4 Wrestling Rumors we hope are true and 3 we hope aren't: Released legend "refused" WWE Hall of Fame induction & return, Backstage concern over Triple H's future
Welcome to this week's edition of WWE/wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't. It's the post-Royal Rumble edition and the road to WrestleMania 38 has officially begun.
Since we're only coming off Royal Rumble right now, some of this week's rumors include the plans for WrestleMania, some backstage notes, possible regrets on the Jeff Hardy release, backstage concern over Triple H's future, and more. Let's jump right into it:
#4. Hope is true: Jeff Hardy's response to WWE's John Laurinaitis
SeeEnigma! . . ! https://t.co/X4Mad6iiXI
When Matt Hardy said that there was more than meets the eye with regards to Jeff Hardy's WWE release, he wasn't wrong. It seemed odd that there was no reaction out of either brother, and Matt simply said that the company may have jumped the gun when it came to The Charismatic Enigma.
For the uninitiated, we'll give a little context. Jeff Hardy was in the middle of a tag team match in December 2021 during a Live Event. He abruptly seemed to walk away, with the security in the arena chasing after him.
His tag team partner, Drew McIntyre had to finish the match on his own and even seemed visibly confused as to where his tag team partner had gone. This also led to a lot of concern that Hardy may have relapsed.
Soon after, the news came out that he was released from the company, and unlike many other occasions, a lot of fans sided with WWE assuming that Jeff Hardy was still facing issues. He seemed completely normal and has resumed his life outside the ring as normal.
The issue of the drug test came up again, and Hardy was reportedly called by John Laurinaitis, the head of talent relations. Not only was he offered a return, but even an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2022.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON), Jeff Hardy refused and asked for his drug test results instead:
'"Here is an update on Jeff Hardy. John Laurinaitis called Jeff Hardy to get him back a few weeks ago, including an offer to put him in the 2022 Hall of Fame class. Hardy turned it down and asked for his drug test results because he knew he wasn’t going to test positive for recreational drugs. It took Hardy and his wife six weeks to get the results back,'' said Meltzer.
We hope this is true because it gives Hardy the upper hand for any future negotiations. When Matt Hardy said that the company jumped the gun with the test results, he wasn't lying.
It's also good to hear that The Charismatic Enigma is in a good place and is enjoying his life as usual.