10 Most Radical Wrestler Attitude Adjustments

5. The Hardy Boys

Vince McMahon
WWE.com

As brilliantly documented in a recent WWE Network ’24’ special, the troubled years of Matt and Jeff Hardy for so long threatened to undermine the years they’d given (and taken from their own fragile frames) to the wrestling world at their turn-of-the-century peak.

The North Carolinians had donated their bodies to the cause between 1999 and 2002, and eventually done the same again in unexpectedly enjoyable mid-2000s returns to the company. By 2010 though, both were fostering significant addiction issues that persistently appeared in front of a camera lens by their own doing.

When they were appearing drunk, high or both on their own YouTube channel, they were doing so under the employ of a TNA misjudging the scale of their troubles. Jeff’s Victory Road 2011 appearance was a dark night for the company and the man himself, but represented a lowest ebb of sorts. Matt’s own followed a number of DUI mugshots that seemingly foreshadowed the premature end of his career and life.

Their white hot WrestleMania 33 return wasn’t just the celebratory comeback of an iconic team - it was the mutually satisfying conclusion to a truly glorious real-life redemptive arc.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett