10 Most Infamous Matches In Wrestling History

2. Sting Vs. Jeff Hardy - TNA Victory Road 2011

Chamber Of Horrors
ImpactWrestling.com

Sting Vs. Jeff Hardy promised much and posed an interesting question. How would the two men mesh what was a seemingly dissonant clash of styles? It never was answered.

As Jeff's music struck, the camera hovered around the stage before panning out. Hardy took an age to emerge, and the reason behind the delay soon became apparent. His walk to the ring was subdued, shaky. He just stopped short of falling off the ring steps after a wobbly ascent.

Sting made his appearance, and the contrast between the two men was shocking. The much older Champion paced around the ring with far more poise and guile. It became apparent then that something definitely was off. Jeff's personal demons had engulfed him once more. At that point Eric Bischoff ran to the ring and relayed revised instructions to Jeff - something along the lines of stay down. It mustn't have registered with him, which under the circumstances is no real surprise. Jeff then stalled, threatening to throw his balled up t-shirt in the ring. When the bell rang, an incensed Sting punched Hardy twice and drilled him with the Scorpion Death Drop. Hardy tried to kick out, but Sting held him down for the three count.

As he exited the IMPACT Zone, Sting responded to the loud cries of "Bullsh*t!" with a firm "I agree". That Jeff Hardy was even allowed to go out there is an indictment of TNA as a wrestling organisation - or a company, full stop.

The ending was a happy one. Jeff's disgraceful actions served as a wake up call to him. To date, there has not been a repeat of the debacle.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!