TNA: Will the Real Jeff Hardy Stand Up on Impact Wrestling?

What is Jeff Hardy’s role in TNA?

He used his Twitter account this week to make the announcement. He’s going to return to what has made him successful.

"Ok, its official...time to go back 2 work! I will be in Huntsville, AL this Thursday with Impact Wrestling!!!!"

Should fans be excited or cautious over these recent events? Frankly, to be honest, I am not sure. There are two Jeff Hardy personas, with each having a direct impact on what happens Thursday night and on his future as an employee of TNA Wrestling.

As a fan, it means that Jeff Hardy, the high-flying daredevil, may appear, set the place in its ear, and bring fans to their feet in anticipation of things to come.

As a writer, there are serious questions I have about Hardy, his mental state, and what happens now in light of how he has been, the fact his brother was just fired from the wrestling brand and the biggest question of all—have the demons inside left and can he lead a better life than the one he was heading toward?

And, if you step back and look at the creative side of the picture, where does he fit in everything? Immortal is cracking. Fortune is about to do the same thing. Does he step in for Mr. Anderson and maybe Abyss, who looks like he is on the way out?

Does he come in as a face and turn on Immortal, join forces with Sting and set the place on fire in an attempt to save the company for Dixie Carter?

Who really knows except for Creative?

Hardy’s career as a tag team partner with his brother Matt is one of the most storied in wrestling history and his rise to fame as a singles world champion in both the WWE and TNA is a great underdog story, but let’s not kid ourselves into thinking everything will just go back to being normal and Hardy will be the same guy we saw maybe five years ago.

It will take time.

I thought about this and drew a comparison of Hardy to, of all people, Scott Hall. While their paths are different, the need for help in situations of addiction, or whatever the case may be, are parallel.

Hall was a good-looking guy who got his start in the AWA, went to Florida, and was successful in the NWA. He then traveled to Vince McMahon’s circus and became Razor Ramon and somewhere along the way, as he moved to WCW, demons started to creep into his life, which included alcohol, missed dates for matches and so on. We even saw him on television in some of the worst states of his life.

And the same goes for Hardy, who had battled addictions to the point that he got into legal trouble and gave what is arguably one of the worst title match performances in PPV history when he faced Sting at Victory Road. While they are both liked and popular, even as heels, they have to deal with the paths they have taken.

As Hardy makes his way back to work tomorrow night, I hope this is a step in the right direction for him and TNA. He is a talent that should be used properly to get the best out of the product. If he is at his best, then a title in the future is not something that can be questioned.

But if he is not, and he will have excuse after excuse and chance after chance like Scott Hall, then maybe the best thing for him is to get away from the one thing that could help his mental state and also hurt his judgment.