Every Jeff Hardy Storyline That Dealt With His Substance Abuse, Explained

Jeff Hardy is a beloved figure in professional wrestling, being a natural babyface that fans have simply gravitated towards over the years. One of the reasons for that is that he has always been open about his struggles away from the ring, and the addictions that he has battled against throughout his life.

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There are times when that has caused him major problems, leading to suspensions and time away from the ring. While that is quite a personal situation that audiences have been made aware of, this has become even more apparent due to how many times his addictions have been used for storylines within wrestling angles.

6 His Journey To The WWE Title

WWE Was Open About His Highs & Lows

Became WWE Champion at Armageddon (2008)
Feuded with Triple H, Edge, and Vladimir Kozlov at this time
He lost the title at Royal Rumble (2009)

Jeff Hardy's push to become WWE Champion in 2008 was something that everybody was on board with from a fan perspective, and certain people such as Freddie Prinze Jr. were pushing for it backstage. Whether the company could trust Hardy in that position was a real question mark, and that led to WWE leaning into his addictions.

Hardy referenced it in promos and his matches had highs and lows with big bumps showcasing his struggles. The decision to lightly lean on his real-life struggles helped make him sympathetic, and that was a great angle to take.

5 A Brotherly Turn

Matt Hardy Was Sick Of Putting Jeff Back Together

Matt Hardy turned on his brother at Royal Rumble (2009)
They faced each other at WrestleMania 25
Jeff won the feud at Backlash (2009) in an I Quit Match

At the start of 2009, Jeff Hardy started becoming the victim of random attacks by a mystery person. He was run off the road and had his pyro tampered with, and in the end, it became clear it was Matt Hardy who was behind it all. He attacked his younger brother at the Royal Rumble of that year, costing him a WWE Championship match against Edge.

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While there was a tinge of jealousy based around these issues, a big factor in it was Hardy's addiction problems. Matt made it clear he was sick of always having to put Jeff back together, being there for him every time an issue came up. It was something fans could buy into because Matt was legitimately there to help his brother, and it helped people invest in their hard-hitting storyline that saw them have two PPV matches.

4 Straight Edge Meets Hardy

Their Personalities Clashed Massively

CM Punk cashed in his Money In The Bank on Hardy to start the feud
Punk beat Hardy at SummerSlam (2009)
Punk defeated Hardy in a Loser Leaves WWE match

Jeff Hardy's final storyline before leaving WWE in 2009 was against CM Punk, which created one of the best angles of his entire career. The two men legitimately didn't see eye to eye, but inside the ring, they had great chemistry and the fact their characters and personalities were the complete opposite of each other allowed people to buy into their storyline.

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Of course, a big part of that storyline was Hardy's history with addictions. Because Punk is legitimately straight edge - which was a key part of his WWE character as well - they leaned heavily into this and that led to an angle that had a lot of bite.

3 TNA Road To Redemption

This Followed His Victory Road Incident

Hardy returned to TNA at the August, 2011 tapings.
He wrestled in September after a six-month break
He won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Bound For Glory (2012)

Victory Road, 2011 was the lowest point of Jeff Hardy's career as he was unable to compete against Sting in the planned main event due to the fact he was under the influence of substances. Eric Bischoff had to force the match to end immediately in what was one of the most controversial moments in the history of the sport.

It's something that Hardy was lucky to recover from, but when he did return to the ring TNA opted to make it a storyline. Unlike other times in his career, TNA didn't have much choice but to make this an angle because his issues were so public to begin with. He pleaded with fans for one more shot after apologizing, and he went on a lengthy run to win them back and climb to becoming the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, wrapping up the angle with him on top.

2 Sheamus Pushes Hardy To His Limits

They Even Had A Bar Fight

One of the biggest angles that has been based around Jeff Hardy's addictions came against Sheamus in 2020. Hardy was arrested in the storyline for crashing his car into Elias, leading to a fake DUI case. Sheamus would push Hardy throughout this period, pointing out that he had his problems, something that he believed was ongoing.

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At one point Sheamus demanded Hardy take a urine test inside the ring, which led to him throwing it at the Celtic Warrior. They eventually had a bar fight as they pushed Hardy's issues even further. It was an engaging storyline and one that both men were committed to, but there's no doubt it was close to the bone.

1 Christian Cage Takes A Shot At Jeff

He Ran A Quick Angle With Matt Hardy Based On Jeff's Addictions

Cage's promo happened on AEW Dynamite, 7/6/22
They wrestled on AEW Dynamite, 8/3/22
It came after Jeff Hardy was arrested

Jeff Hardy joining AEW was supposed to be a fresh start for him and his career, but unfortunately, that didn't go to plan as he was arrested for a legitimate DUI. While Tony Khan gave him another chance, he had to spend time away from the company to focus on himself, but that didn't stop him from being brought up on television.

Christian Cage is someone who has a lot of history with Hardy, and he decided to take the shot at him to be part of a brief television feud with Jeff's brother. Matt Hardy was trying to stick up for Jungle Boy when Cage claimed he was making Jeff seem like the sober one, which was a line that shocked people to hear.

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