WE HAVE LIFT OFF: JEFF HARDY RETURNS TO RAW

AUGUST 22, 2006

 

Jeff Hardy returned to the ring Monday night, appearing rested and confident as he high-stepped his way to the ring. However, as Hardy told WWE.com, the anticipation of his big entrance had his emotions on edge.

 “It was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been before walking out in front of a crowd,” Hardy said, his words racing faster than his mind could keep up with them. “It’s been nerve wracking, but exciting at the same time. I think it wouldn’t be as meaningful if you didn’t have the butterflies. The whole day I was almost in a trance, but after the second appearance I chilled out a lot.”

Hardy showed no signs of ring rust as he made his long-awaited return to RAW after a three-year absence. Thousands of delighted fans waved signs welcoming him back and cheered his entrance with a raucous ovation. When WWE Champion Edge called for the start of the next chapter in the Rated R story, Hardy answered and the two faced off in Hardy’s first WWE match in three years.

The adrenaline rush was pumping as Hardy emerged for the first time, but it was his second time out when he really took stock of the fans’ reaction. The warm reception and adoration he felt from the crowd in Bridgeport, Conn. helped him remember what he had missed so much about life as a WWE Superstar.

“I was a lot cooler the second time I went out – the crowd really calmed my nerves. It was overwhelming to notice all the signs that were out there, because I really didn’t notice them the first time,” said Hardy. “It was great out there. Everything was fine once I went through that curtain. All the butterflies were gone. The crowd really calmed my nerves.”

Hardy even noted that the crowd gave him a lift physically. Although many may have expected Hardy’s trademark high-flying repertoire to suffer from the long layoff, the Daredevil looked acrobatic as ever. He nailed Edge with a Twist of Fate, and connected on his signature Swanton Bomb, officially stamping his arrival and sending the crowd into a frenzy.

“I felt good, actually. I was surprised that I didn’t [tire out] quicker, but I felt really good out there, and I think I owe it all to the crowd, that’s for sure,” said an appreciative and relieved Hardy.

While the fans are clearly ecstatic to have one of their favorite Superstars back in action on RAW, perhaps nobody should be happier about Jeff’s return than his brother, Smackdown Superstar Matt Hardy. Together, they formed one of the most entertaining and formidable tag team duos in WWE history, and the younger Hardy is looking forward to the day when the Hardy Boyz are on top of the tag team world yet again.

“Up until tonight, I was looking forward to my big entrance, hearing that music again. Now that that’s happened, I’m totally looking forward to the Hardy Boyz getting back together,” he said.

For now, it’s one huge RAW appearance under the belt, and one huge sigh of relief for Jeff Hardy following a successful return to WWE television. He is excited to be back, and hopes to quickly return to where he left off – dominating the competition and awing the legions of WWE fans.

“I feel like I have so much to live up to and still do, so I plan to follow through with it and live up to what people think of me,” Hardy said, his voice growing excited. “Just thinking about all the time on the road [missed during the last three years], I know I need to go and do this while I can.”

Credit to www.wwe.com

JEFF HARDY SET TO RETURN TO RAW

AUGUST 17, 2006

 

Jeff Hardy will be making his long-awaited return to the ring this week on Monday Night RAW. Three years after being released from WWE as the result of a suspected drug addiction, Hardy is sure to bring the high-wire act that made him a crowd favorite back to the confines of (and the general area above, around and beyond) the squared circle.

A lifelong wrestling fan, Hardy made his WWE debut in 1993 at just 16 years old. In 1998, he and older brother Matt were offered full-time WWE deals, and the two forged a partnership that garnered them almost instant top-billing. Appropriately dubbed The Hardy Boyz, the two brothers employed unparalleled high-risk maneuvers and in-ring creativity to become one of WWE’s top tag teams.

The Hardy Boyz went on to become five-time WWE Tag Team Champions and also captured the WCW Tag Team Championship, ensuring their legacy as one of the most successful tag teams in WWE history. As the Hardy Boyz continued to find success, Jeff’s reputation for recklessness grew. The Hardyz had a flair for the extreme, and Jeff pushed the limits of in-ring acrobatics with an astonishing willingness to sacrifice his body week after week. The team’s extreme style was made famous in Tables, Ladders and Chairs Matches against the Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian.

In 2002, just after the WWE brand extension, Matt and Jeff were split up, pursuing singles success on Smackdown and RAW, respectively. That year, Jeff participated in arguably the greatest match of his singles career when he faced Undertaker in a Ladder Match for the WWE Championship. Though he was unable to capture the gold, Hardy’s relentlessness and courage in the ring captured the Deadman’s respect, and people everywhere began to acknowledge the talent that Hardy had spent his entire life perfecting.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long after this epic clash that things started to unravel. Hardy held several individual championships, including the European, Intercontinental, Light Heavyweight and Hardcore Championships, at various stages of his singles career. But as he began to make his climb up the ladder of WWE success, those close to Hardy began to notice an erratic change in his behavior. He started showing up late (or not at all) for WWE events, and his in-ring performance was slowly deteriorating. Reports of a drug dependency began to surface, and after refusing to enter rehab, Jeff Hardy was released by WWE on April 22, 2003.

As reported on WWE.com earlier this month, Hardy is now fully rehabilitated and fit to return, ready to make sure that his glory days in WWE have not passed him by. Whether he will be wrestling alone or eventually teaming back up with his brother is yet unknown. Regardless, Hardy insists that the best is yet to come.

“I’m ready to jump off bigger ladders and go through thicker tables,” he said. “I just gotta let it fly.”

Don’t miss Jeff Hardy’s high-flying return as he comes back to RAW one night after Summerslam, live on USA at 9/8 CT.

Credit to www.wwe.com

BOUND FOR BLOOD AND FATE

AUGUST 4, 2006

 

Refocused and rehabilitated, Jeff Hardy is prepared to join his brother, Matt, as he returns to the place where he began his career 13 years ago.

As reported on WWE.com, former Superstar Jeff Hardy has been rehired by World Wrestling Entertainment, more than three years after his release from the company. Showing up late for a slew of WWE events and with his in-ring performance slipping, Jeff’s sudden descent three years ago was reportedly the result of a poisonous drug addiction. After refusing to go into drug rehabilitation, Hardy was released from WWE in May 2003.

WWE.com spoke with a reflective Jeff Hardy who was driving through his home state of North Carolina with his brother, Smackdown Superstar Matt Hardy. Talking honestly about his release from WWE in 2003, Jeff said he isn’t as focused on where he’s been, but rather on where he’s going.

“I didn’t need [rehab],” said Jeff adamantly. “When I was released from WWE, it wasn’t just about demons or demonic metaphors that relate to drug use. I failed numerous drug tests because I just didn’t care…didn’t care to wrestle anymore. A sense of me believes that it might have just been a way out [of wrestling],” he added. "That’s in the past, and that’s forgotten about. I’m in a positive place now…and that’s what motivates me.”

Intent on starting anew, Jeff said he doesn’t want to be referred to as “the one who overcame his demons” when he returns to WWE.

“I’d really like to drop that,” he said. “I’d rather it be: ‘He’s back, and he’s full throttle’.”

Having lost his mother at an early age, Jeff said that being off the road for the last few years has afforded him the opportunity to become close with his and Matt’s father.

“I’ve been hanging out with my dad,” Jeff said. “[We] have spent a load of time together; we’ve built a good pasture. One of the most important things to me in life right now is to making sure my dad lives his life to its fullest for the rest of his life.”

Bound to his family, Jeff explained that he’s watched his brother, Matt, on television every week since his departure and he is looking forward to once again joining his former partner in the ring and on the road.

“Two things [Matt and I] have in common more than anything are Pearl Jam and [sports entertainment]. Our creativity when it comes to wrestling is pretty much unparalleled. The things we created – the moves, the new ideas – it just flowed.”

Possibly no one is more excited about Jeff’s return to sports-entertainment and WWE than Matt Hardy.

“Regardless of what’s happened – through thick and thin – [Jeff and I are] there for each other. WWE is his home, and he was put on this earth to wrestle,” said an elated Matt. “I’m ecstatic that he’s coming back home. It makes me look forward to the future.”

The former WWE and WCW Tag Team Champions are equally excited about potentially teaming together and displaying the dynamic in-ring chemistry that both electrified WWE fans and forever altered the WWE tag team landscape.

“What I’ve missed most are the massive crowds that you perform in front of,” Jeff explained passionately. “I’ve missed that more than anything. [The feeling is] untouchable.”

“I would love nothing more than to team with Jeff again,” added Matt. “He loves to go out there and entertain fans and inspire people and tell them they can beat the odds. We were two normal guys who made it to the big time. We want to send that message out to other people. If you have a dream,” he said, “you can chase it. You can do it.”

After watching from home for three full years, the free-spirited Jeff Hardy will soon relive his passion in a WWE ring. Whether it be in singles action or teaming with his brother, he anxiously awaits the chance to take new risks, reach new heights and pursue new championships, even if they are suspended 20 feet above the ring.

“I’m ready to jump off bigger ladders and go through thicker tables,” Jeff said. “I just gotta let it fly.”

 Credit to www.wwe.com

AUGUST 4, 2006

HIS OWN FATE TWISTED

 

 

After spending three years combating his personal demons, a refocused and rehabilitated Jeff Hardy is prepared to return to the place where he began his career as a teenager.

WWE.com has learned that WWE officials have rehired former Superstar Jeff Hardy, more than three years after his release from the company.

For this unique athlete, it has been a turbulent, arduous road back to WWE. In 2003, just as Hardy began to make his ascent to the top of World Wrestling Entertainment, he came crashing down, reportedly because of a drug dependency. 

After showing up late for several WWE events and demonstrating a deterioration in his in-ring performance, Hardy’s last match in WWE was on March 24, 2003. In May of that year, after refusing to go into drug rehabilitation, Hardy was subsequently released from WWE.

In 1993, at the age of 16, Jeff and his brother Matt, 19, started working for WWE, wrestling against contracted WWE Superstars. It wasn't until 1998 that the brothers were given full-time WWE deals. That year, the Hardy Boyz almost instantly became top-tier contenders in WWE's tag team division.

Both talented risk-takers with dynamic in-ring chemistry, the Hardyz revolutionized sports-entertainment, employing wild aerial maneuvers that did damage to both their opponents and themselves. Capturing both the WWE and WCW Tag Team Championships, the Hardyz made their strongest impact in their epic Tables, Ladders and Chairs Matches with the Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian.

Shortly after the WWE brand extension in 2002, Matt and Jeff were split apart and Jeff found success as a singles star on RAW. After the split, Hardy began to display his most unorthodox side, adding uniquely colored body paint to his ever-changing hair color.

Perhaps the highlight of his singles career was his Ladder Match with Undertaker for the WWE Championship in July 2002. In a match that no one believed Hardy could win, Jeff brought his abilities to a higher level unlike anyone had ever seen in him before. That night, Jeff did not walk out as WWE Champion, but he earned the respect of not only The Phenom, but of all who watched the contest. People started to acknowledge Hardy’s true talent – a talent that was curtailed and snuffed out due to his addiction.

Holding a number of championships, Hardy was en route to reaching the summit of his sports-entertainment career until it all came to an abrupt end due to his erratic behavior and drug use.

Overcoming addiction is arguably the greatest victory of Hardy’s life. And as a renewed Jeff Hardy prepares to reintroduce himself to WWE fans, one can only expect Hardy to earn his greatest career victories and even larger triumphs when he makes his long-awaited return home.

 

Credit to www.wwe.com