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Jeff Hardy: On being late or missing events, cutting promos, working with Jarrett (10-01-05)

Torch Talk with Jeff Hardy, pt. 2
Originally Published: October 1, 2005
Torch Newsletter #880

The following is the second installment of a two-and-a-half hour "Torch Talk" interview with Jeff Hardy conducted Sept. 15. Now a headliner in TNA, about to go national on Spike TV, he is known as the flashier member of the Hardy Boys, but also the more mysterious. In this "Torch Talk," Hardy talks about his lack of promo time over the years, making a difference for TNA, and his trouble getting to shows on time or at all. In future installment, he speaks freely and openly about the Matt Hardy-Lita-Edge situation in depth, explaining when he doubted his brother and why, how he feels bad for how he treated Lita and Edge during the ordeal, why he sees two sides to the story, why Matt decided to return to WWE, and how he thinks Matt handled the personal issue in a public way, plus many other subjects sure to add a new perspective to the controversy.

Wade Keller: When you joined TNA, one of the opportunities you had that you did not have much of in WWE was to talk in the mic. As we talked about on the Ultimate Insiders DVD, it took a very long time for you in WWE - well into the run of you being popular - before they even considered giving you regular mic time. In TNA, they were going to push you as a singles star and you were clearly one of the top names they had ever had come through there in terms of name recognition, potential, upside, you could be a full time guy, so you knew at some point you'd have to sell matches through talking. Was that something you looked forward to or were nervous about?

Jeff Hardy: I was totally looking forward to it, but with the whole enigma thing and not talking or talking as little as possible... Dutch Mantel said after the deal we did where I signed the autograph in the ring with Dusty (Rhodes) and all that, he said something like, "He's like pro wrestling's mime" or something like that. "He don't have to talk." With the mannerisms and stuff like that, he can connect with the fans. I'm confident to get on the mic and everything now, but I'm glad with this whole enigma deal that we have held off on that (talking). I think we're getting pretty close to a time when it's going to be exciting to see me do it. I'm even looking forward to it myself because it's something I've never really done. It's always good to have something you've never done that you can showcase.

Keller: Talk a little bit more about that and what about it are you excited about and at what pace do you think it will play out on television.

Hardy: As far as promos in the ring, I think I just bring a very different approach or go at it, like, much differently than everybody else, in a way that's going to be strange and weird most likely, but I think it will be totally accepted and very entertaining. But if it's not, I'll go back to the mute enigma.

Keller: When you were in WWE, did you ever fight for mic time? Did you and Matt ever have the opportunity to ask for mic time, or did you have to do what yo were told and be quiet?

Hardy: I never did. I hardly ever pushed anything. Matt would always try to get some mic time going on and stuff because he was much better and everything at the time. He was very confident in speaking whereas I was very confident in jumping around. So I never did go out of my way to ask them for more mic time.

Keller: How many interviews do you think you did in your years in WWE? Was it five or fifty or more?

Hardy: As for pre-taped stuff, I did quite a bit of that. Probably the most was with the Undertaker deal. That was really starting to develop a feel for what I had in mind in terms of driving myself with a mic and some mic time. I remember this deal I did where Terri Runnels was interviewing me and I did something crazy where I ran off and came back with something very out of the box and it turned out pretty sweet?

Keller: And it was your idea to do that?

Hardy: Oh, yeah, totally. There have been thousands of ideas I've had, mostly match stuff, where when I'd get shut down. And I'd get shut down a lot because they thought it might not even be possible, but I wasn't afraid to throw out a strange idea.

Keller: What was the strangest idea you had that they blocked that you wish they would have let you execute?

Hardy: One is a bump I wanted to take actually when I was working with Brock Lesnar. I felt so confident in this. They looked at me like I was crazy when I asked if it was cool to attempt it. It was something like where Brock would have been down in the corner squatting and I was going to hit the Swanton on somebody who was laying there and take a spear upside down out of the air. Like, my momentum was already going that way anyway, so if anybody could tackle me out of the air, it'd be Brock Lesnar. They didn't even consider it, I don't think. Whenever I mentioned it, I thought that would be awesome. So I should have had some action figures with me to where I could actually show them what I meant and a visual of what it would look like.

Keller: So you get to TNA and you get a chance to in a sense pick up where you left off by being a singles wrestler. Did you like the way TNA handled your character at the beginning the way they presented it? Did you have the creative freedom that you wanted?

Hardy: Yeah, they've been overwhelmingly cool with anything I've wanted to do. But once again I hadn't been too pushy. I hadn't had that many ideas as far as my character other than the neon stuff and all the regular old Jeff Hardy stuff. I loved working with all of the guys there. Jeff Jarrett's been great for ideas. In a way, he's taken the place of (Matt). I still call Matt at times right before matches and stuff and ask him, "Hey, what do you think about this?" But Jeff Jarrett is really good about taking some of these wild ideas or whatever I may have and bringing them back into the realm of earth and the realistic possibility. I can throw stuff at him and he can break it down to where I don't know if making sense is right, but it works.

Keller: Is it fair to say you were reluctant to do a lot of mic work in your first months in TNA or did you feel you did enough mic work when you first got there?

Hardy: I don't remember doing any. When I first came, Dusty talked. Whenever Dutch talked about me being the mime, with the whole charismatic enigma deal, they thought the less I talked, the more mystique would be involved and go along with me and that would be a good move.

Keller: You were one of the bigger stars to sign with TNA who came in and could work full-fledged matches. You weren't past your prime. Do you think you made a difference in TNA? Was there even some weight on your shoulders even because of that pressure?

Hardy: I did feel there was a little bit of weight, but I didn't mind lifting it all. More than the passion restored or anything else for me to worry about, what was most exciting was just the thought of it one day going head-to-head with Raw. That was the ultimate goal. It seems like week by week there would be more people that came from way away from Nashville or whatever to see me. As it grew each week, I thought, man, this is cool, I really have some serious fans out here coming all this way. They remember me from WWE. It just got more and more. I would always take time after a show to hang out with the fans and hear where they were from. And that last day when we had our last show there (in Nashville) and I wrestled Jeff Jarrett, it was awesome to see that. I remember I went to Burger King; at some point I left the building and came back because I went to get some food and when I came back, there were over a thousand people that couldn't get in because they were turned away. I was, like, wow, it was almost like deja vu. I had seen it in my head and the ultimate goal has been to be on Spike and I've always envisioned it on Spike. Being that that's happened, it's kind of fallen into place.

Keller: You pretty quickly felt like you were part of the family, part of the promotion, and really had a stake in wanting to see it move to that next level and wanted to help it get there?

Hardy: Yeah, totally. All the guys were super-respectful. They understood that my will wasn't there all the way as far as to wrestle, but I was there for something. I wanted (to lend my name to TNA) for people who hadn't heard of TNA and to actually hear, "Oh, is that where the other Hardy went? Let's check it out."

Keller: You had gotten used to sleeping when you wanted, getting up when you wanted, being places when you wanted. You didn't have to answer to anybody. When you agreed to go back to TNA, suddenly there was structure again. It was not nearly the same as it was in WWE, but a lot of the stuff you didn't want a part of anymore was there again. You had to be at the airport at this time. You had to be at the arena at this time. You didn't end up having a perfect record when it came to that. What went into how hard it was for you to be on time and make it to shows? Why weren't you on time and why did you miss shows?

Hardy: When it comes to flights, I'll be sitting here always thinking if I could change this flight or I can just miss this flight, there'll be more flights throughout the day. That's just another, I guess enigma deal, it fits in. I don't know how to describe it on a human level or on a spiritual level, either, but I just sit and think, Man, is this the right time to leave or whatever. It's not that I don't want to follow orders. It's just that I'm going to be myself and I always seem to be in love with, not people worrying, but just showing up at a time that nobody knows of or expects. It's totally irresponsible of me, but as long as I get there, you know, that was the main thing and everything would be fine. So that first flight is always something I wanted to not take.

Keller: Jeff (Jarrett) sounds like a friend of yours and you get along with him well, but he's also an authority figure. He's got a show to run. He's banking on you to be there, a lot goes into these events. They're live. If one major name doesn't show up, they have to change a lot of things around. How does Jeff relay that to you without coming across like a dad or a teacher? Did you feel you put him in a tough spot and do you think he handled you wanting to be an individual when it came to that type of thing?

Hardy. I think more than anybody he probably understands that the passion hasn't been back and it's not doing it against my will, but just doing it because I had agreed to do it. He knows that it would help out a lot with this deal. He knows I would be confident not wrestling as far as making money and being all right on the financial level. But he was always glad to see me show up to the building. This was going to be very rare. The one pay-per-view I missed, that was just horrible. I didn't make my six o'clock flight that day. It's very rare that you're stuck in an airport and you can't get on a plane, either. That don't happen very often. Oh my God, I felt like an asshole. I totally felt I deserved whatever the outcome may have been. Yeah, I apologize for that and everything because I was advertised. That's why I mostly felt so bad. I was, like, damn, I f---ed up. They wanted to keep me around, but I don't do it to be an overall asshole or anything. But I totally felt like one, especially that day.

Keller: Was it after that pay-per-view they suspended you for a while? Or was that an earlier time?

Hardy: That was the pay-per-view where they suspended me. I've only missed one pay-per-view. I did miss an Impact taping. That was it.

Keller: When you missed the pay-per-view, you missed the six o'clock flight and you weren't able to get another flight. Is that how it worked out?

Hardy: I was at the airport. I bought tickets like American flights and it was in the other terminal. Anybody in the airport would know - that's one thing I hate even describing it because I have been late in the past and all that stuff and not gave explanations of why or whatever. I told somebody I missed the six o'clock flight and then I couldn't get one all throughout the day. They're like, "Oh, yeah, right. What the hell is going on?" It's like they don't believe it to a certain extent.

Keller: When you missed the show, you know you had let Jeff down. He was a friend who was counting on you and it's his business. He's part owner and all that. How do you personally address that to Jeff? You just go, "Hey, I'm sorry." Were you able to do more than that? It would seem to be a real tough position to be in if you feel you let somebody else down and the stakes are pretty big being that it was a pay-per-view, how did you approach Jeff or how did he approach you?

Hardy: Pretty much from his point of view, that wasn't cool. I know that wasn't cool. Pretty much from my point of view, I'm like, "Man, I'm sorry, I totally apologize." I think it's one of those situations where I don't want to come across cocky or anything, but me being there - I guess there's proof if you look how everything has been for the better since I have started there - I almost feel that I've been a good luck charm. It feels it wouldn't be right if I wasn't there.

Keller; So did Jeff tell you that they had to keep you off of a number of shows because they had to set an example for the rest of the locker room? Or was he just punishing you? What were the circumstances of the suspension?

Hardy: As far as the boys, coming in late, I wouldn't say hello any different to somebody if they came in at five o'clock compared to one o'clock., but that's on that personal level. It gets to the point that guys are like, "Yeah, he's coming in late." I'm also under that deal that (I'm okay) if they release me and they know that. They know it's not my last resource as far as making money and they know I'm not worried about it. If they (punished me), I would totally know I deserved it. Even after missing the pay-per-view, I don't think I needed to be released, but what they did was pretty good - making me stay home. They know I'm not afraid of that as far as being released.

Keller: In a sense you have leverage in that as much as you feel you want to see TNA succeed and you want to be part of it, you're also going to be heartbroken if it doesn't work out and they decide for whatever reason they don't want to use you again. You'll understand and move on with your life.

Hardy; Right. It would hit me in my heart a little bit, depending on the situation. Right now, I'm totally committed to being there, especially now that it's time to step it up and we have to put on our best. There's no room to f---- up.

Keller: Are you convinced that from now on when you have a scheduled flight, you're going to make it just because of the point you're at?

Hardy: Oh yeah. I told everybody there in the office, Dixie (Carter), Frank (Dickerson), and all the higher office people. The only thing that's going to stop me from getting to one of your shows is a hi-jacking or a crash. It could happen. It's very far-fetched. I don't plan to f--- up any more when it comes to that.

Keller: What did you think of the job Dusty Rhodes did early this year as booker? Was he the right guy at the right time in TNA, or was it time wasted?

Hardy: I never had a problem with it. I always thought Dusty was super-cool. It seemed like it might have been too much for him there at one time or he was trying to do too much of the writing or what was going into pretapes. He wanted to be everywhere and have the say-so over anything that took place during the show. I don't know what happened with that. Other than myself, other guys thought he had problems and wasn't doing a great job. One of the craziest things was when we had all the cage matches at that pay-per-view. I guess that was his idea. I was like, God! But in a way it was a challenge or a test and in the end turned out kind of good. That was pretty wild to have that many cage matches in one night.

Keller: Were the majority of the wrestlers against that idea or were they game for it?

Hardy: It seems like they probably would have been, but I remember what changed my outlook on it altogether was I said something to Jeff Jarrett about it and he was, like, "It'll be good. We can do it." It sounded kind of like a test. We had been putting out pay-per-views that topped one another as we went along. When Jeff said that, I thought it was a cool challenge we can totally take.

Keller: When it was all said and done, was the reaction backstage you made it work or you just made the best of a bad situation, but this should never be done again?

Hardy: Yeah, I think it worked. My biggest thing was did people like it at home? Maybe the people at the Impact Zone had trouble seeing through the cage (all night). I don't think it should or is going to be done again. I think it's good for history to just do things like that and have memorable pay-per-views like that.

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