10 Subjects Dark Side Of The Ring Should Cover Next

8. Jeff Hardy Stumbles Along Victory Road

JBL WWE
Impact Wrestling

At TNA Victory Road 2011, Jeff Hardy infamously turned up, to use the old euphemism, "in no condition to perform".

In a visible audible - the sort of dumbass contradiction at which TNA excelled - Eric Bischoff instructed Sting to put him away immediately and get the hell out of there. He did, but not before it was stunningly obvious that the company's almost impressive incompetence had concocted a scenario in which fans had paid a considerable sum of money to watch their negligence unfold onscreen.

Eric Bischoff has professed, on the WWE Network, to being unable to locate Jeff Hardy at various points throughout his TNA tenure. He went missing frequently. The enigma bled into reality, but to be perfectly frank, it was was hardly a f*cking mystery, and it isn't naive of Bischoff. He knew better - the company knew better - but this behaviour was tacitly approved, if it meant a star of his wattage could appear on TNA programming. TNA hired Hardy at his lowest personal ebb. They knew.

This notorious furore captured the essence of pro wrestling's beyond f*cked power dynamic and rampant immorality at its most egregious.

This needs to be challenged still.

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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!