10 Most Shameless WWE Promotional Tactics
8. Jeff Hardy Didn't Run Down Elias
A big angle that created conversation for all the wrong reasons, Jeff Hardy being accused of running over Elias while drunk behind the wheel was a sad reminder of just how low WWE were prepared to go in order to get something - anything - over during times of strife.
The times in this case? The near-complete global shutdown that was the pandemic.
The May 29th 2020 edition of the show opened with something mirroring a crime scene on a local news bulletin. Renee Young and Kayla Braxton were on hand, talking over shots of Elias being strapped to a gurney, a totalled car up against a hedge and, eventually, Jeff Hardy being hauled into a squad car.
The 'Charismatic Enigma' denied everything and was very clearly framed, but WWE - via heel rival and actual perp Sheamus - were asking us to think he'd fallen off the wagon again. If all of that wasn't bad enough, Hardy later found himself victim of assaults by an enraged and wilfully ignorant Elias.