In Defense of… 05.31.06: Jeff Hardy (Part 2 of 2)
Posted by JP Prag on 05.31.2006
It’s the swanton to the finish!
In Defense of…
By JP Prag
Issue #57
Jeff Hardy (Part 2 of 2)
Intro
Hello people who are finding Tums less than helpful, and welcome back to In Defense Of…! Insane travel plus 95 degree weather plus too much work plus needing sleep plus allergies plus being sick equals JP is not in a good mood. Yet how could I deny you, my fabulous readers, another week without the conclusion to this case?
Then again, I think it's getting obvious that Hidden Highlights (the reader-approved most positive article in the IWC) is the real reason you love me. Why, I could stop doing this tomorrow and just do some Hidden Highlight every week! Certainly would be easier. But then again, I'd be lazier than JT, and we can't have that.
Anyway, for those new to the concept, this article has a pretty simple premise:
Certain people, events, organizations, and storylines in wrestling history have gotten a bum wrap. Some writers have presented overtly critical comments and outright lies as fact, and others have followed suit. Well no more! "In Defense of…" has one reason: to bring the truth to the wrestling fan!
Glad you are back from that. Stenographer, tell us what we already know!
Thanks JP. Well, our story began not so long ago, but longer than people suspect. Back in 1977, Jeff Hardy was born on a tobacco farm and discovered he had an older brother named Matt. Their mother died of cancer in 1986, and the boys were forced to take on the responsibilities of running the house and farm. They found an outlet when they were young in pro-wrestling, and then started to backyard wrestle.
And where as JP, as a backyard wrestler (actually named Lamentablamente, not Contablemente. JP should do better research on himself) never really made much (or anything) of it, the boys actually started to turn it into a career. In 1994, at just 16 years of age, Jeff made his official debut in the North Carolina independents. At the same time, he and his brother started a wrestling organization that would eventually become OMEGA and train such future stars as Shannon Moore, Joey "Joey Mercury" Matthews, Shane/Gregory Helms, Joey Abs, and Lita. Self-admitting, Jeff said that Matt did the vast majority of the booking and finances, and he was fine with that. Instead, Jeff played two different characters and explored the boundaries of being a professional.
And while Jeff was playing two characters and being a part-time landscapers, he also traveled as far away as Japan in order to continue to learn and expand his horizons as a wrestler. During this time, too, the brothers got work as jobbers in the WWF, though had yet to be offered contracts. It was not until Jeff was twenty that the brothers were invited to the Funkin' Dojo.
In 1998 they began training in the Dojo with no guarantee that they would get a contract out of it. Less than two years later the brother were signed to five year contracts. After doing some jobbing on Shotgun Saturday Night, the two got teamed up with Michael Hayes. Before their big push could commence, Jeff took a leave of absence to participate in the ECWA Super 8 Tournament and the IWA Junior Heavyweight tournament. He did not take this time off just because, but for the same reason he always does: to try to expand and explore his abilities. While Matt may be content to find that the thing that works and does it, living out his dream job, Jeff always wanted to push the limits of his body and mind.
Once he was back, the two got to take off, winning belts, teaming with Gangrel, dropping belts, winning belts, getting Lita. This went on for a while and everything was good.
Again Jeff wanted to expand, while Matt was content as they were. At the time, Matt actually requested the two stay together. Even still, Jeff got the chance to prove himself and win a number of singles titles, including the IC, European, Hardcore, and Light Heavyweight. After the team officially broke up, Jeff even had a series of matches with the Undertaker, showing the faith the WWF had in him. All of this had happened by the time Jeff was 25.
But even a couple of years earlier Jeff was aware of the toll he had taken on his body, and planned to retire young. Who could blame him? By the time he was 25 he had been wrestling for a decade. Towards the end of his WWE run, all the signs were evident. He was burned out from travel, matches, and unfulfilled storylines. But as Jeff Hardy, he wanted to do more. He began exploring his music, art, and poetry more and focused less on wrestling. He still had the passion, but just not the commitment anymore.
Even then he knew he was not going to be able to give the sport his all, and rated himself a five out of ten. Jeff let everyone know he was not the person to build a promotion or major program around, but TNA decided to do it anyway. That was TNA's mistake, as Jeff made his position clear: his music was his life, everything else was secondary. Eventually, he missed a couple of shows and he was suspended. I'm not going to try to excuse him missing shows, but TNA had to know what they were getting.
Yet despite being suspended, Jeff Hardy remains the top seller for TNA. His drawing power for the company is incredible, and they have started using him on house shows. He's not being big headed and is losing just as much as winning. He's going out there because he loves to perform, not because he needs it to be his life. You see, Matt Hardy's entire life revolves around wrestling, but Jeff Hardy's life revolves around Jeff Hardy. Wrestling is not the only thing in his life, and there is nothing wrong with that.
No, not much wrong with that. But there may be something wrong drug abuse. Let's find out!
Oh these little pills
Here it is from Brandon Truitt's review of the Jeff Hardy Shoot Interview:
Drugs in the business- You don't have to have them to make it in the business but the road schedule will raise the chances that you'll use them. He admits experimenting with drugs but denies being heavily addicted like many fans think he is. He talks about how addiction can completely change a person and brings up how Eddy Guerrero was sent to rehab in 2001. He talks about how he got surprised with a drug test, which he came up positive for and got released as a result. He says that it was a good thing for him because he needed to leave the WWE for a while. "They acted like I was going to die" and tried to send him to rehab, but he refused. He says he's changed his drug use and that he doesn't have a problem now. He refuses to name his drug of choice but says it was the one thing he kept testing positive for. Jeff also bitches about how everyone claims he was on drugs, plural, while he was only on one type of drug.
You see, Jeff Hardy was taking some kind of recreational drug. I'm not going to say I agree with his choice, but the WWE made the wrong correlation. They thought that because he was late to shows and not putting on his best performances that he was completely out of control with drugs. The thing was, Jeff was just restless. He wanted to focus on his music, but could not do that while under contract. The WWE wanted him to go to rehab, but he knew that was unnecessary. This interview was done just two months after his release. If Jeff Hardy had a major problem, he would not have been able to just stop using the drug. It was a choice then for him.
I hate to make excuses for anyone, especially when it comes to drug abuse, but the environment of the WWE locker room does have an affect on people. From earlier in the interview:
Was he ribbed a lot for being so young in the WWE? Yes, partially because they didn't drink. One of their assignments after their appearance in wrestler's court was to drink beers on the way home that night.
So the Hardy Boyz came into the then WWF mostly innocent and picked up these habits from being on the road with the boys, some of it brought on them. We are still talking about a kid who grew up on a farm with very little parental supervision and never got to go to college. He never had a time to experiment and discover who he was. There was no childhood and adolescence. Sure, he got to make a career out of play fighting, but it was still work from the time he was 16 onwards.
In the WWE he got introduced to something, and probably used the drug more because he felt stymied and locked out from being creative. Leaving the WWE gave him the opportunity to find creativity again and lessened his need to find other outlets. In this case, the WWE was the enabler for his drug use. This quote from the shoot helps sum up the environment at the time:
Is he still a wrestling fan? Yes, but politics make him sick. "I wish I'd had a couple of terms in the White House" before working in the WWE.
And again, there was no "abuse", it was just the misconstruing of unrelated facts.
You are out of here!
Of course, this was not the first time Jeff had been pushed aside by the WWE. Back in 2001/2002, the Hardyz and Lita got taken off TV for a while. From Obsessed with Wrestling:
Matt & Jeff Hardy (and Lita) are written out of WWF storylines when the Undertaker injuries all of them.
But why? Team Extreme had just gotten back together, so it seemed like a rather inappropriate time. This question from the shoot may help:
Why were they taken off of TV in late 2001 and early 2002? That was when they were given the plan of him kissing Lita in a pre-taped segment. He went up to Stephanie McMahon and refused to do it and believes that it was a part of the office testing him because he'd never shot anything down before. Michael Hayes got the job of telling them that they were still expected to be at TV but that they were now off [TV and only performed on] the house show circuit.
Also from the other end and the Matt Hardy shoot interview review by Derek Burgan:
Neither Hardy was a fan of their proposed "feud," but Matt said their one match at Vengeance wasn't that bad considering Matt was sick as a dog and Jeff clearly didn't give a damn. The "office" expected more from the Hardys though, and were still pissed that Jeff outright refused to an angle where he would kiss Lita and steal her away from Matt. Jeff told Vince McMahon himself, "I will not kiss her. I won't do it. I'll quit." Both the Hardys and Lita were then punished by being taken off TV till "creative" could figure out what to do with them. All three were still made to go to house shows though as the fans still couldn't get enough.
Well, you have to give Jeff props for standing by his convictions despite the consequences. Many others in his same situation have crumbled in order to keep their jobs, but Jeff has his own moral code that he kept. Because of that, he would not kiss Matt's girlfriend, even in a pretend world. It was not something he wanted to do (though judging by Matt's later reaction with Edge, he probably knew his brother's jealous streak).
Yet, much like what is happening now with TNA, Jeff and his brother were still a draw and were selling house show tickets. It was the story in 2001, and it is still the story in 2006.
Of course, this is probably what Vince McMahon saw in Jeff Hardy in 2002. just a year later. From Matt's shoot:
By this time Jeff Hardy was starting to totally withdraw himself from the old cliques, to the point where even his relationship with Matt was strained as Jeff was "traveling with guys he shouldn't have been traveling with." I'm pretty sure that's kayfabe for "Justin Credible." Jeff had become disenfranchised with wrestling and started to look at it like just another job. Matt talked about the famous ladder match that Jeff had with Undertaker at Raw and how Vince McMahon, despite all the crap Jeff had pulled in the previous months, was all over Jeff after the match putting Jeff over. This was another example of Matt being frustrated as at the time he was training harder then ever, eating good, tanning and showing up for work on time while Jeff was blowing everything off. To be fair, I was at that Monday Night Raw (it took place in my hometown of Manchester, NH) and the fans there were ready to blow the roof off the building if Jeff would have won. It would have been just like when Foley won his first WWE title in Worcester, Mass.
And this goes back to our prior point. Jeff has a way of constantly finding a place for himself in wrestling, without even trying that hard. That is Jeff Hardy.
Bumper
What Jeff Hardy is also known for is his daredevil style. The man did train on a trampoline, so that might have had some influence. But actually, Hardy had many diverse styles. From his shoot:
What style did he think the promotion would be? They'd just started breaking tables and stuff like they'd seen on Sabu's tapes, so they started doing hardcore stuff. They began mixing it up with Lucha Libre after they saw tapes of Rey Misterio's matches in ECW.
And…
Working in Japan- He'd seen tapes and was somewhat prepared although it was unusual to have quiet crowds during the match. That's changed, as the crowds were MUCH louder when he came back with the WWE during a recent tour. It wasn't hard working the Japanese style because he'd worked out with the two guys he wrestled over there and had laid out both matches beforehand.
As we've noted earlier, Hardy traveled the world, worked as two different wrestlers at once, and tried to expand his abilities. In the WWE, he became the daredevil. He still wanted to see how far he could take it. Because of the timing, the WWE was much more lenient on what they would let wrestlers do (the big push of the Attitude Era trying to dismantle WCW by any means necessary). From the shoot:
Did the road agents tell them to tone their style down? A little bit, but that was mainly because they'd have to clear spots with them before matches. He says that the agents would usually come up to him and ask him if he wanted to do certain crazy spots.
Also…
Did the WWF ever encourage them to do crazier bumps? Only at PPVs, when they'd come up with crazy ideas for bumps that the agents thought no one else would do. The only thing he ever did shoot down was kissing Lita, as he and Matt had agreed that they wouldn't do an angle between them playing off the Matt-Lita relationship.
Did he think he could do that style forever? He knew that he'd have to change it eventually and says that Matt has adjusted to the change in style much better than him, as proven by his recent match with Chris Benoit on Smackdown.
Strangely, Jeff has taken on a much more brawling style and less off-the-ropes type maneuvers. Since he is wrestling less he can do more bumps compared to doing them every night. As we saw earlier, Jeff knew that his style in the WWE was taking its toll on him and he would have to slow down eventually. Actually, here is another good reminder from Jim Varsallone's article for the Wrestling Observer in December 2001:
"I'm 23 now, and some mornings when I wake up, I'm going, `Owww, man, my back, my shoulder, my knee. Oh my god,' "Jeff says. "Then, I'll start the day, and I'll begin to feel normal again because I've pretty much adapted to it. We're used to being sore, but both of us have been really lucky as far as not suffering any really serious injuries. We've had all kinds of injuries, but nothing bad enough to really throw that huge stop sign in front of us. Then again, I don't think about the future much. That's what makes my crazy ass do what I do. I'm still growing up, and I'm still maturing as far as wrestling goes. I'm really starting to realize I am going to have to slow down. It all comes down to character and personality. In the WWF, you don't have to do the crazy moves every night in the ring where you're getting hurt. We hope well be able to slow down a little bit and still excite crowds, so we can save some years on our career."
He now has a reputation that takes him farther than his spots can, and his TNA T-shirt sales prove that. Only a man like Jeff Hardy could not wrestle at all and still be a top seller. His style has justified his life. He has found his success, as was his plan. Nothing else there truly matters.
You know what I'm thinking?
Of course, the other side of wrestling style is psychology. Jeff has been accused of having none. But is that true? First, this from the shoot:
Who was his mentor early on, psychology-wise? Michael Hayes, because they met him around the time they began jobbing. "He was our wrestling daddy."
So Hayes (and many others) trained Jeff in the idea of in-ring psychology. Your response would be, "Yeah, but he didn't listen." Or did he? Back to the shoot:
Michael Hayes- He and Matt are big Freebirds fans, although they mainly saw the Hayes and Jimmy Jam Garvin version of the team. Great guy and has a good mind for the business, as he taught them a lot about ring psychology. He then starts into a monologue about psychology and his views on it, which I'm not going to transcribe but can be boiled down to saying that he doesn't believe in traditional psychology and, as a result, people think that he doesn't know psychology at all.
You see, typical in-ring psychology consists of working on a body part that leads to a conclusion of using that body part to win the match. Or, in similar situations, trading moves that are trying to lead to the end of the match. Hardy sees psychology as building up the audience for the big finish, not building up the wrestlers. That is the main difference. We have been conditioned to think that there is only one type of psychology, or only one type good "workrate". I'll get into this more in Issue #75, but for now let's just note that there is more than one belief to how you can wrestle.
And how can you argue with Hardy's choices? His in-ring style and thoughts on psychology got him over in the ring and keep the money flowing in today. So he does not have a "traditional" view of psychology. You know who else didn't have a "traditional" view? Freud. Just because it is "traditional" that does not mean it is best or the only. Slavery was traditional for thousands of years, that didn't make it right. Hardy is nothing if not an explorer, and he decided to explore another facet of being a wrestler. He re-wrote what it means to work in the ring to a design that made sense to him. If he was unsuccessful at it, I would still defend him. Instead, he found a way to make it a part of his whole performance and turn it into a profitable and entertaining franchise.
Wipe that brush off
The other area that Hardy gets confused with is his "art". Now, I personally believe that art should have a message or a meaning. If I am looking at a painting, I (or someone with a better critical eye), should be able to know the purpose of the painting. For most of history, most art was created out of necessity. People were painters and sculptors for their jobs, writers and poets were trying to change the times (or maintain them), and glass blowers needed to make windows, albeit pretty ones.
But for the past half century, there has been so much additional leisure (especially in the United States) that many people have given up on "Art for purpose" or "Art for recreation" (ie, a hobby) and have started to create "Art for the sake of art". Let me expand on this.
Back in college I knew a girl name Sanaa that fancied herself as artist. I thought she was a hack. She used to do atrocious things like papier-mâché bottles. Yeah. So anyway, one day she painted something and asked me to look at it. The conversation went like this…
JP: So, what are you trying to say with this painting?
Sanaa: I'm trying to convey… emotion.
JP: Emotion?
Sanaa: Yes… emotion.
JP: Any particular emotion?
Sanaa: No, just emotion.
JP: Emotion?
Sanaa: Yes, emotion.
The point is, I—personally—do not believe that what Sanaa was doing was art. But there is a whole generation of people like her that do believe that is art. Jeff Hardy is one of those people. He feels that painting his body is like a form of expression. The conversation would go like this:
JP: So what are you trying to express by painting your body?
Jeff Hardy: I'm trying to express myself.
JP: But what in particular are you trying to express?
Jeff Hardy: I'm expressing the need for expression.
You can see the corollary.
Although most of the contemporary world would not consider Jeff's body painting, poetry, and music to be the greatest form of artistic creation, it is the wave of this generation. Jeff has the connection with the audience in a way than cannot be replicated for he truly believes what they believe. It's not like he's pretending to be an "Art for art's sake" type person; that is exactly who he is! Although you or I may not personally agree with that lifestyle, there is a large and vocal fanbase that stands behind Jeff Hardy, and all the expressions of expression he submits.
Whisper that into the wind
Jeff Hardy is a man who, at 28 at the time of this writing, already has spent twelve years in the industry. In that time, he has captured almost every major tag team and singles title available, and made a ton of money along the way. Because he is so young, we see the potential for a long future unfulfilled. What we miss is the long past filled with glorious accomplishments. Jeff knew long ago that his time in wrestling in the spotlight would be limited, and he was ok with that. It is only us who have failed to see Jeff has.
As time went on, the dream of working for the WWE became a job. As a man who always wants to expand his horizons, the WWE of the twenty-first century must be incredibly stifling. Because of this, Hardy let his skills and talent go. He wanted to explore other worlds, other ideas. He gave the world notice that he was no longer the man to build a promotion around, yet others refused to listen. They wanted Jeff to be something he could not be anymore.
Sure, the possibilities are endless. Hardy still selflessly wrestles today. Without being on TV, he is still the highest grossing merchandising person in TNA. His very presence brings in fans, money, and interest. Truly, he is the charismatic enigma.
The defense rests.
Hung Jury
Well everyone, that wraps up our twenty-fifth case. So what do you think?
And please take into consideration the rules (well, they're more what you might call guidelines than rules) of a fair court system:
(1) All parties, events, circumstances, etc… are innocent until proven guilty. In this court, the defendants have already been found guilty without trial, and so therefore this is an appeals court. Finding a defendant guilty means you disagree with the evidence presented.
(2) The jury must find the defendant guilty beyond reasonable doubt. That means that if there is doubt in your mind that the defendant is guilty, then you cannot find the appellant guilty. Reasonable doubt means that the average person, looking at the facts presented, could not find the defendant guilty on all counts despite personal feelings.
(3) This is a court of fact, not fiction. Fantasies of what could have been or should have been do not fly here; especially fantasies of the impossible (such as a wrestler not getting injured at an untimely moment). All we have is what did actually occur and the intentions of those being accused.
(4) A defendant cannot be judged by events outside the case at hand. For example, if we were trying a particular contract signing by a wrestling promoter, you cannot use that ten years later that wrestler died from a heart attack relating to the drug use that the wrestler started when he signed with the promoter. One has nothing to do with the other in terms of the case at hand.
(5) You do not have to like the accused before or after the case at hand, and a vote of not guilty does not change your personal preferences. You can make it clear that you feel the accused is the worst thing you have ever seen, but if the facts compel you to see that the accused cannot be found guilty beyond reasonable doubt, then voting guilty would be unconscionable.
And if you have any more questions about the rules, my writing style, the In Defense Of… creed, or what I do and don't do or why I do or don't do it, please see Issue #52.
Keeping the rules of this court in mind…
IN THE CASE OF THE IWC VS. JEFF HARDY, JEFF HARDY HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF BEING A WRECKLESS AND DANGEROUS WRESTLER WHO IS COMPLETELY UNRELIABLE AND SHOULD NEVER BE TRUSTED TO WORK IN A WRESTLING RING. HE WAS NEVER AS GOOD AS ANYONE BELIEVED, AND ONLY KNOWS HOW TO DO CRAZY SPOTS TO GET OVER.
I think I have about three minutes until posting time (sorry, had to talk to my parents for two hours), so Manu, please check my grammar and spelling!
Anyway, these multi-part cases are fun, but I need a good one-shot… something unexpected. So when we return it is: In Defense of… the European Championship (Part 1 of 1)!
In the meantime, be sure to check out Hidden Highlights—the most positive article in the IWC, as voted on by you, the readers! Don't forget to send JT and I your Hidden Highlights for RAW, SmackDown!, Heat, Velocity ECW on SciFi, Impact, or any other show you saw this week (that includes house shows and indy events, you know)!
Until then, the next time you read some throwaway line presented as fact, challenge it. The truth matters, and you have a right to know.
Know a particular person, event, organization, storyline, etc… in wrestling history that needs a defense? E-mail the One and Only JP at lookforme@mikefine.com, and I'll be glad to hear your case.
