Jeff Hardy: His Place in Wrestling History

Jeff Hardy. Arguably the biggest baby face since Ricky Steamboat, Jeff is one of the most exciting, most innovative wrestlers the business has seen in the past fifteen years.

He’s a former six time WWE Tag Team Champion. He’s a former WWE Champion and two time WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

He’s one of the biggest stars in the industry today. But where will he rank among the all-time greats?

It’s early, I know. After all, Jeff is only thirty two, he’s probably got at least five, possibly even ten years left before he decides to call it a career. It’s too soon to even speculate on his legacy with any real finality.

But, hey, we’re wrestling fans, right? Calling it before it happens is what we do best.

So, if this is going to happen, then let’s break it down, shall we?

First off, the guy can work.

His ring psychology took some time to develop, but over the years, he has become pretty good. Yes, at first he and brother Matt were all about the high spots and crazy TLC matches. And that was fine at first. Fans loved his devil may care style and he sold tickets.

But much like Michael Jordan, Jeff eventually began to understand that flash-popping jaw-dropping highlights did not necessarily equal championships. Jeff had to improve his ring work and become a little more well-rounded. So, he did.

When The Hardy Boyz were first separated back in 2002, I thought that Vince McMahon had lost his mind. These two guys, along with Edge and Christian and The Dudleyz, redefined tag team wrestling for the modern era.

Their aforementioned TLC matches were the main event on any card and fans popped for The Hardyz like they were the second coming of The Rock'n'Roll Express.

And, after all of that, WWE creative decided that Jeff and Matt should have a go in the singles division. Again, I disagreed.

I was mistaken.

Jeff’s popularity only increased, and though it took six years to happen, Jeff finally won the big one--the World Heavyweight Championship.

But, of course, a lot happened during those six years.

Jeff filled his resume with numerous WWE singles titles and a run with TNA Wrestling, where he competed for the NWA World Title. Slowly but surely, Jeff was proving himself as a main event star, thus upping his value in the business.

His singles career has, in a lot of ways, been just as big and just as important as his run with Matt. Jeff Hardy could have potentially been “that tag team guy who didn’t work out by himself.”

But, he was committed to the business that he loved, and he excelled when given the opportunity.

Another important piece of being one of the greats of this business is the wrestler’s ability to get over with his or her character.

That is a huge understatement when talking about Jeff Hardy.

His love of music and art has been interwoven into his character, twisted together with his exotic flair for the dramatic. The neon black light entrance, his use of face paint, down to his ring gear, everything about Jeff Hardy is unique and he has definitely carved out his own niche in the business.

And brother, is he over.

Let’s face it, Jeff Hardy could push a nun in front of a bus and he would still out pop anyone on the card. Fans love him. They love everything about him, and his popularity certainly does not seem to be losing any ground with the crowd in TNA.

But, then again, in an effort to cover all of our bases in this discussion of Jeff and his place in wrestling history, I have to say that the smell is getting pretty bad in here. I didn’t know that eight hundred pound gorillas could stink like that.

I am, of course, speaking of Jeff’s—shall we say—extracurricular activities.

Jeff Hardy is no angel, that much is for sure. While I’m not the man’s judge, I will say that at times he doesn’t seem to be able to keep his nose clean.

No pun intended.

The question is: Does Jeff’s history of legal trouble impact his career to the point that he is forever marked by it?

It doesn’t seem fair, especially considering the fact that Ric Flair certainly was no saint, and he is, by and large, considered to be the greatest of all-time.

That’s not to compare the two as far as accomplishments go; they have each taken two entirely different paths in their careers.

But it is a fair comparison when considering how harshly fans should view Jeff’s personal problems when considering his legacy. No man is perfect. Professional wrestlers are no different.

His real commitment to the business has also come under close scrutiny in recent years, as his music career and other outside interests appear to be more important to him at times. Again, should that be held against him?

I consider Jeff Hardy to be a great talent and a good wrestler. As far as where he will rate in pro wrestling history, I’m not really sure how I feel about that. While part of me doesn’t care about his other interests and personal issues, a large part of me does.

I just want him to cut it out and get a hold of it before something bad happens.

He’s had the world at his feet these past few years, riding the push of his life, and to see him seemingly insist on screwing with it just annoys me and is frustrating to see.

Jeff Hardy still has time to get it right. As long as a person loves what they do and is giving it their all, there is always the opportunity to do it better, and with more passion than anyone else.

I hope that Jeff sees that. In the end, I hope his modesty wins out.