Tag Archives: Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy prepares for cage match against longtime rival Bully Ray at TNA’s Lockdown

From his days wrestling alongside his brother Matt as the Hardy Boyz to his ascension to the top of the wrestling ladder (literally and figuratively), Jeff Hardy remains one of the most enigmatically talented men to ever step into the ring. And this Sunday at Lockdown, he faces one of his biggest challenges to date as he defends his Total Nonstop Action World Heavyweight Championship against Bully Ray inside a steel cage. Having recently re-signed with TNA, Hardy hopes to retain his title and continue to be the face of the company as TNA takes Impact Wrestling live on the road beginning next Thursday. As he prepares for this match, as well as the positive changes happening within TNA, Hardy takes a moment to talk to Wrestling with Pop Culture about staying with TNA, getting older and his burgeoning music career.

At Lockdown you defend the TNA title against Bully Ray inside a steel cage. As a veteran, how do prepare for a cage match now in comparison to when you were younger and took a lot more risks in order to make a name for yourself?

My psychology is pretty much the same. I’m not really limited, but I try to work smarter now. I’m excited, man, because it’s a challenge. I’ve had so many great cage matches and ladder matches, so its another challenge for me to top myself. I’m a little more afraid to try big things now [because I have a 2-year-old daughter], but I’m still the same Jeff Hardy.

Now that you’re a little older, is it tougher to recover from some of the things you do in the ring?

Yeah, it’s way tougher now, just being older. But I’m taking extremely good care of myself. I see a chiropractor three days a week, I try to get massages when I can, I ice every part of my body that’s hurting after every match and I work out more than I ever have.

You and Bully have such history going back more than a decade and now you find yourselves going against each other in a pay-per-view main event. How would you say you’ve both grown as performers and what has it been like growing into the stars you’ve become today?

It’s really cool thinking about those TLC matches many years ago between the Dudley Boyz and the Hardy Boyz. To see those old matches and now to see TNA in full effect, the way Jeff Hardy looks, the way Bully Ray looks – he’s possibly in the greatest shape of his life – we’ve both reinvented ourselves over the years. It’s so exciting to be headlining such a huge pay-per-view this Sunday and just still being able to do what we do. It’s really something to be proud of and I can’t wait to see what happens on Sunday.

What do you think you’ll do differently in this match than what you’ve done in the past against someone who knows you better than anyone else in TNA?

What’s going to be different is the unknown effect of any cage match, especially with my mentality. One of my favorite cage matches of all time was against Kurt Angle last year and even coming close to topping that this year is going to be a challenge. But I’m not going to do anything differently unless I have to. I’m going to go out there and just give it my all like I always do.

Given that this is a cage match, do you think that gives an advantage over Bully Ray?

I think so, yeah. Bully’s good with tables, ladders and chairs, but I think I do have the advantage in the cage.

What are some of your favorite moments from your time tagging with your brother Matt?

As a team, there are so many amazing memories. But one of my favorite memories of Matt is when we finally got to wrestle each other at WrestleMania. The finish to that match was one of my favorites of all time. The original Twist of Fate in a chair, that will last with me forever.

This Thursday is the first time Impact airs live outside the Impact Zone. What is it like for you looking back to see how the company has grown? Will it be hard for you to say goodbye to a venue that you did so much work in?

It’s going to be a little heartfelt, but it’s time to get out on the road. But I’m sure we’ll be back in the Impact Zone for a reunion show or something.

TNA wrestlers have often said one of the things they like about TNA is the difference in the schedule. With TNA going on the road, you’re going to be busier. Was that something you considered when you were recently in contract negotiations with TNA?

Being in TNA, there are those times where I get to be at home for a week straight. But March is crazy busy for me. I just like being the alternative, the other place to be and believe in. And 15 years from now, there’s a chance it could reach those WWE heights. Time will tell.

You recently released your first album, Similar Creatures, through TNA Knockout Music. How has that album been received so far? Do you foresee doing something similiar to what Chris Jericho is doing where you pursue wrestling and music at the same time?

I don’t know how the first EP is doing. What I’ve been focused on as far as music goes is my band Peroxwhy?gen. We finished recording last week in Nashville and there are ten songs that are just on a different level as far as me as a singer, lyrically and vocally. I’ve grown so much and I’m really excited about that. Hopefully it will be out around July or August. As far as me wrestling and performing, it’s going to be something unique. I’m not sure what that is yet, but you’ll soon find out.

Given what you talked about earlier about taking fewer risks and having a harder time recovering, as well as your family, your musical project and other endeavors, how much longer do you see yourself wrestling?

I have no idea. It’s always going to be in my blood and I think my body will tell me when I need to stop. Hopefully I’ll be 45, 50 years old and still have a match every now and then. But I don’t know. Time will tell and my body will tell me.

www.impactwrestling.com

High-flying Jeff Hardy looks for a new beginning in TNA at Turning Point

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When Jeff Hardy made his Impact Wrestling return on Spike TV recently, there was an overwhelmingly positive response from the audience. Considering that his last outing with Total Nonstop Action was a 90-second loss to Sting in the main event at Victory Road last March (not to mention he had turned his back on the fans just months before by joining Immortal), the fact that he was welcomed back so quickly might be a bit of a surprise. But I suppose surprises come with the territory when talking about “The Charismatic Enigma.” As he heads into a marquee match against Jeff Jarrett this Sunday at Turning Point, Hardy takes a moment to talk to Wrestling with Pop Culture about his return, how he’s preparing for the pay-per-view and more.

Courtesy Impact Wrestling

I was at the Impact Wrestling TV tapings in Macon, Ga. a couple of weeks ago, where you got another very positive response from the crowd. What were your expectations coming back to TNA? Were you surprised to have gotten such a positive response?

Not at all. I’ve been fortunate to have such support from the fans, even going back to when I first came back in Knoxville. I’ve always been real fortunate with that and I think I’ve always given the fans a lot, so I always get a lot in return. I think people have respect for me. Macon was great. It’s really good to get out of the Impact Zone every now and then to get to these fresh, bigger crowds, especially for TV tapings, so I think it was phenomenal.

It looks like you haven’t missed a step, but how has it felt to be back in a TNA ring?

I’ve been doing really well. We just got back yesterday from doing four live events in Michigan, Dayton, Ohio and Canada and we had four great shows. Physically, I’m in really good shape. I run every morning, I work out more than I probably ever have in my whole life, so everything’s extremely positive and I think that’s playing a big part in the way I feel in the ring. I feel awesome. Each match I’ve had since I’ve been back has felt really good. I’m excited about my future.

Before you returned to the ring, it seemed like there was a lot of hesitation in the locker room to accept you back. Do you feel like the rest of the roster is being more supportive now that you’ve proven yourself in the ring again?

I think so. Naturally, it was questionable coming back to a lot of the guys. It takes a while. I had decided that for the next year, I’m going to do whatever it takes to prove myself to these guys. I think it’s happened faster because I’ve been feeling really good and I think I’ve proved myself to everybody. The shows are great, I’ve been feeling great and I think that forgiveness has pretty much happened. We’re on an extreme roll in TNA and, like I said, I’m very excited about the future.

Courtesy Impact Wrestling

Going into Turning Point this Sunday, you’re facing Jeff Jarrett. When you were last in TNA, you were part of Immortal with Jeff Jarrett. With all that’s gone on since then with you, Immortal and TNA, what do you think you have to prove in this match and how are you preparing for it?

I think that’s real simple. It’s going to be challenging out there in the ring with Karen at his side, that’s for sure. But I beat him and that’s pretty much it as far as I’m concerned. I think I’ll prove something to him by beating him in the middle of the ring in my first actual match back at a pay-per-view. So I’ll beat him in the middle and see what happens.

Anything can happen out there. I’ve been to a lot of live events preparing for this match, but the couple of loops I’ve been on Jeff Jarrett hasn’t been there. So I might be at a little bit of a disadvantage. I’ve been doing a few more shows while he’s been resting up, but I’m going in there confident and I’m going to do what I always do and hopefully get the 1-2-3. But I feel better than I have in a long time in the ring, so I’m just going to try not to injure myself, but at the same time be entertaining in beating Jeff Jarrett.

“Enigma” highlights the charisma and chaos of TNA’s Jeff Hardy

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Prior to his recent return to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Jeff Hardy‘s last appearance in a TNA ring was in the main event of Victory Road last March. Considering that he didn’t come anywhere close to defeating Sting for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and, instead, was pinned in less than two minutes in what will likely always be considered one of the company’s most embarrassing moments, it might seem unwise for TNA to release a two-disc set celebrating Hardy’s most recent stint with the company.

Enigma: The Best of Jeff Hardy, Volume 2, however, is actually a good reminder of Hardy’s accomplishments prior to Victory Road. From interviews with childhood friends and peers such as Kurt Angle, Sting and brother Matt Hardy to footage of Jeff at home with his artwork, dirt bike and baby daughter, Enigma shows the seemingly down-to-earth guy behind the makeup and mishaps. More importantly, the DVD set features some of Hardy’s best matches in TNA, as well as footage of his 2004 debut at the Asylum against AJ Styles, his return on the Jan. 4, 2010 and his first match back with the company last March (again against Styles in an impressive non-title victory over the then-TNA Champion).

Enigma chronicles Hardy’s climb to the top of TNA’s ladder (literally, in some instances) as he teams, then feuds, with Mr. Anderson, has a great series with Angle that includes some incredible matches with awful endings, reunites with Matt and becomes the TNA Champion after his ultimate heel turn at last year’s Bound for Glory. Though his inclusion in Immortal (like so many other things about that faction) seems a bit nonsensical, the fact that he was actually able to achieve his greatest success since returning to TNA despite the egos of Immortal’s other members (and that horrendous custom title belt) says a lot about Hardy’s charisma in and out of the ring.

The DVD concludes with two of his best TNA matches to date; a ladder match against Anderson at Against All Odds where Hardy regained the TNA title and the March 3 Impact! match against the returning Sting, in which Sting defeated Hardy for the title. Both of these matches happened just weeks before that other match against Sting at Victory Road, which makes Hardy’s inevitable fall from grace that much harder to accept. Of course, this being a “Best of” DVD, that match is not included. And as evidenced by what is included in this collection, including an amusing episode of his Internet-based The Hardy Show (as well as the positive fan reaction Hardy has received since his return to TNA in recent weeks), Hardy clearly has plenty more to offer as long as his self-destructive risks are limited to athletic displays rather than reckless ones. Let’s just hope his current run results in a third volume rather than another public spectacle.