5 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown Live! In Newcastle (May 17)
3. Star
WWE.com
Anecdotal as this may be, the slew of children losing their minds for Jeff Hardy told the story of why the 'Charismatic Enigma' remains such a valuable component to Vince McMahon. Matched against the hugely over Rusev, Hardy was still able to galvanise the babyface energy in the building around him, because of course he was.
Broken - pardon the pun - down in his advancing years, Jeff's short a step or two in pace but makes up for it with an enviable connection with the crowd that now officially crosses generations. There will be those not even born when he last ascended to the top of the company, and thus those just as desperate as his old fans to see it happen again.
It is a remarkable recovery of his health, his life and his career - a title run sooner or later feels as much a reward as recognition for his still-key part to play in the make-up of WWE.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
