Category: Wrestling Musings

All posts related to pro rasslin’ that isn’t covering specific shows or events.

Jeff Hardy Returns… Before Going To Jail

Didn’t have a chance to watch Impact last night, but they did have a video online featuring Jeff Hardy’s apology and his asking the fans for one last chance. The best thing I could say about this segment was that it took place during a taping in Huntsville and not the Impact Zone, where the audience is often accused of being mindless sheep… something that seems hard to dispute, but I don’t want to get into that. But that argument cannot and does not apply to the Huntsville audience, who actually paid money to watch the show live, which means that the favorable crowd reaction to Hardy’s plea is about as genuine as you can get (at a TNA show, at least) and they seem willing to give the former World champion one more shot… complete with seemingly piped-in chants of “one more shot.” I’m not sure what kind of shot he’s asking for, but… no, not going to go there. It’s been done before, I’m sure.

The funny thing about this speech is that this came about shortly after the news broke that Jeff Hardy had pleaded guilty to a number of charges stemming from his 2009 arrest and would serve ten days in jail. Oops.

Okay, so here’s the deal. I have always been somewhat opposed to TNA taking in Jeff Hardy last year despite his legal baggage being fairly public knowledge. It seems that at any given moment, Jeff Hardy would have to serve some time (and admittedly, what he ended up getting is akin to a slap on the wrist considering the charges) and TNA would have a huge hole in the roster. Despite the knowledge of Hardy’s troubles, TNA went ahead and gave the man two World title reigns. And while I believed that giving a man with ongoing legal issues the World title was a bad idea – and I still do, don’t get me wrong – I will admit that he deserved to carry the belt, if only for a short while. For various concerns regarding his reliability, he was actually contributing to the company in a positive manner and not letting the legal issues and lifestyle he lives get in the way of his job, which is something that has befallen other wrestlers – certainly his brother falls into that category.

Then came the Victory Road 2011 debacle, of which I had made a vlog around the same time. It wasn’t until some time later that the details behind the 88-second squash match revealed that the match happened as it did due to Jeff Hardy’s inability to perform, upon which I wrote a follow-up blog entry.

I had really hoped (though sincerely doubted) that TNA would actually step up and make serious changes to prevent such incidents from happening in the future, but unfortunately, there hasn’t been any indication of such change. In fact, outside of a largely aesthetic change and a new tagline, TNA… or rather, Impact Wrestling, as they call themselves now, has made no such change. While Matt Hardy was subsequently terminated from TNA following a DUI arrest, the reigning TNA World Champion Kurt Angle – who also suffered a DUI arrest – looks to walk away unpunished. But that’s an entirely different story that is probably best left for those more experienced in those waters than I.

So now Jeff Hardy is returning to TNA and is asking for one more chance following a brief stay in jail, of course. And now that the legal baggage has been moreorless excised and the sins of Victory Road mostly atoned for with a lengthy absence, I am cautiously optimistic to see whether Jeff Hardy’s latest TNA run will be smooth-sailing or a Titanic voyage; whether he has gotten his act together or just gotten better at faking it. Regardless of my initial feelings towards his signing, I can hope that Hardy gets his personal and professional affairs back on track so that his legion of fans will continue to enjoy his works and so that we don’t get stuck with another tragedy the likes of Scott Hall.

Best of luck, Jeff. And don’t drop the ball this time.

Jeff Hardy Goes To JAIL

Source: http://www.sescoops.com/wrestling-news/tna/breaking-news-jeff-hardy-going-to-jail-after-pleading-guilty-to-3-felonies/

TNA star Jeff Hardy was back in a Moore County, North Carolina courtroom on Thursday and pleaded guilty to three felony drug charges stemming from his September 2009 arrest. He will serve 10 days in jail, have to pay fine of $100,000 and will be on probation for 30 months. In the event that Hardy violates his probation, he can be sent back to jail. Hardy pleaded guilty to three drug felonies: two counts of Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance and one count of Conspiracy to Traffic in a Compound Containing Opium.

Here are a few new details from today’s court proceedings: 
* In exchange for pleading guilty, the other counts against Jeff Hardy were dropped.
* Hardy has agreed to remain in a drug abuse treatment program. 
* Jeff was granted a request to travel outside of North Carolina so he can work for TNA. Jeff Hardy returns to TNA television tonight on Impact Wrestling.

Well… that resolves that, I suppose. All that time spent languishing in the courts and all he gets is a slap on the wrist… figures. Good thing he still has a job.

By the way… in an unrelated *cough* note, Kurt Angle apparently signed a 3-year deal with TNA despite getting arrested for DUI… apparently, Matt Hardy’s stock was as high as he thought… but maybe his retirement and time away from the business will help him get his bearings back… something that a LOT of other people could use at the moment.

Kevin Nash is Future Endeavored. Oh well…

Original link: http://www.wwe.com/inside/kevin-nash-released

You know, I would normally say good riddance… but considering his involvement in the development of storylines… you know what? Nah… I’m not going to bother with the Cornette Face. That’d be killing the gimmick at this point.

(2024 Update: Besides, he’d be back to headline another WWE PPV with Triple H later that year and stink up the joint in a ladder match that even Nash thought was a bad idea. Based on that… I’ll cut him some slack here.)

Is Vince Russo Booking Matt Hardy's Channel?

Give it up, Matt. Nobody’s buying into this bullshit.

Even your sister-in-law is calling you out on this crap.

Seriously, man… what happened to you? You used to be beautiful…

UPDATE:
YouTube took down the video… so in case you missed it, Matt Hardy posted a short, cryptic video on his YouTube channel that was perceived as a suicide note. Suffice it to say, a lot of people were upset, a lot of people were concerned… and then there were the folks who thought the whole thing was stupid. Judging by the header of this post, you could probably guess which group I fall into.

Matt made a little statement… and then posted a video called GENESIS.

So, again… I must ask; is Vince Russo booking this crap? Because it looks like something he could regurgitate out there to the masses.

So stupid.

Matt Hardy Arrested And Future Endeavored… My Condolences to the Car and Tree

UPDATED: Hardy’s release CONFIRMED on ImpactWrestling.Com

Just got onto the wrestlenewz site and read about these tidbits… rather than try to decipher this stupidity at work here, I’m just going to copy the articles so you can read them here (links to the original stories are provided).

Copied verbatim from wrestlenewz.com:

TMZ.com reports that Matt Hardy was arrested in North Carolina today on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.


According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, a trooper discovered the TNA Wrestling Superstar after his 2009 Corvette ran off the road and struck a tree. Hardy was by himself and did not suffer any injuries.


The trooper observed signs of impairment and arrested Hardy. He was charged with driving while intoxicated and the trooper found no other contraband in the vehicle. Hardy submitted to a blood test, results of which are pending.


He was released at approximately 7:00 p.m.


TNA Wrestling officials reportedly suspended Hardy in June due to continuously arriving late to events and posting a video online of himself urging Jeff Hardy to stun Reby Sky (Matt’s girlfriend) with a taser. He stated last week on Twitter that his time away from the ring has been a blessing in disguise as it has allowed him to completely clean up his life.

You can read the original TMZ story here… and before Matthew can do damage control and tell us not to believe everything we hear on the Internet… get a gander at this…

Again, reposted from wrestlenewz.com:

Following his arrest Saturday in North Carolina for driving while intoxicated, Matt Hardy has been released from his contract with TNA Wrestling.


In a statement released to TMZ.com, an unnamed TNA spokesperson stated, “TNA today released Impact Wrestling star Matt Hardy from its roster. Hardy was already under suspension from the company.”


According to sources within TNA, plans were in place for Matt and Jeff Hardy to return to television in October. Jeff’s status with the company remains unchanged since TNA will be releasing a slew of merchandise in the fall bearing his name including a video title.


Hardy joined TNA last January after being released by WWE in October 2010 following a series of events that caused him to be sent home from a company tour of Europe. Hardy walked out of a SmackDown live event on September 5, 2010 after officials voiced concern over his condition.


During the subsequent weekend’s European tour, Hardy’s condition caused the organization to act. When the story broke online, Hardy responded with a rambling video claiming it was untrue because he was still in Europe. WWE, however, confirmed to NewsDay.com on September 12, 2010 that he had been sent home. He never wrestled for the organization again and was released from his contract a few weeks later.


Hardy stated last week on Twitter that his time away from the ring has been a blessing in disguise as it allowed him to completely clean up his life. He added Friday, “It’s time for me to get back to a healthy, happy place, the transformation his now started for me, for us-(New Chapter Will begin new)”

Original story broke out at TMZ.

Now in fairness, TMZ might not be the most reliable source of news at times, but this is in fact true due to the fact that TNA has posted confirmation on ImpactWrestling.Com, it seems like ol’ Matthew is no longer gainfully employed by TNA and will not likely be offered the best of luck in his future endeavors (since WWE has trademarked the term)… and he won’t be making this kind of self-serving bullshideo.

Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy, I say.

I would feel bad for Matt… but considering how far off he’s dropped and how unlikable he comes off at times, I frankly feel more sorry for the car he wrecked and the tree he ran into than the human being who refuses to get help for the problems he’s enduring… and the same goes for his idiot drugged-out brother, too. I mean, how many “chances” and “fair shakes” are these guys going to ruin before they fuck up their lives? We don’t need another Scott Hall roaming around with demons and such, let alone two more.

Who knew there was a Hulkamania Meatball Maker? 'Cuz I Didn't…

Source: http://wrestlechat.net/hulk-hogan-still-kicking-himself-for-endorsing-a-meatball-maker-machine-instead-of-a-grill/

Anyone who knows the story behind the George Foreman Grill knows that it was originally offered to Hulk Hogan, but since the Hulkster wasn’t home, they offered it to the former boxing champion. Now according to Hogan years ago (on his moderately-lived TV show, no less), nobody was home to pick up the phone when the people behind the grill called his house and they decided to offer it to Foreman instead rather than call Hogan back later… kind of a dick move on their part, but then if they were willing to do that to Hulk Hogan, it should clue people in on what they actually think of the Huckster.

Now while Hogan missed out on the grill, he was able to endorse a blender dubbed the Hulk Hogan Thunder Mixer… but it wasn’t as successful as the grill that would make Foreman millions and indirectly inspire the original design of the Sony Playstation 3.

However, somewhere along the way, he must have changed his story. According to the above page, Hogan told Sam Worthington that he snubbed the grill in favor of a meatball maker. And when asked what about the grill, he allegedly said, “Give it to your other client.” The other client turned out to be George Foreman…

Now, maybe this is Alzheimer’s finally catching up to Hogan or maybe he (most likely) changed the story because losing out on the grill and getting a blender instead didn’t exactly make ol’ Terry look good, but a thorough search on the Internet (by which I mean Google…) makes no mention of any Hulk Hogan meatball maker… but a LOT of mentions (and pictures!) of Hulk Hogan’s Thunder Mixer blender brutha thing.

On the bright side, Hogan did get his own grill years later… so.