Jim Ross Questions Lack of Jeff Hardy’s Usage in AEW

Jeff Hardy’s contract with AEW was due to expire in June, and it was a foregone conclusion that he would return to TNA after becoming a free agent. That turned out to be true when he made his return at Against All Odds. In light of his AEW exit, Jim Ross has since disclosed the reasons behind the failure of Hardy’s AEW tenure.

On a recent edition of the Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross discussed the reasons why Jeff Hardy’s stint in AEW didn’t work out. He pointed to concerns about Hardy’s reliability, citing personal issues that may have impacted his performance.

Jim Ross also mentioned that there were discussions about sending Hardy to rehab as part of efforts to address these issues. Ross further added that there was no obvious reason for AEW to not prominently use Hardy.

“It might have come down to reliability. You know, he had so many – I don’t want to say false starts, but he had several chances to get his ball rolling and get back in the game. It might be that. Because some of these experiences that preceded him were not real complimentary. You know, I remember talking to him, and I wanted to send him to rehab. And I told him that.

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I found it better when you’re dealing with talent just to tell them the truth. Tell them the truth and let the cards fall where they may. And I believe that’s how you do business with anybody. Tell them the truth and be upfront, and let the chips fall where they fall. So I think maybe it was that, at least part of it. But there’s no obvious reason that Jeff should not have been used more prominently. So I don’t know the bottom line, but I think history and precedent had something to do with it.”

Matt Hardy also claims that Jeff Hardy felt unwanted in AEW. We have also reported that Matt and Jeff Hardy are both free agents after returning to TNA Wrestling. Regardless, fans will always feel Hardy’s AEW run was a disappointment and that might not be changing anytime soon.

Do you feel Jeff Hardy might come back to AEW again one day? Let us know in the comments section below!