10 Wrestlers Who Were Shoot PISSED As Soon As The Match Finished
8. Sting
The saddest part of the Jeff Hardy story - and increasingly, it's less and less about climbing the ladder, kid, No More Words and Brother Nero - is in the inevitability.
AEW recruiting Jeff was always a risk, and it's staggering how casually they measured it. Jeff is a star with an everlasting connection with his fans. Those who love Jeff Hardy adore Jeff Hardy. A particularly sad beat of Jeff's story is that he is able to draw a massive pop just by taking his shirt off - the ideal scenario for the weathered veteran unable to do too much - but he feels he must bump like it is still 1999.
It was one thing to have booked the Hardys on a midcard nostalgia run. That way, AEW would have got something out of Jeff without relying on an unreliable talent. But AEW planned to strap him up, which was so strange. They were hardly lacking for incredible tag teams, and both men were actually Broken by 2022.
The most infamous and grim chapter of the story unfolded at TNA Victory Road 2011, where a totally out-of-it Hardy almost tripped on the ring steps, was caught in a loop by continually trying to throw his t-shirt into the crowd, and barely knew where he was. Sting had to force him to the mat to make the finish look halfway convincing, and as he retreated up the ramp, he said "I agree!" in response to loud chants of "Bullsh*t!"