CM Punk & Jeff Hardy: Made For Each Other

In the wrestling business, every few years or so, memorable things take place.

Rivalries are quite memorable (and damn enjoyable) when the performers involved seem to be crafted as characters specifically to clash constantly for the sake of whatever reason the company sees fit.

In my opinion, none other rivalry (at least those witnessed by this humble to-be-journalist) has ever presented the aforementioned characteristic the way CM Punk/Jeff Hardy did.

CM Punk’s straight-edge gimmick/lifestyle and Hardy’s drug issues were destined to collide at least once, assuming, of course, WWE management had enough brains and balls to expose such storyline in a family friendly atmosphere; thankfully for us all, they did, giving us one heck of a summer and another memorable rivalry that, in spite of being cut short, will live on through its depth and in-ring awesomeness.

What made this rivalry so special? Let’s see:

a)      Jeff Hardy VS CM Punk.

b)      Huge fan-bases supporting both sides of the conflict.

c)       World title matches

d)      What are the odds of two performers being so perfectly fit to feud against each other?

Although friction was kayfabe, very real facts about two very real persons made this specific feud much more realistic (and perhaps personally transcendent, at least for Jeff) for everyone, thus accomplishing one of pro-wrestling key factors and mayor challenges.

Matches were top quality and the vibe was intense, yet that’s not what made CM Punk/Jeff Hardy quite an appealing journey. It all revolved around what Punk and Hardy stood for and the ever present ambiguity of right and wrong.

Fans constantly feel puzzled when trying to rationalize WWE’s usage of Punk’s straight-edge persona for heelish behavior when addressing an audience mainly composed by kids. If that wasn’t confusing enough, Jeff Hardy was SmackDown!’s ultimate hero-to-battle-against-Punk in spite of openly addressing his “life choices”.

Even though heel/face roles were clearly positioned during the conflict, both men stood behind very legitimate (and completely opposing) ideas.

 CM Punk represented a clean life achieved through self-control and discipline, a prominent trait present in several religious groups and other non-spiritual congregations too; though it had its price, which, in Punk’s case, were totalitarian actions and an extremist view of the world.

 Jeff symbolized freedom of choice, absolute liberty of an individual to live however he/she feels is the right way (something Americans do appreciate a whole lot, I think). Of course, consequences in Jeff’s situation involved health issues, psychological problems, and instability in life.

Kids would cheer for Jeff Hardy because they’re used to do so and WWE was controlling things to be like that anyway, but what about grownups? What about parents whose children were backing up the junkie? What about teenagers cheering for the asshole because they wished their parents/friends/themselves were clean too? What about people who had never thought about it?

CM Punk/Jeff Hardy did something quite odd: in spite of villain/hero roles being absolutely clear, the delicate/ambiguous nature of the issue called for an intense debate (pretty much like Marvel’s Civil War).

The feud delivered even after being cut short; we can only speculate about what could have happened if these two were to continue grappling and flying around to back up their believes, (shared by a whole bunch of highly interested others, most probably).

Nevertheless, this two will hold a very special spot in my mind because their conflict forced you to pick a side; though choosing had a relevance way beyond what was happening between two top performers in the ring.

Though short lived in a “carnal” way, CM Punk/Jeff Hardy, at least in my book, has reached immortality as one of the most appealing, intense, high-quality feuds in WWE history.

Thanks for reading.