Matt and Jeff: Hardly the Best

Matt Hardy's mugshot after his arrest two days ago.

Unless you have taken up residence under an inordinately sized rock for the last 10 or so years, provided you are a wrestling fan, you will be no stranger to the Hardy's. They are, or were, arguably one of the most successful and influential tag teams in the history of the business, responsible for 'raising the bar' for tag team competition (a bar which has since gone by the wayside, at least in the WWE). However, while their tag team accomplishments cannot be denied, it is their personal lives which often find their way into public scrutiny. The personal lives of the Hardy's is almost like watching the ultimate episode of Jerry Springer unfold before your very eyes. All that would be fine if only their personal lives remained just that; personal. More often than not though, their personal lives carry heavy consequences which spill over into their professional careers, tainting their legacies forever.

This is just one analysts opinion though; there are a number of others. One simply has to click onto any Hardy related video on youtube to see that for some reason the Hardy's still have their fans. In the eyes of the many fans of the Hardy's, they can seemingly do no wrong. Of course, Matt didn't mean to crash his car into a tree while driving under the influence, it's not Matt's fault that his physical condition as of late has led to many on the internet referring to him as 'Fatt' Hardy. In the same vein, its not Jeff's fault that he's addicted to virtually every substance known to man, I'm sure it's probably society's, or CM Punk's. Personally, this blind faith in the Hardy's, even when they blatantly engage in erratic behaviour, is almost as bad as that behavious itself. The Hardy's could do whatever they want, and still there would be people who would support them. I, if you haven't figured it out by now, am not one of them.

If you haven't heard by now, and didn't pick up that reference from earlier, Matt Hardy was recently charged with a DUI after crashing his car into a tree. He was subsequently fired from Impact Wrestling (which is REALLY saying something). It wasn't long after the news hit that Matt came under fire, and deservedly so. How could anyone defend Hardy in this situation? But of course, it didn't take long for Matt to distort the situation, and turn it into some perverted story that implied that Matt actually walked away from the accident better than he had gone into it. In response to a fan comment on his YouTube account page, Matt "...went from being afraid to die to feeling like I was almost being reborn with some sort of an ABSOLUTE PURE LIFE-FORCE". This isn't the first time Matt has twisted the situation. Following his release from the WWE, it wasn't long before Matt started hyping his return, hyping his debut in Impact Wrestling. Of course, when Matt arrived in Impact Wrestling, any slight improvement in the ratings were due to him and Jeff. Matt Hardy, like so many other wrestlers, is his own biggest fan. But unlike other wrestlers, Matt finds it necessary to devote as much attention to himself as is humanly possible, through whatever medium is available. Matt Hardy is not the greatest wrestler of all time, but don't tell Matt Hardy that.

Matt Hardy, however, is only the tip of the iceberg. The bigger problems lie in his brother Jeff, and they're well documented. What kind of a man has the nerve to show up to a pay per view event, in which he was the main event against one of the biggest icons in the history of the wrestling business, Sting, while intoxicated. This is the same man who is beloved by children across the world, the same children who buy his ridiculous arm bands, who paint their faces in that ridiculous fashion. Jeff Hardy is a role model to many, when he shouldn't be.

Wrestling's so called 'Role Model'.

Jeff Hardy is a role model, because he was featured prominently on WWE television, and why exactly was that? Drug problems aside, Jeff Hardy is not exactly the greatest "worker" of all time. Arguably his best matches were in his final year with the company, and could be attributed to the efforts of CM Punk, a man who Hardy has bashed in a series of (not surprisingly) drunken YouTube videos. Jeff Hardy didn't get noticed because of his hard effort and determination, but rather because he was willing to throw himself off of ladders at the company's request. He damn sure didn't make it to the main event from his own merits either, but rather because of the tremendous fan reactions he would receive. For some insane reason, people identify with Jeff Hardy, and the 'live for the moment' lifestyle he advocates. Jeff's been living in the moment for quite some time now, and look where that has gotten him. Following his shameful display at the aforementioned pay per view, Hardy was immediately removed from television. This hasn't stopped Impact Wrestling from promoting him though. The Jeff Hardy action figure is still (reportedly) the best selling action figure the company has put out. His t-shirts are still available for purchase on their website. Signed Jeff Hardy 8 x 10's are still being hocked by Don West on a weekly basis (how Jeff mustered the strength and coordination to sign an autograph, I'll never know). It speaks to the idiocy of Impact Wrestling as to why this man is even still under contract, let alone why he's being promoted (minimal as it is) at all.

This post, thus far, has been full of hate filled rhetoric, and I understand that. I know this would likely offend any Hardy fan who happens to stumble across it. For those Hardy fans out there though....what is the appeal? What is the appeal in two hicks who are doped up, fat, completely self absorbed and totally unaware of the pathetic nature of their own lives? Why support two men who are barely on television, not because of injury, but because of their own stupidity. Why support a person who screws you, as the consumer, over, by being too intoxicated to perform at a show in which he was the featured performer. I just dont understand it, and likely never will. It may seem as though I hate the Hardy's, but I dont. I hate the idea that the Hardy's can do no wrong, that the Hardy's mean well, and the idea that the Hardy's are two of the biggest wrestling stars today, because quite frankly, they're not. The Hardy's, through their tag team efforts, made considerable contributions to the wrestling business. Now, I just want them to go away.