We all fall down. Nobody out there is perfect. No matter how they may seem…what you see on their social media posts, how they portray themselves in the media…nobody’s okay all the time. It’s just the way it is in this harsh world.
As you all may have heard, and as my colleague here at Pro Wrestling News Hub, Sanjay Thakur, has covered (that article is coming at you at just after eleven…be sure to check back in and read it for details on the arrest and ensuing legal ramifications); Jeff Hardy was arrested for a DUI once again and as my colleague tells me, it’s his 3rd DUI in 10 years.
And all this at the start of what has been a pretty exciting time for Hardy Boyz fans…the two of them reunited once again in AEW for the twilight of their already astounding careers.
The sad thing now though, is that AEW and Jeff’s move to AEW seems to be getting the blame, when it has to be understood that Jeff’s issues with substance abuse started long before AEW was even around…he has been battling these issues and running from these demons that have haunted him so for years…a battle he has taken to with both fists up, he being ready to fight at every turn…every round of this battle.
And yeah, he’s fallen a bunch of times, but he has also overcome at instances and sometimes when it comes to addiction, it’s those small instances you need to hold on to.
AEW is not to blame for this issue.
There were incidents in WWE that led Jeff Hardy to slip off of the proverbial wagon. Proof of this was his walkout from a WWE live event while he was still with the company. I’m sure you all saw the video a few months back.
This led to WWE releasing him, and yes they did offer to help him by sending him to rehab as part of their wellness program. Hardy refused. WWE released him and he ended up in AEW with the absolute best of intentions.
Match to match in AEW, he was showcased in an epic light and he gave of himself from match to match, spot to spot, even injuring himself in his first few months with the company. But that’s Jeff Hardy.
What followed close behind though, were the demons he had picked up along the way…while he worked at his craft…they came out of the shadows and latched onto him.
Why do these demons choose certain people and not others? That question cannot be answered. Only thing we know is that there are those that suffer deeply from addiction and there are those that do not. Yet another dichotomy we cannot change as human beings, I’m afraid.
Those demons that followed him came from something.
And he had kicked the demons away for quite a while, turned his life around and wanted to make a difference, bringing up ideas to Vince and WWE creative—ideas that were turned down time after time.
Now, for a creative person like Jeff Hardy, who paints, creates music and other forms of art, a stifling of that creativity is never good. Someone like Jeff Hardy is meant to flourish and exist…to be allowed to create and perform. Once a person like that is stifled…there is often only one thing that can occur; especially if he or she is haunted by demons he or she has succumbed to before—familiar friends, if you will.
Now no one is saying this is entirely the fault of WWE either. It’s a massive amount of stuff that has accumulated over the years, and as Jeff himself knows, there is work he himself has to do as well, which I’m sure he still does despite his slips, but the circumstances that led to his WWE release definitely took their toll on him. That is as plain as day, folks.
The absolutely innocent party in all of this is AEW. AEW has had its problems as of late…a few missteps, as I’ve looked at in recent articles, but on this front they are completely innocent of any wrong doings. They gave a legendary wrestler an opportunity and that is all.
via WWE /YouTube
WWE for their part can be commended for offering help, but all in all they should look at their part in what happened to Jeff Hardy…and it isn’t only Jeff Hardy that they stifled. The list of names is massive, and as with Hardy, pro wrestlers are very creative individuals, and we know where I stand on that front, as I just stated that creative individuals should be left to bloom.
What does Jeff Hardy need now? Our support, quite simply. Jeff Hardy needs our prayers, well-wishes and understanding. Understanding because most don’t understand what it takes to be a pro wrestler and if you judge Jeff hardy, let me ask you this? Have you ever needed that beer at the end of a hard week at the office? Well multiply what you go through at the office or wherever you work by a million, and you’ll get close to what a pro wrestler has to deal with…showering in a different shower every night, eating food that can make you sick…different restaurant every day, veering you off your diet…gyms that don’t have the equipment you need…airports, bus stations, spit and drinks thrown at you from fans…abuse on the internet; perhaps even a boss and creative department that stifles you…pain killers for aches, pains and injuries you have to work through, time away from family and beloved pets…and that list goes on and on from there….
Now how about that beer after a hard week? When does it end? How many wrestlers do we need to lose before a little bit of understanding gets thrown their way?
Is it the fault of the industry overall? The demands they are met with as pro wrestlers? What needs to change?
Some have made it through the industry unscathed…some, but unfortunately not all, as is proof here.
These men and women go through a lot; it’s why I have always respected wrestlers and even before I was a pro wrestling journalist…when I was a younger, once a pro wrestler hit the road and did the work, they had my respect and the same goes today and for many fans out there it’s the same.
Jeff Hardy is a good man that has slipped, and yes, he’s slipped many times, but that doesn’t make him any less of a great man. What follows for him is the personal battle with his demons and a legal battle that may test him only further.
He can get through this and if we all do our part and wish him well and give him the space and support he needs, he’ll get there sooner rather than later, and he can have that end to a remarkable career he wanted when he first signed on with AEW. It’s within his grasp and I believe in him. Our prayers are with you and your family, Jeff…from everyone here at Pro Wrestling News Hub. You got this, Jeff.
“Fall seven times, stand up eight.”
– Japanese proverb
“It is often in the darkest skies that we see the brightest stars.”
– Richard Evans
“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.”
