10 Wrestling Matches That Pissed Off Fans

2. Sting Vs. Jeff Hardy - TNA Victory Road 2011

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ImpactWrestling.com

Why was Jeff Hardy allowed to compete, even in an impromptu squash?

How did they not even know he was in "no condition to perform," as the old euphemism used to go?

What an incompetent mess of an organisation TNA was at its most TNA. Write what you will about WWE, but at least they'd never let a performer work when they're incapacitated. Well, Alicia Fox was that time. Also Steve Regal's entire Real Man's Man run. So they're actually twice as bad as TNA at its most TNA, technically, but this is about TNA.

At TNA Victory Road 2011, Sting was scheduled to defend the title against Jeff Hardy. Hardy arrived utterly incapable of working a match in what was a grim scene. He looked lost behind the eyes, nearly lost his footing on the ring steps, and had to be forcibly held down by Sting to arrive at a rearranged finish.

The Impact Zone fans were understandably furious. TNA had just delivered to them the worst possible solution to a problem they were too disorganised to even identify when the PPV was still ongoing. The show wasn't held at the Pontiac Silverdome, for f*ck's sake.

How did they let this happen?

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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!