Former WWE and TNA Wrestler Matt Hardy's Fall, from Two Perspectives

Stop me if you’ve heard this one.

Young man with big dreams of being a professional wrestler starts out in the independents, manages to catch a break with the largest wrestling entertainment company in the world and makes a huge impact in the business. He is living his dream, and has the whole world at his feet.

But despite how successful he becomes, how highly-regarded he is among his peers and his fans, he just is not able to let go of his own personal demons.

It’s no mystery about the most recent controversy surrounding Matt Hardy. He has become the focus of so much attention since his debut in TNA in January, and before that, for him not to be on the lips of fans is a rare occurrence.

Hardy’s downward spiral was broadcast for the whole world to see online, with much of the content being posted by Matt himself. Apparently unable to step back and take a good look at himself, Hardy’s behavior has not only been erratic, it’s been downright scary.

There are two sides of this in my estimation, and to fully understand how to comprehend what we have been witnessing from Hardy, each point of view must be considered.

On one side, there is the cold hard truth that Hardy’s personal life is none of our business. Just because a pro wrestler, or any other celebrity is in the public eye, many people feel completely justified in launching personal attacks against that person.

With no knowledge of Hardy’s own situation outside of the ring, and completely ignoring the fact that none of us are aware of what is in his mind or in his heart, we have decided that he is a worthless failure and a joke.

But let’s not forget that Matt Hardy, like everyone reading this, is human. He makes mistakes. He says dumb things. He gets himself into idiotic situations that he has no place being in, and then can’t seem to find a way to get himself out.

He has embarrassed himself, his family, and has twice lost his job. He is not perfect, and like all the rest of us, he screws up. That will never change.

But Hardy’s own personal growth is up to him. He has to be the one to decide that he has to change in order to become a better person. The decision is his, it’s just not up to us. None of us will ever have to answer for Hardy’s actions, past, present or future. It’s his life, and we have no say in it.

That is the most logical and most rational way of thinking in this situation. If all of us were smart, we would just remember those words, leave the guy alone and get back to our own lives.

The other side of the equation? Not so nice and tidy.

Matt Hardy is a grown man who has acted like an 18-year-old for most of his life. Instead of growing up and taking responsibility for his own actions, he follows the same formula every time he does something stupid whether it's getting in trouble, denying any wrongdoing, blaming everyone else or getting ticked off at fans for criticizing you for it.

How’s that working for you, Matt?

The fact is, we are all dealing with one sort of demon or another. For some people, it may be alcohol or drugs. For others, it may be over-eating or obsession with their body.

Some may be so consumed with climbing the corporate ladder that they risk losing their family because they can’t appreciate what they have. The point is, we are each screwed up in our own little way.

Got problems, Matt? Take a number and get in line pal.

A lot of fans out there have real problems like making their house payment this month, or trying to scrape up enough money for a trip to the grocery store this week. A lot of us are here living, breathing, working and dying in what we call the real world.

For Matt Hardy, the idea of reality went bye bye a long time ago. He is clueless as to how ridiculous he looks and how immature he really is. If it were not so sad, it would be hilarious.

Hardy went from wrestling in the Armories, the Legion Halls, the State Fairgrounds, here in North Carolina, to the very heights of the greatest entertainment industry in the world. He accomplished what many young workers only dream of, and have been to places that many other workers will never see. He should be commended for that, he made his dreams come true.

But because he can’t see past his own little reality, he’s losing it all. And that is pretty dumb.

Be honest, does anyone believe that WWE will give him another chance? Anything is possible, but would they want to associate with him again, especially considering all of the negative press that is attached to him?

Bleacher Report is growing more and more every day, this site is making waves in the sports media world, and it’s very visible. So there is every chance that Matt Hardy, at some point, may actually read this column. If so, we the fans have a message.

Get over yourself. You have everything you ever wanted in the business you love, and you also have a lot of fans out there who want to see you do well. They have supported you all these years, and they believe in you. Don’t throw it back in their face.

But if you won’t do it for them, or your family who surely loves you, then do it for yourself. If life is that hard, or you just can’t find a way to grow up, then get out of the business. A lot of other guys didn’t do that because they didn’t see what was happening to them. And a lot of those guys have either washed out, lost it all, or much worse.

Get yourself right, get your head on straight, then come back if you want to. There is no sense in tarnishing what legacy you have, or ruining the career that you worked so hard to build.

The choice is yours. Do the right thing.