymore.

I think that could have been a catalyst of "Why should I care?" whiched caused him not to re-new his WWE contract, and when he joined TNA they were super light on him and it allowed him to get into the state he was at Victory Road.

When he returned to TNA he seemed genuinly sorry to the fans and disgusted with himself. By all accords hes straight and clean now, but I agree, the damage is done.

What about his brother? He went on his own meltdown, argueably worse than Jeff's. Jeff didnt post a video on YouTube pointing towards suicide...

Very true about Matt's meltdown, I guess the reason this is about Jeff and not Matt though is simply because Matt will always be Jeff's bag carrier

You could be right about Jeff not re-newing due to being put in an under-card feud with his brother instead of being kept in the Main Event, it only lasted 3 months though and he was back in the Title scene almost immediately, I do seem to recall though that Matt went over Jeff at WrestleMania due to him putting contract talks on hold so you could be onto something

Great read Gaff!

I've been a huge fan of Jeff since the Hardy Boyz, even as I've got older and began to appreciate the finer points of the business(How important mic work is etc). In fact I'm probably a Hardy mark, seeing him hit that Swanton bomb on Orton from next to the tron still made me mark the hell out, even knowing he'd be diving onto a mat and he'd have practiced it tons of times. It brought back memories of the Hardy Boys feud with the Dudley's when he dived off the top of the steel cage but missed with the swanton.

Anyway, I digress. I agree with everything you've said, I think Hardy could have made it big-time were it not for his well-documented problems. His angle with Punk is one of few storylines I've enjoyed from the E in a long while. I felt even his mic work improved during that feud(probably dragged along to another level by Punk), and those two had great chemistry.

He wouldn't have become THE face of the company, that will be Cena's role for however long he wants, but I think he could have quite easily been number 2 face in the company. He did what Vince wanted, ie sell merchandise, but he also had the approval of the IWC, which I personally find suprising as he isn't really the norm for what "we" want.

I don't follow TNA so don't really know how he's getting on there other than what I read on here, but I can say I'd love to see him back in the WWE at some point and at the top, maybe that's the mark in me talking!

This might me be a bit OTT but I believe he and Punk could have had a rivalry that the E could constantly re-visit, not necessarily era-defining but certainly not a one-time only feud. There is just so much contrast between them in terms of life-style and I think they meshed really well.

Cheers Matt

I do think Hardy and Punk do have some unfinished business and I do believe they could pick up their feud from where they left it off, Punk has a long memory, he's got a chip on his shoulder, that for me makes a future rivalry possible

I must admit that Jeff has never been one of my all time favs, though his swantons are awesome. However, since his return in TNA from turning up high the whole redemption story has been engrossing. The way he's been booked, his return to form, his fitness and his renewed passion for his art has really captured my imagination. I think TNA need to keep Hardy, he's back to the top of his game and extremely over with the fans. It's almost infectious. I really hope he wins the world title at BFG it will be such a feel good moment that I think something like BFG needs this year with the 10 year anniversary.

TalkingPoint, I don't pay enough attention to TNA anymore to be certain I understand the way they're going with Jeff but from the little bit I have seen I think they're using Hardy's long term popularity as well as his whole resemption angle to get Austin Aries over as a top heel, I can smell a heel turn coming here and I don't think they'll be daft enough to turn Hardy again

Visually I'd say he's definitely one of the most interesting characters in Pro Wrestling

yeah turning Hardy heel would be terrible booking imo, it makes much more sense for Aries to turn heel and yeah I can see them having a screwy finish at BFG. I've appreciated Jeff alot since his return, for sure sometimes his moveset gets a little repetitive but he pulled out a very impressive submission win over Joe in the BFG series proving his character isn't one dimensional.

I felt his in ring work significantly improved in 2008, he worked a lot with Shawn Michaels and Triple H, particularly in tag matches and he picked up quite a lot off them, you could see it in his matches too, he had a match against the Undertaker around late 08 and he beat him but it wasn't presented as a fluke, it was a good win that was presented as a deserved win, then his matches with Edge and Punk, he matured then left, quite baffling

I've noticed that quite often his twist of fate looks more like a SC stunner, I don't know whether that is deliberate or just a no sell from his opponent? From what I remember of him in the WWE twist of fate was sold more like an rko than a stunner.

Jeff has ring presence, he can work a crowd, is a great high risk artist. I really, really enjoyed his rivalry with Kurt Angle earlier this year. They had two great PPV matches imo. The way he was booked at No Surrender made him look brave to fight despite of injury and while it was also quite bizarre it gives his title shot a little more legitimacy, the fact he overcome adversity and won the BFG series.

I thought his PPV match with Angle in 2010 leading into BFG was one of the best of his career, I think he lacks that engaging aspect to his persona that he once had though

well the BFG series wasn't built around him so him winning it came (somewhat) out of the blue. It would be interesting to see what angle and story he's given if he were to win the title at BFG and whether or not he can continue to engage with the fans emotionally after his redemption is complete.

I think he's odds on to win the title in TNA now. Aries will get tied up with the A&8's and Hardy can feud with Roode once he's done with Storm.

I agree, it'll have a real feel good feel to it if he wins, and wins clean.

I always enjoyed Jeff's matches in the WWE, both tag team and singles, but towards the end I just got fed up with him. You coudn't buy into the storylines as you never knew if he was going to be 'wellness-ed' as soon as the match ended or simply a no show next time round. I enjoyed his matches when he joined TNA but it soon became the same story - why waste time buying in when you knew he wasn't committed. I don't watch TNA much now but I hope he is clean and stays clean as a clean Jeff Hardy is a great asset for any company.

I'm not sure if that's a true or fair reflection on his last two years in the WWE, sure he did get Wellnessed going into WrestleMania and it did probably cost him a quicker push and World Title but I felt his feuds were pretty entertaining, the respect feud with HHH then the feud with Edge and CM Punk, I felt all three were great and I also thought his short feud with Orton was worked pretty well.

Samo wrote:I think he's odds on to win the title in TNA now. Aries will get tied up with the A&8's and Hardy can feud with Roode once he's done with Storm.

I agree, it'll have a real feel good feel to it if he wins, and wins clean.

I'm the complete opposite with regards to how Bound For Glory will work out, for a while now I've felt Aries was going to be the top heel, I'm not quite sure what turned him face in the first place but I do feel we'll get a shock and I think we'll see Aries revealed as the leader of A&8s with possibly Bischoff, if they go down that road then I think they've had a look around the locker-room and thought "who will get the biggest reaction" and everything points to Hardy so I think they've used him in order to get the maximum effect out of an Austin Aries heel turn

Kay Fabe wrote:
I'm the complete opposite with regards to how Bound For Glory will work out, for a while now I've felt Aries was going to be the top heel, I'm not quite sure what turned him face in the first place but I do feel we'll get a shock and I think we'll see Aries revealed as the leader of A&8s with possibly Bischoff, if they go down that road then I think they've had a look around the locker-room and thought "who will get the biggest reaction" and everything points to Hardy so I think they've used him in order to get the maximum effect out of an Austin Aries heel turn

I think Aries ended up a face same way as Punk did, people found him entertaining. He was always a heel that would brag hes amazing, then prove it. Fueding him with other heels probably didnt help keep him heel.

agreed kayfabe, the mark in me wants Hardy to win, the smark in me thinks it's A double w/Aces & 8s twist.

Samo wrote:

Kay Fabe wrote:
I'm the complete opposite with regards to how Bound For Glory will work out, for a while now I've felt Aries was going to be the top heel, I'm not quite sure what turned him face in the first place but I do feel we'll get a shock and I think we'll see Aries revealed as the leader of A&8s with possibly Bischoff, if they go down that road then I think they've had a look around the locker-room and thought "who will get the biggest reaction" and everything points to Hardy so I think they've used him in order to get the maximum effect out of an Austin Aries heel turn

I think Aries ended up a face same way as Punk did, people found him entertaining. He was always a heel that would brag hes amazing, then prove it. Fueding him with other heels probably didnt help keep him heel.

So if he became face almost by accident like CM Punk then I think just like CM Punk they'll turn him heel again then as soon as logically possible

There is no way that they will turn Jeff again. If anyone is turning its ARies although I think its a bad move as well, although its the only logical one unfortunately.

By the way - great article - I am going to stick these up on the journal on the weekend - maybe this one can wait until after the BFG for a follow up?

I'm not really sure how I could follow this up to be honest, even if Jeff Hardy won the World Title at BFG I honestly don't think he'll ever again have the opportunity to scale the heights he potentially could have in 2009, I think any potential follow up would need to be in 2/3 years time and have a look if he did manage it or has stayed at a level where he'll always be a star but not the major star he was set to be

is it even possible in TNA for Jeff to reach his potential? WWE is a much bigger platform for exposure. Sadly for TNA despite recruiting some of the best former WWE talent available, these 'mega' stars have not magically produced the ratings and PPV buyrates the company dream of. Jeff is a big fish in a small pond (as much as I love TNA) and considering TNA have not made any substantial growth in the few years he's been there now, suggests to me that even if he wins the world title at BFG it will produce no major return in revenue for the company. It will be the peak of his career in TNA but it will not be the catalyst for mainstream expansion the company desire.

Eloquantly put, I agree, that's why I said we should leave any follow up for 2/3 years, it would depend on him getting another WWE run, something that if he can stay clean I'm sure will happen, however I'm not so sure whether the WWE will give him the opportunity to replicate what he was about to achieve in 2009 although I do think he'd be given a World Title run or two but maybe not during the peak months of the business (January-April)

After a fantastic match it's clear that Hardy performance wise and health wise is back to the peak he was at in 2009 however it's a shame that being regarded as TNA World Champion doesn't quite hold as much weight as being a World Champion in WWE, I do think he could be back to the same spot as he was but I'm not sure if he'll be given the opportunity.

I do think though that if TNA grow though it'll be with Jeff as Champion, although I'd make a strong case for Joe