3 reasons why Jeff Hardy left WWE for TNA back in 2010
Jeff Hardy made a surprise return during the April 12 episode of AEW Dynamite to give his brother Matt, Hook, and Isiah Kassidy a much-needed save. His comeback was well-received by fans, as was evident by the huge pop that ensued as soon as his entrance music was played.
Over the years, The Charismatic Enigma has gone on and off from in-ring action, not to mention has hopped from one promotion to another. A case in point was in 2009 when he left WWE and returned to TNA the following year.
There are several reasons why he opted to leave McMahon's promotion. Alongside the obvious ones, there are deeper reasons behind such a departure.
#3 Jeff Hardy’s contract with WWE was up
Back in 2009, Jeff Hardy had a feud with CM Punk after the latter cashed in on his Money in the Bank Briefcase after the former won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Edge during their rematch at Extreme Rules. The then-WWE Superstars went back and forth in the following weeks until it culminated on the August 28 episode of SmackDown that same year.
Hardy and Punk went toe-to-toe inside a steel cage for the company's World Heavyweight Championship, which Punk successfully defended. Also, the stipulation of the match was that whoever loses the match would have to leave WWE, and that’s what Brother Nero did.
Some fans may not be aware of it, but his contract expired during the same week. Jeff gave an emotional speech after the match that got fans bawling out in tears. To add more salt to the injury, while Jeff was on his way backstage, Punk came out and delivered a cheap shot at the back of his head using the championship belt.
#2 Plagued by injuries
The aforementioned storyline between Jeff Hardy and CM Punk paved the way for The Enigma to recuperate from the injuries that he endured during his in-ring performances in WWE.
At the time, it was revealed that he was suffering from a couple of herniated disks and a neck injury. It was also learned that he also had a condition called Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), which is a condition where a person has a strong urge to move one’s legs. This usually results in sleeping problems for folks who are affected by this condition.
#1 Jeff Hardy taking in too much
The physical pain that he was dealing with due to the sick bumps that he had been getting during his matches was too much for Hardy to bear. His fellow WWE Superstars at the time were beginning to notice, even his brother Matt.
To cope, he resorted to taking some pain medication to at least ease up on the injury he had been dealing with and, at the same time, at the performance level that they (Jeff and Matt) believe they should be at.
This was revealed during the WWE documentary Hardy Boyz: Woken, where Matt stated that the meds that were supposed to help his brother eventually became a problem as well. Jeff admitted that he went on to abuse it and blames himself for it.
He took some time off for several months, and come January of 2010, TNA fans were shocked to see Jeff Hardy among the crowd as he made his way toward the caged ring.
WWE fans, on the other hand, probably got their heads scratched when they learned that Jeff jumped over to a rival promotion. In line with this, he highlighted during his farewell speech that he would just be taking a breather to recuperate from his injuries and seemingly gave the impression that he’d be back in WWE after he has recovered.
However, Hardy moved to TNA, and fans began speculating why he jumped ship. Most of them believed that it had something to do with his substance abuse.
For those unaware, WWE has strict wellness policies as the promotion reprimands their superstars depending on how many times they get caught using such substances.
Jeff Hardy had an awesome run within TNA where he took on several personas with the most notable being the character Willow. He was also a member of the heel collective dubbed the Immortal, alongside Hulk Hogan, Jeff Jarrett, and Eric Bischoff.