9 months ago
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WWE
While Jeff Hardy might have finished his WWE career as a former WWE Champion and two-time World Heavyweight Champion, it took until 2008 for the company to trust him in that position due to his personal issues with addiction. "You have to take a wait-and-see approach otherwise that's bad business," Bruce Prichard said on "Something to Wrestle." "You have a situation here where you have a great talent, unbelievable talent who can do any and everything with a great attitude and a huge upside, but they've got demons."
Prichard pointed out that the company simply couldn't forget about Hardy's issues at the time, even though he was popular with fans and could perform well inside the ring, which is why Hardy had to wait and prove he could be trusted in that top spot. "The belief amongst everyone was one of, Jeff has everything. Jeff had the world in the palm of his hand and every time the demons kind of come and grab him," Prichard said. "He's just such a wonderful, warm, nice guy and you want to help him. But, at some point, you have to help yourself, and that's what they were waiting for."
One of the reasons Prichard believed he was great for that spot was because he was different, new, and wasn't the norm when it came to who fans pictured as World Champion. Hardy had a big opportunity to win the WWE title at the Royal Rumble in 2008 against Randy Orton, and while the company considered him at that point, ultimately the decision was made that it wasn't the right time. "It would have been great to be able to have been able to crown a new champion there," he said. "But, cooler heads prevailed, and I think it was the right call."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Something to Wrestle" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
