If you tuned into WWE‘s Main Event this week, you will have noticed that Jinder Mahal returned. The former WWE Champion and self-proclaimed “Modern Day Maharajah” came back and successfully defeated Jeff Hardy. Yes, the same Jeff Hardy who – even now, at 43 – is one of the biggest names in the WWE with a career in the company dating back over twenty years. Like Mahal, he, too, is a former WWE Champion. Surely, with Main Event being a throwaway show, this is a waste of two big names.
Two Former WWE Champions on Main Event
Whatever you say about Jinder Mahal’s ring work, he is still a big name. A former WWE Champion who held the title for much of 2017, Mahal is someone who can still offer something to RAW. Granted, he has not exactly been treated like a star since his reign was ended by AJ Styles in the fall of 2017. However, surely a return – after a near-four month absence – can make it to RAW. Jeff Hardy, especially, is one of the more recognizable names in the WWE. Yet, his defeat against Mahal this week was his first appearance in two months.
The most recent defeat actually puts Hardy on a six-match losing streak, dating back to a victory (with Carlito) against Elias and Jaxson Ryker on the February 2 episode of RAW. If you can recall WWE in 2008/9, Jeff Hardy was arguably the biggest name in the WWE – at a time when John Cena, Batista, and Triple H (to name three) were still active competitors. Hardy’s legacy warrants better than being stuck in Main Event purgatory and putting over a returning Mahal there. If it is going to happen, do it on RAW, at least.
Jeff Hardy Isn’t Getting Younger
To cram two former WWE Champions into a quick match like this on Main Event affects the talent. Furthermore, it diminishes the value of the WWE Championship. Almost since it began in 2012, it has been considered an afterthought; an extra 55 minutes of run-time to get some less-used stars into a ring. It is a show that has never been treated with respect, so why should we respect it?
Additionally, given Jeff Hardy is in the twilight of his career, if his spot is to put over talent, why not use him to put over people on RAW – the brand that fans actually tune in for? Throwing him in random matches on Main Event is a disservice not only to Hardy and the fans but to consistency. If Hardy has to lose to someone, having additional fans see this loss is productive. Having him lose randomly with a minuscule audience only hurts him.
In just two years’ time, Jeff Hardy will have been wrestling for thirty years. This is highly impressive for anyone, let alone for someone who has done the things in the ring – and outside of it – that Hardy has done. This should be celebrated. Letting a star of this magnitude, with decades of acclaim, go out with a whimper rather than a bang similar to the hundreds of tables he has fallen through over thirty years, would not be right.
However, it is worth considering that he might not care. He seems to be increasingly involved in projects away from the ring; such as his music with band PeroxWhy?Gen. His artwork, too, takes up much of his time these days. He has two young daughters to keep him busy. If he is content with his current booking, then it must be respected. However, one can’t help but feel the Jeff Hardy character deserves a better end to his WWE tenure. That is, if it is truly ending.
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