WWE United States Champion Jeff Hardy is now using a new finisher as the younger Hardy brother showed off it off at a recent house show.
WWE held a live event on Sunday night in Fresno, CA at the Save Mart Center that was headlined by Hardy retaining his title against Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe and Shelton Benjamin in a Fatal 4-Way match.
The end of the match saw Hardy use a modified stunner and a splash as his finisher. It will be interesting to see if he uses this instead of the swanton bombs going forward.
WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne has hit a new milestone as the current champion. WWE recently noted on Twitter that Dunne’s title reign has surpassed the 400 day mark and the first time in thirty years two WWE Championship holders have had reigns over 400 days.
This is the 1st time since 1988 that @WWE has TWO singles champions (Dunne & @BrockLesnar) who both have 400+ day reigns with titles at the same time. In '88 it was Sherri & @OfficialHTM.
Jeff Hardy has sent a message to Shinsuke Nakamura before their big title match.
As noted, SmackDown General Manager Paige took to her official Twitter account over the weekend to announce that Hardy would defend the United States Title against Nakamura in Ontario, CA at the Citizens Business Bank Arena for this week’s episode of SmackDown Live on the USA Network.
As of this writing, the WWE has yet to reveal any other matches for the show.
WWE posted the following on Instagram before Hardy defends his United States belt against Nakamura on this show:
What are your thoughts on the sports entertainment company booking this match and having Nakamura feud with Hardy after his long rivalry with WWE Champion AJ Styles? Do you think Nakamura wins the title on this week’s episode of the blue branded show? Sound off in the comment section.
The latest episode of Raw saw a surprising title change when Dolph Ziggler answered Seth Rollins’ open challenge and defeated the Architect to win the Intercontinental Championship.
Now the company has announced another Championship match for this week where we could possibly see another title switch, though this time on SmackDown Live.
General Manager Paige recently made a tweet, saying that it’s her responsibility to make the matches that we want to see, and announced a US title match between Jeff Hardy and Shinsuke Nakamura:
“As General Manager of #SDLive, it’s my responsibility to make matches that you want to SEE … so, I’m making it official. Jeff Hardy will defend the US Title against Shinsuke Nakamura THIS Tuesday,”
Jeff Hardy did not defend his Championship at the Money In The Bank PPV and the Charismatic Enigma has not been involved in any long-term feud since his move to SmackDown Live.
On the other hand, Shinsuke Nakamura lost the final bout of his rivalry against AJ Styles at the PPV and he now looks to be moving away from the WWE title picture.
The two started a rivalry when Shinsuke attacked the champion 2 weeks ago and both the stars then cut a promo on each other during last week’s episode of SmackDown Live.
While not confirmed, Nakamura looks to be a worthy opponent to defeat Hardy for the title and he could certainly use the championship now after losing the feud against Styles.
So it shouldn’t be a surprise if he ends up taking the title away from Jeff during his rivalry and it could be as soon as this Tuesday night during the announced bout.
In the latest episode of Something Else To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard on the WWE Network, Conrad Thompson and Bruce discussed current WWE United States Champion Jeff Hardy’s 2003 release from the company. This was Hardy’s first release from the company since starting with them in 1994.
He was released in April of 2003 after a downward spiral of issues. Hardy suffered form drug addiction, erratic behavior, and consistently arrived late to events or even no-showed. Here’s what Prichard had to say on the matter:
“Jeff did have a drug problem, and everything that you just said was taking place. All of the sudden, we had a different human being on our hands, and it wasn’t someone that anyone really liked to work with anymore. if he did show up, he would go on high, and you couldn’t find him all day long, or he’d show up and then leave again.
“It was difficult times being with Jeff Hardy. Jeff had a drug issue—Jeff admitted having a drug issue—but Jeff didn’t want to go to rehab. The condition was ‘Jeff you have to go to rehab or we’ve got to let you go. We’ve got to release you.’ And they released him because he refused to go to rehab. In my opinion, Jeff had a drug problem. Jeff had a lot of issues going on and wasn’t handling them well.”
Having put some of his personal troubles (including a recent DWI arrest) behind him, WWE United States Champion Champion Jeff Hardy returned to Smackdown Live on Tuesday night and vowed revenge against Shinske Nakamura.
On the june 12th edition of SmackDown Live, US Champion Hardy won a match against Nakamura via DQ. Hoping to send a message to his Money In The Bank opponent AJ Styles, Nakamura was disqualified when he hit Hardy with a low blow. He then followed it up with a Kinshasa that left Hardy out cold in the middle of the ring.
Taking a cue from his big brother Matt, Jeff Hardy channeled the stranger aspects of his persona and donned the face paint that was popularized during his run in Impact Wrestling. It remains to be seen if Hardy will go full bore with the weirdness and revive other aspects of his Willow persona, but it’s something new for the WWE veteran.
During Smackdown Live, Nakamura responded to the New-Look Hardy’s promo, warning The US Champion not to cross him again.
Nakamura has been Smackdown Live’s #1 heel, and a newly painted Hardy against the artistic and bizarre Nakamura could easily become the main feud on WWE’s blue brand.
WWE United States Champion Jeff Hardy and Shinsuke Nakamura recently had an exchange of words on social media. It all started once Nakamura posted a photo of himself with Hardy at a WWE event.
This led to Hardy responding to the tweet by bringing up Nakamura’s next big match, which him challenging WWE Champion AJ Styles for the title in a Last Man Standing Match at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena, which will air on the WWE Network.
— #BrotherNero DELETED (@JEFFHARDYBRAND) June 10, 2018
NXT TakeOver: Chicago II Panel
WWE has officially announced the NXT TakeOver: Chicago II panel, which starts at 7:30 ET/4:30 PT before the event that airs just 30-minutes later on the WWE Network on Saturday, June 16, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena.
Charly Caruso, Sam Roberts, and returning analyst Pat McAfee will be working the show. Here is the updated card for this event:
It appears that WWE United States Champion Jeff Hardy is dealing with another injury. This comes via a report from Jonny Fairplay of the PWTorch Pro Wrestling podcast. Hardy reportedly has a pinched nerve that is causing numbness in his fingers.
Hardy hasn’t been used on SmackDown Live in two weeks and only made a handful of TV appearances in May. He was able to retain his United States Title over Randy Orton at the Backlash pay-per-view (PPV) on May 6th, and a few days later lost a match to The Miz on SmackDown Live.
He hasn’t been seen on TV since his loss to Daniel Bryan on SmackDown Live on May 22nd. Despite not making a ton of TV appearances, Hardy has been working dark matches and live events. He and Daniel Bryan defeated Big Cass and The Miz in Tag Team action after 205 Live tapings this week in a dark match.
Hardy also retained his title against Shelton Benjamin in a pre-show dark match on May 29th in North Caroline. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more on the situation.
Some interesting news has surfaced online that has implications for tonight’s WWE SmackDown Live and the Money in the Bank PPV.
It’s well known by now that as a result of the ongoing storyline injury angle with Big Cass, WWE has booked Daniel Bryan vs. Jeff Hardy for tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live in Worcester, MA at the DCU Center on the USA Network. The winner of this match will face Samoa Joe next week on SmackDown Live in a Money in the Bank qualifying match.
The WrestleVotes Twitter account is reporting that as of last week, the plan was to have a United States Title match take place at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view event.
With Hardy holding the U.S Title, it’s likely that either he will not win tonight against Bryan or lose to Joe next week, which would allow him to defend the title at MITB.
“Regarding Smackdown tonight, as of last week a US Title match was planned for Money In The Bank. With that said, I’m not expecting a Jeff Hardy win tonight unless those prior MITB plans have changed. I guess he could theoretically win & lose to Joe next week but we’ll see.”
It appears that SmackDown Star and current United States Champion Jeff Hardy might have suffered some sort of leg injury while wrestling in a dark match during this week’s episode of SmackDown Live.
Hardy was not a part of SmackDown tapings this week, though he wrestled in a dark match after the show went off air and defeated the former Intercontinental Champion the Miz.
According to people in attendance, their match went on for about 8 minutes and the Champion scored a pinfall victory after hitting a Twist of Fate and the Swanton Bomb.
However, it was noted by several fans that Jeff was noticeably limping during and after the bout and it appears that he suffered some sort of injury during his entrance.
Below are some photos and videos of the dark match:
Jeff Hardy started limping during his entrance. Might be a knee injury. Match was short, but Hardy finishes it with a Swanton Bomb. That's it from the #SDLive tapings in London.
— Mathias (The FPLScope) (@TheFPLScope) May 15, 2018
Jeff Hardy along with his brother Matt made his surprise WWE return during WrestleMania 33 and won the Raw Tag Team Championship. The duo lost the tag titles at Extreme Rules in June that year and Jeff then suffered a shoulder injury in September.
After returning from the injury earlier this year, Hardy won the United States Championship last month during the April 16th episode of Raw and he was moved to SmackDown Live the following night.
Former ECW Champion Bobby Lashley is back in the WWE fold but it doesn’t seem like his return has garnered as much attention as the company would’ve liked. Lashley seems to have formed an alliance of sorts with Braun Strowman as they recently took out Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn together at Backlash.
One fan on Twitter suggested that WWE turn Lashley heel as it would benefit his better in regards to a crowd reaction. The fan also noted that he’d like to see former United States Champion MVP return to be Lashley’s mouthpiece. MVP took to Twitter to respond to this possibility – simply replying with “intriguing”
Intriguing. RT @FredRichani: I'm a big Bobby Lashley fan, but he was never a strong babyface. The TNA Lashley shined as an arrogant monster who knew he could beat you up and there would be nothing you could do about it. Turn him heel and hire @The305MVP to be his mouthpiece. #Raw
Last night on SmackDown Live The Miz took on Jeff Hardy for a spot in the upcoming Money In The Bank Ladder Match. The Miz wound up winning the contest and qualifying for the bout.
WWE Stats & Info posted a very interesting fact about the pair on Twitter, revealing their match last night was only the second time ever they’d shared the ring together in one-on-one competition:
WWE and WCW Legend Vader revealed on Twitter that he recently underwent another heart surgery to repair an irregular heartbeat that put him at higher risk of heart attack or stroke. Vader noted the operation was a success:
Yesterday I had a surgery on my heart .My heart had shifted to an A-Fib irregular heart beat A person in a fib has substanily increased chance of Heart Attack &Stroke.The surgery was to put the HEART in normal sinus https://t.co/MQvHiGe0Rg was a success
WWE United States Champion Jeff Hardy posted a video on Instagram that referenced his old fan favorite “No More Words” theme song that he used from 2008 to 2009. Fans have been calling for Hardy to revert back to this theme song on social media lately since he’s receiving a singles push on SmackDown Live:
Liv Morgan & Sonya Deville Exchange Words On Twitter
Liv Morgan recently took to Twitter to poke fun at SmackDown Live General Manager Paige telling Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose that Absolution is dead. Morgan is currently a member of Monday Night RAW’s six-woman stable The Riott Squad.
This led to a brief exchange of insults between Morgan and Deville. At one point Morgan even called Deville “lousy Ronda Rousey.” Check it out here below:
Shelton Benjamin came down to the ring and claimed that his Twitter account was hacked last night and that he didn’t send the complimentary tweet towards Chad Gable. Benjamin said that he never needed Gable and that he needs the title opportunities that he is owed. Benjamin stated that he had a conversation with Paige backstage and asked her to send him some big competition.
Randy Orton’s music hit, but he was quickly interrupted by new United States Champion Jeff Hardy. Orton smirked as Hardy got into the ring and had a match with Shelton Benjamin. Shelton controlled the match early as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Hardy connected with a Clothesline and both Superstars fell to the mat. Benjamin crotched Hardy on the top turnbuckle and followed it up with a running knee to the face.
Jeff connected with a Whisper in the Wind off the top for a two count. Shelton connected with a spin kick to the face and went for the cover, but Jeff was able to kick out at the last second.
Jeff then connected with the Twist of Fate and followed it up with the Swanton Bomb for the pinfall victory.
Opening last night’s episode of Monday Night RAW – the first day of the Superstar Shake-Up – the United States Title was introduced to the red brand when Jinder Mahal made his way out to the ring.
Jeff Hardy would then challenge The Modern Day Maharaja for the strap, and won it after hitting a Swanton Bomb. It was announced shortly after Hardy’s win that the victory made him a Grand Slam Champion under the new format (he is also a Grand Slam Champion under the old one as well).
It turns out that’s not the only bit of history Hardy made with his win over Mahal. WWE Stats & Info’s Twitter reports he is now the first and only person in WWE history to have held the following titles in their career:
WWE Championship
World Heavyweight Championship
Intercontinental Championship
United States Championship
World Tag Team Championship
RAW Tag Team Championship
European Championship
Hardcore Championship
Light Heavyweight Championship
#RAW's @JEFFHARDYBRAND is now the first (and only) Superstar in history to hold the #WWE, World Heavyweight, Intercontinental, United States, World Tag Team, RAW Tag Team, European, Hardcore and Light Heavyweight championships in his @WWE career. #GrandSlam#SuperstarShakeUp
There were rumors of Jeff Hardy returning to WWE as ‘Brother Nero’ prior to this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw and he had also made a cameo as the same during The Ultimate Deletion a few weeks back.
So some fans felt a little disappointed when the former World Champion didn’t introduce his alter ego while making his comeback during the latest episode of The Red Branded Show.
Though in a backstage interview posted on WWE’s official YouTube channel after the event, he talked about his brother’s ‘Woken’ persona and while giving an update on Nero, Jeff said that it will probably come and go:
“It’s a little hard to explain but it’s just Matt being Matt. It’s the way he is, it’s the way he lives his life, and he’s a very knowledgeable guy with history and everything that exists in the future. It’s Matt being Matt and I think it’s going to get better and better. As far as Brother Nero surfacing in the WWE, it’s probably going to come and go as well, like Matt’s many personalities and egos, alter egos.”
For those who don’t know, Jeff Hardy suffered a shoulder injury back in September last year which put him out of action for about 6 months. Hardy made a cameo appearance on Ultimate Deletion during March 19th episode of Raw and made his full-time return this past Monday Night.
Now it’d be interesting to see when Brother Nero makes his next appearance on the WWE Programming
The RAW after WrestleMania always presents some huge surprises, and tonight (Mon. April 9, 2018) has been no different thus far.
During newly-crowned Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins’ celebration, Finn Balor came out to interrupt the festivities. Balor intended to challenge Rollins for the title before The Miz came out to invoke his rematch clause at the upcoming Backlash pay-per-view (PPV).
The Miz and his Miztourage (Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas) then threatened a 3-on-2 brawl against Rollins and Balor. Just before anything happened, former WWE Champion Jeff Hardy’s music hit and he came to Rollins and Balor’s aid:
Hardy has been out-of-action since September when he suffered a torn rotator cuff and shoulder labrum. He was initially given a six month recovery time and announced at the Hall Of Fame Ceremony this past Saturday that he’d been cleared to wrestle.
The announcement of Daniel Bryan’s return to WWE in a competitive capacity has kicked the excitement of the road to WrestleMania into high gear. In previous years, the road to WrestleMania has been a mixed bag, but the late addition of Daniel Bryan to the card has all but guaranteed this year’s show will be one to remember.
The prospect of a healthy Daniel Bryan presents countless ‘dream match’ scenarios. Aside from “I can’t believe this is really happening” battles against likes of The Miz, Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar – we’re taking a look at 3
Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy was once touted as the next big megastar in WWE, whilst his run as WWE Champion left a lot to be desired and his personal issues caused a massive rift between himself and the company he is now seemingly back (pending any fallout from his recent legal issues). Although Hardy is technically a RAW Superstar there is definitely sense in moving him over to the Blue brand potentially alongside his ‘Broken’ brother Matt.
Hardy’s experience and penchant for the extreme could mesh well with the more technical style of Bryan, assuming that Bryan will venture more into a mat based style to appease any looming doubts from WWE’s top brass. This could be an extremely intriguing bout between two veteran performers who stood near the top of the mountain in their own ‘eras’ and could be a perfect ‘left field’ bout to give Bryan between some of these mega dream matches.
Neville
Neville
We have not seen the ‘King of The Cruiserweights’ for a long time…but there is no reason to expect anything other than a return to a WWE ring for the UK Superstar in the near future. This could be great way to transition Neville into the ‘Heavyweight’ division, giving him the opportunity to over-power the beloved Bryan and continue to establish his villainous persona on the main roster shows of either Smackdown or RAW.
This could be a technical masterclass from two stars who have worked across the UK, Europe and Japan and could essentially elevate Neville to the ranks of upper mid carder…somewhere he could thrive.
Pete Dunne
The WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne has a lot in common with NXT General Manager William Regal, a man who had some exceptional matches with Daniel Bryan in his career. Whilst the comparisons to Regal are well earned it is important to remember that the young UK Superstar has a huge amount of upside potential and has been crafting his ‘Bruiserweight’ persona across the United Kingdom for PROGRESS, ICW and Rev Pro et al for the past several years in his own right.
This has ‘technical masterpiece’ written all over it, a real chance to show that Dunne can ‘go’ on the biggest stages and having him compete against a star the stature of Bryan would do wonders for his career. Out of the three matches listed this would be the least likely but certainly the most important in terms of helping to build upon the creation of a new star.
Who would you like Bryan to face? Let us know in the comments.
WrestleMania season is a fun time for not only the people who work for the WWE but fans of the sports entertainment company. This season includes big rivalries, classic matches, and talent returning to television.
PWinsider.com is reporting that former WWE Champion Jeff Hardy in Cleveland, Ohio at the Quicken Loans Arena for tonight’s Monday Night RAW, which means that he’ll be backstage at the TV event.
If you recall, the RAW Superstar suffered a torn right rotator cuff during a six-pack match in October 2017. It should be noted that Dave Meltzer has reported in the past that Hardy was hopeful to be back in time for WrestleMania 34.
Hardy noted on social media two weeks ago that he had completed his physical therapy and had been working out in the ring at the WWE Performance Center while he prepares for his in-ring return.
As seen on last week’s episode of Monday Night RAW in Dallas, Texas at the American Airlines Center on the USA Network, WWE aired the Ultimate Deletion Match that saw Matt Hardy defeat Bray Wyatt. Senior Benjamin, Reby Sky, and Jeff made an appearance in the match.
Last night on Raw, Jeff Hardy made a surprise appearance near the end of the Ultimate Deletion match. It is the first time Jeff has been shown on Raw since injuring his shoulder in September. Jeff suffered a torn labrum and a torn rotator cuff.
He was recently cleared to return to action and posted this photo with the physio clinic which helped him rehabilitate his shoulder.
There has been some concern amongst fans that Jeff Hardy’s recent DUI charge will impact how WWE uses him moving forward. Jeff is due in court on the charges on April 16th, 2018. According to a report from PW Insider, Jeff caused $5000 in damages to the guardrail he hit and another $8000 in damages to his own vehicle. He also blew 3x over the legal limit on a breathalyzer after the accident.
While there was some concern that Jeff would not appear in the Ultimate Deletion match last night, he was there at the end.
It is possible WWE simply ignores Jeff’s latest DUI charge. That is how the company has handled the recent DUI charge of Jey Uso, who was similarly charged with the offense in January.
WWE released the following statement following Jey Uso’s arrest:
“Joshua Fatu is responsible for his own personal actions. We are investigating the matter and awaiting information from local law enforcement officials.”
WWE released a nearly identical statement for Jeff Hardy:
“Jeff Hardy is responsible for his own personal actions. We are investigating the matter and awaiting information from local law enforcement officials.”
WWE took no action in regards to Jey Uso. There is nothing to say that won’t also be the case with Jeff Hardy. It’s also possible WWE takes Hardy’s past substance-abuse issues into consideration though. There is no evidence thus far to say that is how they are handling the situation, however.
– Jeff Hardy’s wife, Beth, took to Twitter to note that she dropped Jeff off at his final physical therapy appointment this morning. Jeff has been recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum & torn rotator cuff:
Just dropped Jeff off at his last Physical Therapy appointment. ??????
Jeff later took to Instagram to thank the Pinehurst Surgical physical therapy department for assisting him in his recovery:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgTlRmjBgyg/
– There has been a ton of controversy surrounding the WWE’s announcement of the first-ever Fabulous Moolah Women’s Battle Royal. Former 80’s WWE Superstar and Moolah trainee Jeannine Mjoseth issued the following statement to Pro Wrestling Sheet on WWE naming the rumble after Moolah:
“The Fabulous Moolah was a real-life heel. A lot of women paid to train at her school and then went out on the road. They risked life and limb in their matches and she repaid them with the worst kinds of abuses. She skimmed their money, she ignored women who were badly hurt, she pimped women out to creepy men and on and on. She was not a mother figure. She was more like Kali, the Indian Goddess of Destruction. I met her in my early 20s and I had never met such a monstrous person.
“I was smart enough to get the hell away from her and start my own independent career in Tampa as part of the Championship Wrestling from Florida. Luna Vachon, Peggy Fowler and I all left together, which I hope put a serious dent in her confidence, if not wallet.
“I understand why Moolah was so grotesque. Her family was dirt poor and she determined that she was never going to be hungry again. But it doesn’t excuse her dog-eat-dog behavior. I’d much rather see WWE establish a named match for outstanding wrestlers (and decent human beings) like Susan ‘Tex’ Green, Beverly Shade, Leilani Kai, Wendi Richter, Princess Victoria or Joyce Grable. They all put their hearts and souls into wrestling for decades and helped others along the way.
“But wrestling isn’t PC. It’s about generating heat. And you can’t draw more heat than naming a match for The Fabulous Moolah. May she be the last of her kind.”
In the days since Jeff Hardy’s recent DWI arrest in Concord, NC, his brother Matt has posted several references to him on social media. The latest came on Tuesday night with a reference to Jeff needing help.
Matt’s wife Reby, who will be part of the Ultimate Deletion match scheduled for next week’s RAW, has also chimed in on Jeff’s situation. Reby says she and Matt have worked too hard on bringing the Broken Universe to WWE for Jeff to derail their plans.
In response to a fan on Instagram who said Brother Nero is needed for the Ultimate Deletion match, Reby vehemently disagrees. She wrote:
“Matt has busted his ass to get to this point. He & I have been fighting for this to happen for nearly a year. After the hard work & $50K+ in legal fees that *WE* paid, I’m gonna have to say NO. He is not “needed”. Jeff is clearly doing his own thing & it has nothing to do with us right now.”
Jeff Hardy’s DWI and Standing in WWE
Considering WWE has released multiple performers recently due to alleged criminal charges, some are concerned as to how Jeff’s recent arrest will impact his standing in WWE.
Jey Uso was arrested for DUI in January. WWE released the following statement in regards to his arrest:
“Joshua Fatu is responsible for his own personal actions. We are investigating the matter and awaiting information from local law enforcement officials.”
Which sounds a lot like what WWE released in regards to Jeff Hardy’s recent arrest:
“Jeff Hardy is responsible for his own personal actions. We are investigating the matter and awaiting information from local law enforcement officials.”
WWE has taken no action towards Jey Uso, so perhaps the same will be the case for Jeff Hardy, although Hardy does have a history of substance abuse issues which may further impact how the company handles the situation.
Some WWE Superstars stick with the same character and the same general persona for the entirety of their careers. Others are given drastic overhauls, some several times, before things click. There are several Superstars on the RAW and SmackDown rosters we feel could benefit from shaking up their images. Here are 4 of them:
Tye Dillinger
Photo credit: WWE.com
Tye Dillinger exploded onto the main roster scene at the 2017 Royal Rumble with great potential and hope from NXT. And now he’s being kept away from his full potential because WWE don’t like his “10” chants… so they entered him at number 10 in the 2018 Royal Rumble…?
The whole situation around Tye Dillinger is confusing, it just doesn’t make sense.
Unfortunately I kind of think that Dillinger may have jinxed himself when he told Sky Sports that he’d be happy if he never achieved anything ever again after making his debut on the main roster in 2017… oh dear.
Tye Dillinger is the only entrant on this list that isn’t injured.
While Tye Dillinger has made appearances on SmackDown Live, and even challenged for the odd title, he’s never been involved in a significant feud, story arc, or title challenge. He sits with the likes of Tyler Breeze, who both shone as stars of NXT but have been unable to make a lasting impact on the main roster.
Tyler Breeze was close to making this list, but his success with The Fashion Police has kept him more relevant than Dillinger.
Jeff Hardy
With the spot light on Woken Matt Hardy, many may have forgotten the injured Jeff Hardy who has been sat on the sidelines recently with a torn rotator cuff.
With the anniversary of their return to WWE coming up, the main focus of the last year has been on their partnership as a tag team and the development of the Broken gimmick. What people may have overlooked is that Jeff Hardy was the valuable talent and draw before they left WWE.
Jeff had significantly more WWE title reigns than Matt during their previous stint in WWE, but this contrasts with the resurgence and popularity that Matt Hardy nurtured and grew. It’ll be interesting to see whether WWE split the brothers up; especially since Jeff has appeared to follow his brother, allowing Matt to cover all the promos and onscreen interviews.
The main question though is whether Jeff will come back as himself, The Enigma, or as The Nefarious Brother Nero. Hopefully The Ultimate Deletion between Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt will offer further answers.
Either way, Jeff Hardy should take this opportunity and return repackaged as something different to what we have previously seen since WrestleMania 33.
Big Cass
The following comment from the SEScoops community may some up how Big Cass is perceived in the WWE Universe:
“Big Who?”
A torn ACL, an almost career ending injury, has prevented the 7ft superstar from competing since the middle of last year. The last anyone saw of him was when Big Cass turned heel against his tag team partner Enzo Amore, attempting to make a name for himself as a power house and next tallest athlete on the roster.
Many fans were frustrated with the continuing feud between Big Cass and Enzo Amore, but now that Amore has been released due to allegations of sexual assault, Big Cass has an open opportunity to break free and clear a new path for himself.
Having seen how much Braun Strowman has achieved since leaving Bray Wyatt’s family, it may have been WWE’s plan to pit the two against each other, with the crowd favouring Strowman as a face compared to Big Cass who received instant negativity from the crowd.
To demonstrate exactly how negative a reaction Big Cass received, it would be hard to predict who would be jeered more, Big Cass or Jinder Mahal.
Big Cass’s sole mission should be to give himself purpose and make himself relevant having cut ties with Enzo Amore, as well as Carmella. If Big Cass had a target or goal, it should be to make the WWE Universe say: “THAT’S BIG CASS!?” with a new persona and image.
Dean Ambrose
I am guilty of constantly forgetting about Dean Ambrose at the moment. It wasn’t long ago that he was competing as part of The Shield and as one half of the RAW Tag Team Champions, but surgery on a torn tricep in December has ruled him out for 9 months.
Ambrose has also been WWE Champion and Intercontinental Champion in recent years, and has been a solid work horse for the company.
Unfortunately, Ambrose appears to have the longest journey back into the ring, and therefore back into relevancy within the WWE Universe. He won’t be seen in the ring until after SummerSlam at best and won’t have a direction or set angle to return to, unlike Jeff Hardy.
The key word here is ‘relevancy’. Dean Ambrose runs the risk of returning and not being current or fresh. His rumoured heel turn on The Shield has been put on hold, and Seth Rollins is likely to have moved on from his role in the tag team championship race as he faces a triple threat match at WrestleMania in April. Therefore Ambrose will need to find his own way back that captures the WWE Universe.
I think he’s capable of making a successful return with a fresh perspective, but if it involves yet another feud with The Miz… NO!! It has been done time and time again. Leave it now and move on.
Discussion:
Are there any other superstars who need to be repackaged in WWE?
As noted, Jeff Hardy was arrested for Driving While Impaired on Saturday night in Concord, North Carolina after an accident on Concord Parkway. The incident occurd at 8:11pm. Hardy was arrested at 10:39pm EST and released later that night. The police report notes that Hardy totaled his 2016 Cadillac CTS-V with an estimated $8,000 in damages. Hardy was not traveling over the speed limit but was going an estimated 50 mph at the time of impact.
According to TMZ.com, Hardy submitted to a breathalyzer test and blew a .25 – more than three times the legal limit.
Officer Kelemecz wrote the following on the accident in the police report:
“Driver of Vehicle #1 ran off the roadway to the right, in turn striking about 105 feet of guardrail before the back end of the car spun out 90 degrees to the left, coming to rest in the middle of the right N bound lane of travel. The driver was arrested and charged with DWI.”
The police report lists an estimated $5,000 in damages to the 105 foot of guardrail, owned by the NC Department of Transportation, which could be a factor in any restitution that the court orders Hardy to pay. As is standard in NC following a DWI arrest, Hardy’s license have been suspended. His first court date is scheduled for Monday, April 16th in Cabarrus County.
In an update, WWE issued the following statement on the arrest:
“Jeff Hardy is responsible for his own personal actions. We are investigating the matter and awaiting information from local law enforcement officials.”
While Jeff has not commented on the arrest, it looks like brother Matt Hardy did reference the arrest in a late tweet on Sunday. Matt tweeted:
EVAH since the #7Deities have come to me, I do not put alcohol, drugs, or foreign substances into my VESSEL.
Jeff Hardy was arrested yesterday and charged with DWI in Concord, North Carolina. Hardy’s arrest came after he crashed his car into a guardrail and spun out into the middle of the road. He was released and given a court date next month.
After news of his brother’s arrest broke, Matt Hardy posted the following:
EVAH since the #7Deities have come to me, I do not put alcohol, drugs, or foreign substances into my VESSEL.
Matt Hardy himself has had an issue with DWI arrests in North Carolina. In 2011, he was arrested twice in one summer for the offense. He was fired from TNA Wrestling as a result and wouldn’t be brought back for 3 years. The next month Reby called the cops to say Matt was strung out on pills and they raided his house.
After the police raid, Matt checked himself into WWE-sponsored rehab and hasn’t had any issues since.
As noted, Jeff Hardy was arrested for Driving While Impaired on Saturday night in Cabarrus County, North Carolina after an accident on Concord Parkway in Concord, NC. The accident happened at 8:11pm where Concord Parkway South meets Bruton Smith Boulevard. Hardy was arrested at 10:39pm EST and released later that night.
The police report notes that Hardy totaled his 2016 Cadillac with an estimated $8,000 in damages. The VIN listed on the police report is registered to a 2016 Cadillac CTS-V. Hardy was not traveling over the speed limit but was going an estimated 50 mph at the time of impact. The area of the accident is about 2 hours from Hardy’s home in Cameron, NC. The report also indicates Hardy underwent some sort of test for alcohol but that the results were pending at the time of the arrest.
Officer Kelemecz wrote the following on the accident:
“Driver of Vehicle #1 ran off the roadway to the right, in turn striking about 105 feet of guardrail before the back end of the car spun out 90 degrees to the left, coming to rest in the middle of the right N bound lane of travel. The driver was arrested and charged with DWI.”
The police report lists an estimated $5,000 in damages to the 105 foot of guardrail, owned by the NC Department of Transportation. This could be a factor in any restitution that the court orders Hardy to pay.
Hardy has had his driver’s license suspended for 30 days, which is standard in North Carolina following a DWI arrest. Hardy’s first court date is scheduled for Monday, April 16th in Cabarrus County.
No word yet on WWE’s reaction to the arrest or if this could delay his return to TV. WWE filmed The Ultimate Deletion with Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt last week at Matt’s home in Cameron, NC but we don’t know if Jeff was used in that match or not, or if WWE would edit him out. Hardy has been out of action since undergoing surgery in September 27th but he was recently cleared to return and was scheduled to begin training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando this month.
Below is Hardy’s mugshot photo from the weekend arrest:
Injured WWE RAW Superstar Jeff Hardy was arrested on the night of Saturday, March 10th for DWI in Cabarrus County, North Carolina.
UPDATE: Raj Giri of WrestlingINC reports that Hardy was arrested in Concord, NC and that the accident happened on Concord Parkway South. Concord is in Cabarrus County. The police report has the accident time listed at 8:11pm. The report also says Hardy ran off the road and struck about 105 feet of guardrail before spinning to the left and coming to rest in the middle of the northbound lane.
Hardy was arrested at 10:20pm EST and released that same night at 11:24pm. No word yet on what led to the arrest or the release from jail. As is law in North Carolina, Hardy has had his driver’s license suspended for 30 days until the case is tried.
Hardy is currently scheduled to be in court on Monday, April 16th for his first hearing on these charges.
Hardy has been out of action since suffering a torn labrum and torn rotator cuff in September 2017. He was recently cleared to return to the ring and has been scheduled to start training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando later this month. It’s believed that Hardy will be added to the current feud between brother Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt. WWE taped The Ultimate Deletion match with Hardy vs. Wyatt at Matt’s compound in Cameron, NC last week but there’s no word yet on if Jeff was used at the filming or if WWE would edit him out due to the DWI charge.
Stay tuned for updates on Jeff’s legal situation and status with WWE.
