![]() By Graham "GSM" Matthews This was one of the first wrestling documentaries I ever got. I received it as a Christmas gift in 2009 despite never being a fan of his (but my brother was, so that's probably why). It's not that I hated Hardy, I was just never a fan of his during his WWE tenure. The three-disc DVD set was released in late 2009, mere months removed from Hardy's departure from the company. I wasted no time in watching it and remember thoroughly enjoying it. I also remember WWE hyping it all over their weekly programming, including at that year's Slammy Awards by his old rival CM Punk. He'd show up on TNA TV a little less than a month later, and out of nowhere, they stopped promoting him. Whoops! I've watched the DVD a handful of times over the last five years, but it was just recently I watched it again with a fresh set of eyes. As a disclaimer, let me say that it is nothing like what the WWE documentaries are today. Remember, this was released in 2009, long before they started going in-depth with their documentaries (look at CM Punk's, Chris Jericho's and Edge's as examples). That's not to say Jeff Hardy's documentary was bad, but it certainly wasn't among the best ones I've seen. Now, let's go into a bit more detail. The documentary portion of the DVD kicks off with Jeff Hardy's return to WWE in 2006. I'm assuming they didn't cover his childhood or his initial run with the company since they probably already did that in the Hardy Boys documentary that was released in 2008. With a big chuck of Hardy's career missing, the documentary was significantly shorter than most, but they still managed to cover quite a bit in the three years he was with the company for.
A big part of what's covered is Hardy's two suspensions during his second run. They don't go too in-depth, but I was glad they were mentioned and not glossed over. Then again, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised they were acknowledged in storyline at the time they happened and they were a part of his character anyway. When they brought up his second suspension, Michael P.S. Hayes made mention of how Hardy screwed up his chance to "do well" in the Money in the Bank Ladder match at WrestleMania 24. By that he meant Hardy was supposed to win. He didn't flat-out say it, but it was pretty obvious. Had Hardy been in the match, would Punk have ever been world champion? Perhaps, but it's interesting to think about. Hardy's road to the WWE Championship all throughout 2008 was a major topic that was covered. I really enjoyed Hardy's title chase that year and it made for a great story. His matches with Triple H that fall were excellent and his eventual WWE title win at December's Armageddon event made for an amazing moment. From, there they got into his feud with his brother Matt which they talked about in kayfabe (more on that later). It was at that time that I became a fan of Matt, but looking back at it, the storyline was stupid. For the longest time, I never believed Matt did any of those heinous acts because it was never confirmed it was him. From what I understand, it was supposed to be Christian slated in that slot, but they changed plans when it became "too obvious" for fans. How dumb. The last segment of the documentary discusses the feud between Hardy and CM Punk over the summer of 2009. In a year that was otherwise lackluster in my opinion, that feud was its saving grace. They worked so well together, on the mic and in the ring, and their characters clashed perfectly. The people that were interviewed (which wasn't many people) raved about it, but couldn't talk too much about it since it had just happened. It's considered an unforgettable feud all these years later, but it was still fresh in the mind at the time so they wasn't much to be said. In between each segment, they cut to Jeff Hardy's final WWE match against Punk inside the Steel Cage on an episode of SmackDown. They show him getting ready and excerpts of the match itself. It was a cool format since there wasn't much else to the documentary. They did something similar in Randy Orton's most recent DVD, but this felt more appropriate since this was Hardy's final WWE match and not just another match for him. It had importance. I didn't notice this until watching it again most recently, but apparently the entire documentary is in kayfabe. It's not blatantly obvious, but it's hinted at quite a bit. For example, Hayes never outright says Hardy was going to win the Money in the Bank Ladder match in 2008 but rather he "knew for a fact that Hardy was going to do very well." Why not just say it? Also, Jeff said Matt was "envious" of him when they feuded in 2009. Punk was in character as well when he was interviewed toward the end. It was pretty clear by the time this DVD was released that wrestling wasn't real per se, so why hide it? They have since done away with that, now talking about things going on behind the scenes, petitioning to "turn heel," and more. It doesn't hinder the documentary's integrity, but it was a little weird. The biggest takeaway from the documentary was how they really emphasized at the end that Hardy would be back in WWE one day. Of course, this was filmed only shortly before he jumped ship to TNA, and even though he re-signed with them not too long ago, I'm almost positive that he'll be back at some point. Even Hardy has said it himself in past interviews that he'll be back in WWE even if it's 15 years from now. I don't suspect it'll be that long until we see him in a WWE ring again, but I'd assume sooner rather than later. Taking everything into account, it was a good documentary. It's not as great as some of the more recent ones, but it's definitely a must-see for any Hardy fan. It clocks in at about an hour, but the matches on the three discs more than make for it. There's a lot of classics on there, both from his tag team career and singles career that make the purchase worthwhile. However, if you're only watching the documentary portion on the WWE Network, it's an interesting hour, but nothing too controversial. It's enjoyable for what it is, so for that, it's worth checking out. Should you watch this movie? Yes. |
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