Jeff Hardy recently mentioned that he would like to bring his Willow character to WWE. He even suggested he would like for Willow to feud with Bray Wyatt’s “Fiend” character. Hardy was speaking with BT Sport when he mentioned possibly bringing Willow into WWE.

“Years ago, I would be Jeff Hardy and then I’d be this guy Willow and Willow is my go-to wrestling persona. So, man, and that’s another dream of mine that I would like to do before I’m done, to bring Willow into the WWE Universe and see what happens,” Hardy said.

“I just have a strange feeling that something crazy cool could happen between Willow and The Fiend.”

Jeff Hardy As The Willow

Hardy used the Willow persona in the OMEGA promotion he founded with his brother Matt in the late 90s. The promotion only lasted a couple of years and was folded after the Hardys signed with WWE. Hardy would bring the Willow character back in TNA in early 2014. He would return to his Jeff Hardy character later that same year.

Hardy will face AJ Styles on Smackdown tonight for the Intercontinental title. Hardy defeated Styles for the title on the August 21st edition of Smackdown. This is the 5th time in history Hardy has held the title.

• AJ Styles Opens Up About His Coronavirus Experience

Jeff Hardy recently engaged in a rivalry with Sheamus on WWE Smackdown where his past drinking and DUI issues were a focal point. During a recent interview with the Daily Star, Hardy opened up about his real-life issues being used on WWE programming.

“The stuff with Sheamus that’s happened most recently, I knew there was a great outcome in it. I knew that bar fight was going to be cinematic and good,” Hardy said. He continued to say that he does not read comments online that have been critical of the angle.

“I’m not a social media guy at all, I don’t read comments or the negativity of people who thought it was wrong or that [WWE] were treating me [badly], I don’t read any of that.”

He then spoke about how his angle with CM Punk had similar undertones.

“Even thinking back to the stuff with CM Punk when I was failing drugs tests, they turned it into a storyline and that’s what I mean when I talk about roller-coasters of good and bad,” Hardy continued.

Hardy then said that he hopes his real-life problems playing out on WWE programming can help people who suffer from similar problems.

“Throughout all of that, so long as I can continue to do good, especially with this, my last chance to get it right, it is going to inspire people around the world that I’ll never meet, that need to stay sober to survive.”

“Hopefully I’m doing that through the television screen and helping people I’ll never know.”

• Bully Ray Talks Backstage Meeting Following Infamous Jeff Hardy TNA Incident

The full interview can be read here.

Jeff Hardy is now a five-time WWE Intercontinental Champion. 

The former WWE Champion battled AJ Styles for the secondary title on SmackDown during Friday’s episode on FOX. This served as the main event match although there was a FireFly Fun House segment that followed the contest.

The two had plenty of time and worked a solid match. In the end, Hardy hit Styles with his knee brace before landing a Swanton Bomb to win the title. 

This was the first show to be held live in months and first-ever episode from the ThunderDome, which has been transformed in Orlando, Florida at the Amway Center.

Hardy cut a promo after the match where he noted that he’s been through dark moments as life has all sorts of challenges. 

However, he stands here in the ring with a painful knee, but more importantly with hope just like everyone who is struggling right now and he couldn’t be here without them. 

• Randy Orton Reveals Original Plans For Ric Flair Segment On RAW

What are your thoughts on Jeff Hardy winning the WWE Intercontinental Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

WWE Superstar Naomi recently appeared on WWE’s The New Day: Feel The Power podcast. The tenured Superstar discussed a number of topics from her career with the company, from FCW, to Team Bad and her current run with her ‘Glow’ gimmick.

New Day member Kofi Kingston discussed the ‘glow’ styling that Naomi has in her entrance, saying how it is possibly the “best entrance in the company.”

“You embraced the whole ‘feel the glow thing’ and like reinvented yourself in that respect” Kofi Kingston began on the podcast. “And your entrance was/is amazing.”

• Randy Orton & Ric Flair Segment Reportedly Edited For TV

Kofi would then reveal that the ‘Glow’ gimmick may have actually been his way back in 2010…if he took it. “Funny story about that” Kofi began. “That was, I think back in like 2010? I was with the merch team, they were trying to come up with like different shirts. They have all these terrible designs, and one of them was like this weird, like silhouette of me? There was like this weird body paint.”

Kofi Kingston as the ‘Black’ Jeff Hardy?

Kingston would elaborate further, saying “and the dude at merch was like pitching me this idea. And he’s like, ‘oh, you could maybe you come out and you have black light body paints on? You can kind of be like the Black version of Jeff Hardy?’ And I said ‘what are you talking about!? Coming out painting myself glowed in the dark!? THAT’S STUPID!? Why would anyone ever do that!?”

Kofi Kingston would then reveal that he might’ve made a mistake when he saw how great Naomi’s entrance actually was. “I’m like ‘this could be the best entrance on the roster’ right? I look back at it now and I think like maybe I should have embraced it! What you (Naomi) are doing is probably what they were talking about.”

“But if they described it to me in a better way than being the ‘black version of Jeff Hardy?’ I might have like got into it!” Kofi would finish.

WWE Intercontinental Champion AJ Styles will reportedly defend the title against Jeff Hardy at the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view.

WWE has not announced Hardy vs. Styles as of this writing, but PWInsider reports that this was the planned direction for the SmackDown episode that is taping in Orlando today at the Performance Center. This is the episode that will air tomorrow night on FOX.

This would be the first we’ve seen of the Hardy vs. Styles feud on SmackDown. Hardy wrapped his feud with Sheamus a few weeks ago, and Styles has successfully defend the title over Drew Gulak, Matt Riddle and Gran Metalik in recent weeks.

Below is the current line-up for the 2020 SummerSlam pay-per-view, which will air live on August 23rd:

– WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews defends against MVP

– RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits defend against Andrade & Angel Garza

– RAW Women’s Champion Sasha Banks defends against Asuka

– SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley defends against the winner of the Tri-Brand Battle Royal on SmackDown

– WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman defends against “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt

– Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio (Mysterio will be allowed to use weapons)

– WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends against Randy Orton

WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the infamous incident involving Jeff Hardy from TNA’s 2011 PPV Victory Road.

Jeff Hardy appeared in the main event of that show. Hardy faced Sting for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, however he was visibly intoxicated and the call was made for Sting to pin Hardy early in the bout and go home on the broadcast.

There’s been much publicised about the incident and both Hardy and Sting have spoken extensively on the subject. The ‘backstage’ issues surrounding the incident were even brought up on television at the time, with AJ Styles lambasting Hardy in a backstage segment on IMPACT.

Bully Ray on Jeff Hardy

“I remember when Jeff Hardy had the problem, you know in the match against Sting” Bully Ray began. “Remember that debacle in TNA?”

“I remember when Jeff came back to the company” Bully Ray continued. “And they [TNA] made him apologise to the locker room. They put Jeff in front of the whole locker room and he just kind of apologised like I’m really sorry blah blah blah blah blah.”

Bully Ray would elaborate further, saying “then they said at the end of the meeting ‘does anybody have anything to say?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I do.’ I said, ‘Jeff, I really couldn’t care less about all of these things that went on. All I care about is that you can still hit your finish. Now let’s go out there and make some money.'”

The context of Bully’s comments surrounded the recent public issues that Matt Riddle is facing. The former UFC fighter turned WWE Superstar was recently accused of sexual abuse, however he has denied all allegations.

“All of this outside stuff is noise” Bully Ray finished. “We’re performers, when your music hits? You get in there, you perform, you tear the house down. And then you go home.”

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All Elite Wrestling’s Matt Hardy has hinted at his concerns over WWE’s current storyline between his brother Jeff Hardy and Sheamus.

The two have been feuding for weeks, with a heavy focus of the narrative being put on Jeff Hardy’s past real-life substance abuse issues. It’s something Matt Hardy believes could be adding “unneeded pressure” on his brother.

Responding to a fan on Twitter, Matt Hardy stressed how AEW has allowed him to “brand his persona.”

He explained how this freedom has seen him help out younger talent both on-screen and backstage. Matt Hardy noted how AEW has celebrated his legacy and contributions to the pro wrestling industry.

It was argued how Matt is being celebrated for his impact on the industry in AEW, whereas Jeff is being presented as a “junkie.”

It was then asked, “What if he relapsed?” These concerns are clearly shared by Matt Hardy, who acknowledged he has the same worries for Jeff.

Having lost to Sheamus at WWE Backlash, Jeff Hardy and Sheamus are scheduled to face each other once more. They will clash in a Bar Fight. The match takes place at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, which airs on July 19 on the WWE Network.

SmackDown Superstar Jeff Hardy has shared a list of top names in WWE that he’d love to wrestle. Speaking with WWE show The Bump, Hardy opened up about some of his dream opponents once his current feud with Sheamus has concluded.

Hardy admitted that it’s been a dream of his to once again wrestle AJ Styles. He noted he they have crossed paths before when Hardy “went to another wrestling world.” He added how Styles was his first match back in WWE, “and I remember being so nervous because he was so good. We’re both the same age, but we’re the complete opposites.”

Alongside “The Phenomenal One,” Hardy named Roman Reigns and “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt as Superstars he’d love to compete against. Jeff Hardy noted how if he was able to feud with “The Fiend,” he’s confident they would be “something special between me and him.”

Jeff Hardy is set to face off against Sheamus at WWE’s upcoming event The Horror Show at Extreme Rules. They will compete in a Bar Fight matchup. The last time these two Superstars competed, Hardy lost to Sheamus at WWE Backlash back in June. 

The Horror Show at Extreme Rules take place on July 19 on the WWE Network. 

SmackDown Superstar Jeff Hardy was a guest on this week’s episode of WWE show The Bump. During his time on the show, Hardy reflected on his recent feud with Sheamus. He acknowledged the comparisons that could be made between their current rivalry with his previous feud with CM Punk back in 2009. Both feuds utilized Hardy’s real-life personal problems as a starting point for a storyline.

“Since my early 20’s, I’ve been in and out of addiction – the roller coaster of good and bad. Sadly, but in a creative sense, it’s been a big power for me,” Hardy admitted. “Even back in the days of feuding with [CM] Punk, it kind of reminds me of that with Sheamus. It can be extremely uncomfortable at times, but that’s when I’ve got to stay strong on my beliefs, and where I am right now.” 

The hosts then spoke about his feud with Punk, highlighting when Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Hardy back at Extreme Rules 2009. Hardy confessed the moment gives him “goosebumps” and that he was genuinely excited for Punk to have his moment. He added how he was happy to be a “tremendous loser” that night, arguing that if you’re a good loser in pro wrestling you’re a better winner in the bigger scheme of things.

Jeff Hardy recently lost his matchup against Sheamus at WWE’s last pay-per-view, Backlash. 

Fox officials were not happy with the segment between Jeff Hardy and Sheamus setting up a Backlash match between the two from last week’s episode of SmackDown.

The segment aired in full during the broadcast from East Coast. However, the ending of the segment was cut from the broadcast in the West Coast.

According to reports from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio, the network officials believed that the SmackDown angle violated their Standards & Practices.

So they decided to put a commercial break right before the controversial spot in the West Coast broadcast of the show which airs on tape delay.

• Also Read: WWE Re-Hires Producer Released As Part Of Budget Cuts

For those who don’t know, Sheamus come down to the ring during the show and demanded a drug test from Hardy to prove that he was clean before their match.

The spot in question which Fox Officials were not happy with came towards the ending of the SmackDown segment when Hardy, after taking the test, tossed the container of urine into the face of his opponent.

The angle set up a match between the two former World Champions for the Backlash PPV which took place this past Sunday and Sheamus ended up winning this bout.

The start of this week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown was different as WWE did an interesting storyline involving Jeff Hardy. 

Also, fans now know who will be in the finals of the tournament that will determine the new Intercontinental Champion as those competitors have been revealed. 

The semi-finals of the tournament were supposed to take place on Friday’s episode of SmackDown in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center on FOX. The pair of matches were Jeff Hardy vs. Daniel Bryan and Elias vs. AJ Styles. 

However, the show opened with a car parked on a curb with the hood open and Elias on the ground. Once EMT’s and police arrived, they found Hardy nearby and arrested him. Police found an alcohol bottle as well as the registration in the name of Hardy for the rental car. Elias was taken away by ambulance. 

Hardy has a history of drunk driving and issues with alcohol abuse. 

Thus, after a backstage meeting, it was determined that Styles would advance to the finals while Bryan would take on the winner of a 10-man battle royal in the opening contest. 

This contest was won by Sheamus, who took on Bryan in the main event.  As seen on the show, Bryan went over Sheamus thanks to a distraction from the returning Hardy.

The finals of the tournament between Styles and Bryan will take place in two weeks on SmackDown. 

• Jeff Hardy Wants a ‘Cinematic’ Match With The Fiend Bray Wyatt

The semi-finals of the WWE Intercontinental Championship Tournament are set.

The second batch of matches in this tournament took place on Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center on FOX.

Those matches saw AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura with Styles going over and Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy with Hardy being victorious. 

WWE held the first batch of matches last week that saw Elias defeat Baron Corbin and Daniel Bryan beat Drew Gulak, who departed from the company after the match after his contract had expired with WWE and the company deciding to nix the talks about a new deal when he asked for more money. 

WWE Intercontinental Championship Tournament Semi-Finals

Now, Bryan will battle Hardy while Elias is slated to take on Styles in the semi-finals of the tournament. 

WWE announced when the finals will take place. It will take place next week on SmackDown.

WWE presents the Backlash pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 14, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center that will air on the WWE Network. Time will tell whether the finals go down at this show.

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Jeff Hardy appeared on this week’s episode of WWE’s After The Bell podcast. The Charismatic Enigma spoke to Corey Graves about returning to SmackDown and his desire to work a ‘cinematic’ match against “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt.

“I just want to have one more good run man and maybe become the World Champion, the Universal Champion” Jeff Hardy began. “I would love to do something with The Fiend Bray Wyatt, I got some crazy cool ideas.”

Jeff Hardy Enters The Twilight Zone

Hardy would then go into detail with ideas for the potential ‘cinematic’ match with Wyatt. “I was like ‘what if there was something like The Twilight Zone?’ Because back when we did the Hardy Show that we had this thing called the WhyLight Zone. So now what if we, I don’t know…like Wyatt beat me and took me under the ring? Then all of a sudden I’m in the Funhouse by a black and white TV and it’s like the Twilight Zone?”

With the recent COVID-19 pandemic situation WWE have had to be creative when it comes to filming certain bouts/segments. WrestleMania 36 was unprecedented for a variety of reasons, two of them being the Boneyard match and the Firefly Fun House match.

It’s fair to comment that the ‘Deletion’ matches that Matt (predominately) and Jeff Hardy spearheaded have had a huge influence on these types of bouts. With WWE now able to add a world class production style to the cinematic bouts they can take a life of their own.

“I’m just excited about crazy creativity like that that you can pitch, throwing it out there, see if it sticks.”

– Jeff Hardy

Jeff would elaborate further on what he would suggest for a Wyatt match; saying “we do like ‘you’re trying to get out of the black and white TV?’ I’m just excited about crazy creativity like that that you can pitch, throwing it out there, see if it sticks. I’m just not be afraid to be open minded and creative.”

Discussion: Do you want to see Hardy vs. The Fiend in a ‘cinematic’ match?

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Matt Hardy’s brother Jeff Hardy made his return to this week’s Friday Night SmackDown, where he changed his finisher’s name from the Twist of Fate to the Twist of Fury.

The next day Matt Hardy’s wife, Reby Hardy, tweeted the trademark logo, “TM”. Many fans took to mean that Matt had trademarked the Twist of Fate name and now that he is no longer a part of WWE, Jeff was not allowed to use it.

Matt Hardy then had to come out and clear the misconception regarding the move. Fans were jumping on Reby and Matt as they assumed he didn’t want his brother Jeff to be able to use the name. The clarification came after a fan on Twitter asked Matt why he had trademarked the name “Twist of Fate”.

Matt Hardy clarified by replying, “I DID NOT. The @WWE & Jeff are completely free to use “Twist of Fate.” The change 100% came on their end. I wouldn’t ever do anything to hinder my brother. I’m thrilled to see him back on #WWE TV, looking healthy & happy.”

It’s still unclear why Reby posted the trademark message on her Twitter account, which lead to this unnecessary internet drama. While Reby and Jeff have history between them, it has to be noted that her posting the logo doesn’t necessarily mean she was even hinting at Matt Hardy trademarking the move. Twitterati just assumed what they wanted to anyway.

Matt Hardy is gone from WWE, but he is still continuing his “Free the Delete” YouTube series where he is teasing a change in his character’s current persona. He has heavily hinted at joining All Elite Wrestling, since none other than the Young Bucks themselves appeared on the past two episodes.

Related: Jim Ross On If Matt Hardy And Jeff Hardy Might Join AEW In The Future

All Elite Wrestling (AEW) announcer Jim Ross recently spoke about the possibility of Matt and Jeff Hardy joining AEW’s ranks. He addressed the idea during an episode of his podcast, Grillin’ JR. Ross wasn’t shy about wanting to see Matt in AEW and noted how Jeff can “help any company” he’s a part of, but only if he’s healthy.

“When Jeff Hardy is clean and sober and healthy, he can help any company in a big big way,” Jim Ross said. “Then Matt [Hardy], of course, now a free agent. You know there’s a lot of talk about where he’s going. I know where I’d like to see him go, you know obviously I’m selfish.”

Ross continued, “Matt Hardy is another guy that, from his intellect to his character, his integrity, and existing in-ring skills can help any wrestling company. Including the one that I worked for at AEW. I wish him the best.”

If Matt Comes, Will Jeff Follow?

Jim Ross speculated that if AEW is able to sign Matt Hardy to their roster, then “maybe” his brother wouldn’t be too far behind. Matt has been long suspected by fans to be the ‘Exalted One’ AEW’s Dark Order frequently refer to.

Matt Hardy has confirmed he is in talks with various promotions including AEW, NWA, ROH, and Impact Wrestling. No official announcement has been made over where he will go, but he has stated his decision will be within the month. 

Jeff, meanwhile, made his long-awaited return to SmackDown during last night’s episode. He defeated Baron Corbin in his return match to an empty WWE Performance Center.  

Jeff Hardy made his return to in-ring action on WWE television after being on the sidelines for nearly a year. 

He did so on Friday’s episode of SmackDown on FOX. As seen on the show, WWE set up the contest in a backstage segment which is where it was revealed that Hardy would be battling Baron Corbin in a singles match. This contest saw Hardy go over. 

Last week Hardy was spotted at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida in order to have his progress towards an in-ring return checked on.

While his deal with WWE was scheduled to expire on Sunday, March 1, WWE has added extra time to the contract to make up for the time he’s been out. WWE has done this with various stars in the past. 

Hardy underwent knee surgery back in May with the expected timeline that he was going to be out of action for approximately 6-9 months following surgery to repair a damaged knee.

In January, it was reported that WWE officials have pushed Jeff to address his personal health as a result of those charges, which he has been working hard to do so. He confirmed this during an appearance on WWE Backstage. 

Jeff Hardy Declares He Is “Officially Cleared” For In-Ring Return

Jeff Hardy joined WWE Backstage this week, announcing that he has been cleared to return to in-ring action. Following his appearance on the show, Hardy took to Twitter to answer several fan questions that pertained to his career, opponents and future goals.

When asked about the best storyline he was involved with, Hardy pointed to one with a WWE legend. “Overall, over the years, I would have to say the storyline with me and The Undertaker because it was huge for my singles career.”

Although he has not brought his high-flying style to NXT, Hardy already knows which black-and-gold Superstar he would like to face if he ever got the opportunity: Undisputed Era’s Roderick Strong.

“If I had to wrestle somebody in NXT, it would be Roderick Strong. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting that guy. We’ve never went face-to-face, so that would be nice.”

Jeff Hardy’s Future Ambitions & Favorite Opponent

Looking to the future, Hardy shared what he’d like to achieve next in WWE. Calling it a “long stretch,” he opened up about his ambitions to have a big singles match at WrestleMania.

“It’s a long stretch, but I definitely want to—not necessarily main event—but I want to have a big singles match at WrestleMania before I’m done. So, the next 2-3 years, that’s a huge goal that I’m setting for myself.”

Having such a long career in pro wrestling, Hardy has faced a plethora of big names. One name, however, still stands out to him as his favorite opponent.

“Over the years…God rest his soul, I miss him dearly, Umaga was one of my favorite competitors to be in the ring with. We had a great feud, and I miss him every day.”

With his brother, Matt Hardy, now a free agent, some might wonder what’s next for Jeff and whether he will pursue a singles run or find a new tag partner. If he were to find a new partner, Hardy already has one in mind, quickly naming R-Truth. He explained how they’re both into the music scene and believes they would compliment each other as Superstars.

If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.

After weeks of speculation, WWE has confirmed the exact date that Jeff Hardy will make his return to television. 

On Monday night, the company officially announced that the former WWE Champion would be appearing on this Friday’s episode of SmackDown. 

This will mark his first appearance on WWE programming (outside of his recent WWE Backstage interview) since last year. It should be noted that he’s been backstage at the show for the past few weeks but wasn’t used. 

What could be an interesting segment that was also confirmed is former WWE Divas Champion Paige confronting SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley. You can watch the announcement here:

Roman Reigns and The Usos vs. King Corbin, Sheamus & Robert Roode in a six-man tag team match and Braun Strowman vs. Shinsuke Nakamura with Sami Zayn is being locally advertised for the show. 

WWE holds this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown in Detroit, MI at the Little Caesars Arena on FOX.

This will mark the post-show of SmackDown for Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event, which saw John Morrison and The Miz successfully retain the SmackDown Tag Team Titles inside of the Chamber structure against several teams. 

Jeff Hardy Declares He Is “Officially Cleared” For In-Ring Return

Jeff Hardy has revealed he has been “officially cleared” for in-ring action. Hardy joined the team of WWE Backstage for this week’s episode where he provided the update. The Superstar has been present backstage at SmackDown for the past few weeks. He had been sidelined thanks to an unfortunate leg injury just before WrestleMania 35 last April. 

Hardy’s WWE contract was set to expire on March 1. The time he has spent recovering will likely be added, as has been the case other injured Superstars. His brother, Matt Hardy, allowed his contract to recently expire. 

It has been speculated that Matt would eventually be revealed as the Exalted One in All Elite Wrestling. When asked by Renee Young about his brother’s next steps, Jeff confessed they had hardly spoken about what Matt would do next. 

Jeff Hardy Reflects

When asked about his time recovering, Jeff admitted that “the last 9 months have been very crazy.”

“When I had knee surgery, it was a blessing in disguise because my dad was in real bad shape, away from home. So I was able to be over there with him every day and walk with him—he would walk with me but not the nurses. Long story short, I got him home halfway through September, so he’s been home for about 5 months now, and he’s doing much better.

He continued, “[…] on the night of October the 3rd, I got into some trouble. On the morning of October the 4th I arranged for me to go to inpatient rehab for the first time in my life and it was one of the best things I could have ever done for myself, y’ know. And I’ve done something every day to better myself, and it’s just gonna be so good to be back in front of all those people.”

At the time of writing, there is no indication as to when Jeff Hardy will return to the ring despite being cleared.

There are currently 3 WWE Superstars who could be back from long-term injuries shortly. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Nia Jax, Jeff Hardy, and Lars Sullivan could all be back soon.

Jeff Hardy was backstage at the recent Smackdown in Glendale, Arizona. He is due to be back from knee surgery at any point. He has been on the shelf since April. Hardy and his brother Matt had been the Smackdown tag team champions when Hardy was injured shortly after WrestleMania. They were forced to vacate the titles. Jeff has had additional time added to his WWE contract due to injuries as well, which is why Matt’s contract is up on March 1st and Jeff is still under contract past that time.

Nia Jax also went on the shelf in April of last year. She had double knee surgery that was expected to take her out of action until early 2020. She’s expected back shortly as well.

Lars Sullivan went down with a knee injury in June and was estimated to be back in 6-9 months. That put his return scheduled for some time around January – March 2020. So, he is due to be cleared for a return shortly. Sullivan was fined $100,000 by the company last year after offensive message board posts from years ago resurfaced and garnered a strong reaction from fans.

• Jeff Hardy Was Backstage At SmackDown This Week

Former World Champion Jeff Hardy was spotted backstage at this week’s episode of SmackDown from Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, according to PWinsider.

Not only that but he is also scheduled to be at next week’s episode of the show, and the site suggests that it could be an indication that he will become part of a Blue Brand’s roster once he returns to WWE TV.

Jeff Hardy has been out of action since April last year when he and his brother Matt Hardy relinquished the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.

Jeff was dealing with a leg injury at the time and it was reported that the former Champion will stay out of action for six to nine months after his surgery in May.

Hardy was scheduled to visit the performance center in Orlando, Florida last week to have the progress towards his recovery and in-ring return checked out.

The Charismatic Enigma’s current WWE contract was originally set to expire on March 1. Though it’s likely that WWE will add time to his contract for the period he missed due to injury, to try and stop him from leaving the company.

His brother Matt, on the other hand, seems to be on his way out of the promotion. WWE has offered him a new contract but he wants creative control over his character and he is most likely to leave the company at the end of this month.

The latest update on Jeff Hardy’s WWE status has surfaced online. 

According to a report by PWinsider.com, he could be returning to action soon as he’s scheduled to be at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida next week. He’ll be doing so in order to have his progress towards an in-ring return checked on.

While his deal with WWE was scheduled to expire on Sunday, March 1, it’s expected that WWE will add extra time to the contract to make up for the time he’s been out.

WWE has done this with various stars in the past. 

Hardy is slated to make his return to court on April 6th, which is the day after WrestleMania 36 to face the charges related to his DWI arrest from October 3, 2019 in Moore County, NC. This happened after he was arrested in Myrtle Beach, SC on July 13, 2019 for public intoxication.

It was reported last month that WWE officials have pushed Jeff to address his personal health as a result of those charges, which he has been working hard to do so. 

Hardy underwent knee surgery back in May with the expected timeline that he is going to be out of action for approximately 6-9 months following surgery to repair a damaged knee.

Update On Jeff Hardy Seeking Help For Personal Issues

Chris Jericho has made an interesting comparison between AEW’s Darby Allin and WWE’s Jeff Hardy. 

The AEW World Heavyweight Champion did so during a recent appearance on the Keepin’ It 100 podcast where he spoke about a wide range of topics. 

Chris Jericho Compares Stars

Jericho, who is seen as a locker room leader for All Elite Wrestling due to his experience in the business, has picked up on the fan following that Allin has received. 

Jericho sees Allin like a younger version of Hardy due to him taking high-risk moves and also wearing facepaint during his matches. Jericho pointed out how people are starting to dress like Allin. 

“At first, you’re like, ‘who is this guy?’ Then I had him come down and attack me off the skateboard. Then we had the match where he had his hands tied behind his back and all that stuff. He did the crazy promo where he’s in a bodybag, getting crowd surfed at a punk rock show.”

Chris Jericho continued, “Then he has an amazing match with Moxley. He’s made. He went from nothing to a legit made star in less than two months. He wants it. He reminds me a lot of Jeff Hardy. He’s got an x-factor to him.”

• 5 Takeaways From AEW Dynamite (12/18)

Darby Allin’s History

Since the launch of AEW, Allin has put together some good matches with Cody Rhodes, Jon Moxley, and even Chris Jericho. 

Over the past few weeks, AEW has paired Allin with Rhodes on television. After this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite that saw them be tag team partners, they will now square off in a singles match. 

Allin will battle Rhodes on AEW Dynamite on January 1st from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL on TNT. This will mark the first episode of AEW’s weekly television show of the new year.

H/t Fightful for transcript

WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Sirius XM’s Busted Open Radio show Bully Ray recently made some interesting comments regarding Matt Hardy and his current positioning on the WWE roster.

Ray and Dave LeGreca discussed the former ‘Broken’ character’s popularity. Playing the huge pop that he received from Monday Night RAW. Hardy entered the gauntlet match to take on Ricochet.

“Hopefully Matt Hardy and Jeff won’t be angry with me when I say this…”

Bully compared how Matt and his brother Jeff have been treated in the pro wrestling industry throughout their illustrious careers. “Hopefully Matt and Jeff won’t be angry with me when I say this,” Bully began. “But it is what it is. Have Matt and Jeff individually made mistakes on their journey over the past twenty to twenty five years personally outside of the ring? Yes, one hundred percent. You know what everybody makes mistakes and it’s going to happen.”

“They start pushing the hell out of Jeff”

Ray then asked his co-host to describe what happens to Jeff Hardy whenever Matt has made a ‘mistake’ in the past? “They make him a singles star,” Bully stated. “We’ve seen it before, we saw it in the WWE we seen it today he becomes a champion. He becomes a star. They start pushing the hell out of Jeff.”

“it could happen to anybody and hopefully he learned from the mistakes…”

Bully also conversely asked what happens to Matt Hardy when Jeff makes a similar life choice? “Matt just falls down the ladder completely” Bully claimed. “It almost seems like they take out their frustrations on Matt for whatever Jeff may have done wrong. Any mistake that Jeff Hardy has made anybody could make it one time or another. And that’s why he would people gang up on people like that Jeff for a mistake they made whatever mistake it is. Drunken driving or that. This stuff happens. It could happen to you, it could happen to a family member, it could happen to anybody and hopefully he learned from the mistakes. These guys are my brothers.

“[Matt Hardy] gets put back on the back burner, it’s ridiculous…”

Bully then finished by restating how Matt Hardy gets ‘pushed down’ instead of being pushed as a major singles star. “It just always winds up on the back burner, and he keeps reinventing himself and that is the kick in the balls. He takes it on the chin he reinvents himself V1, Big Money Matt, ‘Broken,’ it’s mad [that he] gets this all this stuff over. I think [he] gets put back on the back burner, it’s ridiculous.”

Jeff Hardy has been out of action with a knee injury dating back to this April. The 42-year-old has run into trouble with the police on two separate occasions in recent months. In October, Hardy was arrested for DUI after an incident in Moore County, North Carolina. Back in July, he was arrested for public intoxication stemming from an incident in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

• Jeff Hardy Arrested Again

According to a report from PW Insider, WWE management requested that Hardy seek treatment for his ongoing personal problems in October and Hardy has responded by “aggressively” seeking help. He is said to have responded well to this request and his ongoing treatment.

• Jeff Hardy Arrested, Mugshot Photo Released

In addition to his recent arrests, Hardy was also arrested for DUI in March of 2018. Hardy was arrested and charged with trafficking of a controlled substance in 2009 when police discovered Soma pills, steroids, and cocaine in his home as well.

• Jeff Hardy Arrested For DWI On Saturday Night (UPDATED)
• Jeff Hardy Begins His 10-Day Jail Sentence (Mugshot)

WWE Policy On Criminal Offenses

WWE will only release or take action against contracted talent if they are arrested on certain charges. In the past, DUIs committed by Jeff Hardy, Jimmy Uso, Jake Hager, Santino Marella, and others have come and gone without WWE publicly fining, suspending or releasing the talent. Incidents involving assault, domestic violence, or similar offenses have resulted in the talent being released, however.

Hardy’s contract with WWE is said to have been frozen since April when he went down with a knee injury. WWE and Jeff’s brother Matt are said to be currently in contract negotiations.