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WWE legend The Undertaker has gone against some of the best in the industry, but back in 2002, he narrowly defeated a young Jeff Hardy. Shockingly, the future WWE Champion would be released a year later, despite his looming success.
Jeff Hardy broke out into the singles scene after a few years of successfully tagging alongside his brother Matt. Hardy's highly praised Ladder Match against The Undertaker on WWE RAW seemed to angle the rising star for a major run in the promotion as well, making his 2003 release all the more shocking to fans.
During a recent episode of Grilling JR, the WWE veteran recalled the process and his role in the matter since he was head of Talent Relations at the time.
“I think he was burned out. He just wasn’t ready to settle down and to play by the rules. I remember I had several sit-downs with Jeff, and probably more than I normally would have. I liked him."
Ross continued, stating that he believed that The Charismatic Enigma was simply not ready for the insane amount of fame he received.
"He wasn’t sure what he wanted. But I knew what I wanted. I wanted a guy that was not getting high before he wrestled. That’s just insanity, s*icide. Some guys handled pressure and their ascension to the top of the card in different ways. And I don’t know that he was ready for his ascension.” (H/T Inside The Ropes)
During an episode of his podcast, Matt Hardy speculated who his brother should enter into a lengthy feud with next, and name-dropped many top stars, most notably Kenny Omega.
Missed out on last week's AEW Dynamite? Catch up with the results before tonight's show right here.
Matt Hardy believes there's an interesting similarity between Jeff Hardy and WWE legend Stone Cold Steve Austin
On the surface, there are little to no similarities between the pro wrestling personas of both WWE veterans. The two men never faced each other in a singles match, but clashed in three multi-person tag matches in 2001.
However, during an episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, the older Hardy brother noted that both men were terrible as heels since the crowd simply loved their characters too much.
"I almost, to me, it feels very similar to Jeff Hardy. It would be hard to make Jeff Hardy a full-fledged heel because he’s just such a beloved character and people connect with him in a way that very few people do. Stone Cold was that way too." (H/T Fightful)
It remains to be seen if Jeff Hardy will leave behind an impressive legacy like Steve Austin. However, if the veteran is serious about ending his career on a high note in AEW, that might just be the case.
