TNA Victory Road

[slashlover]

Russo isn't exactly known for being subtle, I'd imagine if it'd been planned then they'd have let Jeff do a rambling promo or have the announcers wonder what was going on with him. They seemed to be trying their best to cover everything up with long shots and lots of Sting close ups.

[Your Fight Site]

I can't imagine for a minute this is an angle. Nor do I believe Sting is in "bad shape", that's just your usual LOP bullshit.

 

Hardy is stoned to the bone, there was no way a guy of Sting's caliber or age was going to try and wrestle him in that condition. The real intrigue is, how did Hardy get out as far as the ring before anyone noticed how fucked he was? How come it took Sting to make the call to ditch the match?

 

I know they were put on the spot, but TNA should have thrown SOMETHING together for the main event - have Sting wrestle 5 minutes with Anderson, go to a DQ with interference. Something.

Just watched the main event in it's 10 minute entirety. Jeff's action seem to be definitely diluted, but he also seems genuinely confused as to why he was pinned so early. The missing piece before any one can say for sure what happened is by finding out what Bischoff said to both when the microphone was away from his mouth.

[Loki]

Personally, I think Bischoff told him "you're going to take a roll-up" or something similar, but Hardy didn't really take it in. That's why he tried to kick out.

[Bashar]

If it's real, no wrestling company in existence should touch Hardy with a mile-long bargepole. They should make a mile-long bargepole just not to touch him with it.

 

A mile-long bargepole on a pole match, this Thursday On IMPACT!

[IANdrewDiceClay]

I doubt this will make a difference to Hardy's employment situation in any company in wrestling. He's not the first or the last wrestler to arrive fucked up for a show. ECW's headliners wrestled out of their minds in the 90s and most of the 1980s WWF headliners were cokeheads and pill addicts. Shawn Michaels wasnt in any condition to perform on house show matches in the mid-90s, but he still remained employed. When Scott Hall was rehired, Jim Ross blamed WCW's lack of people skills as to why he was such a mess. As long as there are spin-doctors in wrestling, these promoters will justify anything.

[thicko]

If it's real, no wrestling company in existence should touch Hardy with a mile-long bargepole. They should make a mile-long bargepole just not to touch him with it.

 

A mile-long bargepole on a pole match, this Thursday On IMPACT!

 

Nah, just make every TNA match a Jeff Hardy On A Mile Long Bargepole match, where he just sits on a bargepole a mile above the ring getting off his tits and not harming anybody.

[tiger_rick]

I doubt this will make a difference to Hardy's employment situation in any company in wrestling. He's not the first or the last wrestler to arrive fucked up for a show. ECW's headliners wrestled out of their minds in the 90s and most of the 1980s WWF headliners were cokeheads and pill addicts. Shawn Michaels wasnt in any condition to perform on house show matches in the mid-90s, but he still remained employed. When Scott Hall was rehired, Jim Ross blamed WCW's lack of people skills as to why he was such a mess. As long as there are spin-doctors in wrestling, these promoters will justify anything.

You are talking about a different age. I don't think WWE is that same company anymore so I'd definitely think it affects Hardy's employment status with them.

 

This stuff makes TNA look small time. It's a real shame, as others have said, coming off some good TV and positive ratings that they allow this to happen in a PPV main event. They struggle to sell PPV's anyway because of the focus on TV and the lack of new matches, so shit like this just slaps the few PPV buyers they have across the face. It's a bit of a farce really.

[BenPhoenix]

There is no way this is a work. If it was TNA would have mentioned it on their report. Instead it's just a 'shocking win in record time'.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

You are talking about a different age. I don't think WWE is that same company anymore so I'd definitely think it affects Hardy's employment status with them.

WWE offered him a one year contract in 2010 while he was awaiting trial for drug trafficking, so they must not see his personal problems as a hangup in any business he can do for them. They were desperate for him not to sign with TNA. If your a big star, which Hardy is, you make exceptions. Thats always been the case. There's only so many stars about these days, and if your young and people still remember you, WWE would hire him back in a shot if they can justify that he's back on track.

[tiger_rick]

You are talking about a different age. I don't think WWE is that same company anymore so I'd definitely think it affects Hardy's employment status with them.

WWE offered him a one year contract in 2010 while he was awaiting trial for drug trafficking, so they must not see his personal problems as a hangup in any business he can do for them. They were desperate for him not to sign with TNA. If your a big star, which Hardy is, you make exceptions. Thats always been the case. There's only so many stars about these days, and if your young and people still remember you, WWE would hire him back in a shot if they can justify that he's back on track.

I don't think they'd put someone on shows in the position he's in. In fact, I know they wouldn't. they've got too much to lose. He's innocent until proven guilty, whatever the charge, so maybe they offered him a new deal but they won't use him in his current state. They'd pay him a lot less too.

[beafman]

I watched with shock and horror last night. It had it all. A blow-up doll, over-booking, stupid booking, a solid match, underpaid wrestlers going above and beyond, overpaid wrestlers calling it in, botches, dumb finishes. I thought the crowd had saved it with their duel "restart the match" "no" chant. It was not to be. If that main event was booked to happen like that then I don't see how TNA can look the 10,000 or so customers who paid for that PPV in the eye this morning. If something went wrong and TNA had less than 10 minutes to re-book things then what happened could be forgiven, but if they had longer to prepare and given their bookers willingness to overbook anything and everything, couldn't they have changed the main event and given the viewers 10 minutes of wrestling? Their stories don't make sense anyway. Their lead announcer - The Professor - doesn't even understand them.

[Your Fight Site]

There is no way this is a work. If it was TNA would have mentioned it on their report. Instead it's just a 'shocking win in record time'.

If it were a work what would you have wanted them to put? In fact, what they did put was what I would expect them to put in this circumstance. They're not going to say, "Well Jeff Hardy was drugged up so the match was cut shorter than what the two had planned to do."

[IANdrewDiceClay]

I don't think they'd put someone on shows in the position he's in. In fact, I know they wouldn't. they've got too much to lose. He's innocent until proven guilty, whatever the charge, so maybe they offered him a new deal but they won't use him in his current state. They'd pay him a lot less too.

Not at this very second, obviously. But its not like he's ruined any employment opportunity in the future. They have a drug policy. I'm not saying they'd put him on TV in that condition, because WWE never would. What I'm saying is, when his current TNA deal expires, WWE would definitely hire him back under his old deal, where they could keep an eye on him. He was a far bigger liability when they had him under contract in 2008 than he is now. At least he's only turned up out of his head once in the last year. In 2007-09, he violated their drug policy several times which lead to him being suspended and having his push taken away from him only for them to renew his push and give him the world title a few times. He's still young and he's got a big name. There's not many headliners you can say that about in wrestling at the minute.

[BenPhoenix]

There is no way this is a work. If it was TNA would have mentioned it on their report. Instead it's just a 'shocking win in record time'.

If it were a work what would you have wanted them to put? In fact, what they did put was what I would expect them to put in this circumstance. They're not going to say, "Well Jeff Hardy was drugged up so the match was cut shorter than what the two had planned to do."

 

 

This is the WCW 2000 crew in charge here. If it was a work there'd be at least something like 'Jeff Hardy didn't seem to be himself as he walked down to ringside. He seemed distracted and spent more time worrying about throwing his shirt in the crowd than his opponent Sting." or whatever. They are just acting like everything was fine and it was just a quick match.

[PunkStep]

TNA took on Jeff knowing full well the risk and the baggage he came with. Before he left WWE, he was a pretty huge star for them and was one of their top guys (something I never thought I'd see a few years ago). And now, unsurprisingly (if this is legit), the risk has blown up in TNA's face.

 

You can see their dilemma. He is clearly one of the biggest names they have, and they need names like him to elevate the company. But is the risk worth it?