10 Things We Learned From WWE 24 The Hardys: Woken

9. Jeff Thought He Was "Losing Himself" In 2009

Jeff Hardy 2009
WWE.com

That style, one pinned down by reckless dives, stunts and painful bumps, caught up with Jeff Hardy long before he admitted it in 2009.

Pushing himself to the limit, Jeff finally gave in to the pain and left WWE that summer. Before doing so, he admitted on the doc that he confided in friends that he might be "losing himself". That must have been a red flag to those around him, and there were surely worries for Jeff's wellbeing.

Despite capturing the WWE Title for the first time in 2008 and riding the crest of a main event wave, Jeff wasn't in good shape and needed some serious respite. Looking back, he's able to see that his drug and alcohol addictions (predominantly the former) were out of hand.

Back then though, those addictions were ones he leaned on like a crutch to get him through WWE's rigorous schedule and the punishing in-ring style he felt was necessary for fans to enjoy his work. The result was a vicious cycle.

Something had to give.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.