The Evil History Of Pro Wrestling: TNA Victory Road 2011

Jeff Hardy
WWE

And, because pro wrestling is more diabolical than you ever remember it, real-life addiction has bled into the onscreen narrative all too often. Road Warrior Hawk’s potentially imminent real death was once an episodic hook of WWE Raw; ‘Last Call’ Scott Hall was also positioned as a car crash waiting to happen - and you might just see it, provided you choose Nitro over Raw.

TNA Victory Road 2011, held on March 13, was different.

Jeff Hardy had nearly been pulled from the Final Resolution pay-per-view on December 5, 2010 when concern arose over his condition. (Evidently, TNA wasn’t so concerned that Hardy, one of very few difference-making stars, was sent home). After some rest, Hardy was able to enter a respectable enough performance in the main event, during which he retained the TNA World Heavyweight title against Matt Morgan. Important context: TNA had a back-up plan in place in the event that Hardy could not perform - a match between Morgan and Mr. Anderson for the vacated belt.

Hardy was due in court on drug trafficking charges mere days after Victory Road, before which, to cover the company’s back, he had dropped the title to Sting on the February 24 edition of Impact.

It was widely known within TNA that Hardy was a liability, a danger to himself. His state on the night of Victory Road should not have come as a surprise to anybody in the company. The events of March 13 were destined to happen. If “destined” is a bit much, an incident was exceptionally likely to anybody with even an elementary understanding of the nature of addiction.

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Contributor
Contributor

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!