Ring of Honor – three words that became synonymous with the independent wrestling boom of the early to mid 2000s that saw the rise of not only future wrestling superstars, but also the changing of pro wrestling’s very in-ring dynamic presentation. Using monthly issues of “Pro Wrestling Illustrated”, various websites usually connected to angelfire.com, and the trading of VHS tapes, I became familiar with names such as “Reckless Youth”, “The Fallen Angel”, Cheetah Master, and Trent Acid just to name a few.
Ring of Honor was meant to be a true showcase for all the budding or solidified indie wrestling talent. Instead, ROH turned into one of the premiere wrestling organizations in North America by capitalizing on the fall of wrestling’s “Attitude Era” with a product more similar to mixed martial arts than Extreme Championship Wrestling. Being a fan of ROH since its inception in February 2002, I’ve witnessed a majority of the company’s moments both significant and less-so live or through video. And just like any wrestling promotion, there have been decisions made and circumstances play out leaving this ROHbot wondering, “What if…?”
Today I ask: “What if Jeff Hardy cared in 2003?”
What Really Happened?
Coming into 2003, Jeff Hardy seemed to be a shell of his former self. One-half of one of the most revolutionary tag teams of all time alongside his brother Matt, Jeff seemed poised to be to break through to a main event level in WWE during 2002. Instead it was Matt who found a new lease on his career after WWE disbanded the team following the first iteration of the “Brand Extension” that saw the WWE roster split across the company’s flagship TV events, “Raw” and “Smackdown”. After a quick run at challenging for the WWE Undisputed title, Jeff was bumped back down the card as he was visibly becoming burned out by the lifestyle of a WWE wrestler. April of 2003 saw WWE release Jeff while claiming the youngest Hardy boy was suffering from a drug addiction he didn’t want to accept help for; resulting in erratic behavior including no-showing events.
Jeff didn’t wait long after his release to return to the independent wrestling scene, being a part of his original home promotion OMEGA and, eventually, Ring of Honor. ROH was quickly becoming the hotbed for independent wrestling on the United States’ east coast and many assumed Jeff arriving was a sign that he wanted to explore the possibilities of wrestling up & coming, high-flying, hard-hitting stars like AJ Styles, The Amazing Red, Low Ki and even fellow veterans such as Jerry Lynn. Joining protege Krazy K and old friend Joey Matthews in a Triple Threat match, Jeff came out wearing a mask & trench coat harkening back to his backyard wrestling days as the character “Willow the Wisp”.
The fans immediately turned on Jeff for not only coming out dressed in a gimmick not connected to his heyday in wrestling thus far, but also a shoot interview he conducted earlier in the day where Hardy admitted to not caring about wrestling any more. Hardy did very little to help his cause when the bell sounded as he was obviously unable to perform up to the level he’d been known for – the fans vocalizing their disgust by shouting for Matt and even reminding Jeff that WWE gave him his walking papers three months prior. This would become the first and last appearance for Jeff Hardy in ROH until 2017 almost fourteen years later.
What if…?
Jeff Hardy represented more than just star power for ROH during its formative years; it also gave wrestling fans the opportunity to see someone many credit as a catalyst for the ever-evolving in-ring style during the turn of the 21st century. Similar to people who would leave WWE to gain something of a re-ignition of their fire & passion for the business years later like James “Jamie Noble” Gibson, Jimmy Yang, and even Jeff’s own brother, Jeff Hardy is nothing short of excited about entering the honorable ring simply because of ROH’s roster.
After having a chance to wrestle AJ Styles in NWA-TNA less than a month prior, Jeff comes to Ring of Honor motivated to impress more than he did in his rather short sprint with Styles. Instead of experimenting with his look for his ROH debut in New Jersey during the inaugural “Death Before Dishonor”, Jeff embraces the image that he’s most associated with while rocking some of that glow in the dark face paint for added effect. Though the match featuring Hardy, Krazy K and Joey Matthews doesn’t steal the show, it does a great job in proving that Jeff Hardy is definitely motivated to deliver his best even if his style & size would cause him to be a bigger man in the promotion than the smaller high-flier he was in WWE.
A month later in Dayton, Ohio for “Wrath of the Racket”, Jeff makes a shocking second appearance as the mystery partner for AJ Styles; successfully subbing for the injured ROH Tag Team champion The Amazing Red by overcoming The Prophecy’s Christopher Daniels & Dan Maff. History remains the same with Styles winning the match for his team after a miscommunication causes Jim Cornette – who is managing The Prophecy for the night – and his infamous tennis racket knocks out Daniels.
Saving Cornette from a thrashing at the hands of Daniels, Hardy inadvertently sets the stage for a match with Daniels the next weekend in Fairfield, Connecticut. Though Jeff takes his first loss in ROH in Fairfield, Hardy and Daniels tear the house down. Not taking every commitment and even splitting his time between ROH and NWA-TNA, Jeff finds himself picking up wins against the likes of former ROH champion Xavier at “Tradition Continues” in Maryland, recent roster addition Jimmy Rave during ROH’s return to Fairfield, and overcoming CM Punk, Colt Cabana, Matt Stryker and BJ Whitmer in a near thirty-minute Gauntlet match; last pinning Cabana after Colt submitted Stryker and pinned Whitmer.
This Gauntlet match at “War of the Wire” become the beginnings of problems between Hardy and Punk. Coming into 2004, CM Punk – fresh off his winning feud with Raven that enforced Punk’s “Straight-Edge Means I’m Better Than You” persona while turning the Second City Saint heel – would focus on Hardy’s plight during his time in WWE. Similar to what happened between Punk and Raven as well as what would occur between the two five years later in WWE, Punk’s vitriolic mouth allows him to garner Hardy’s attention by reminding him of his issues with addiction and even mocking him for “throwing it all away.”
Punk takes exception that someone like Hardy could find himself so at home in a promotion built on the idea of the next generation of wrestling fighting their acclaimed peers. Proclaiming Hardy as a “Disgrace of Honor”, Punk promises to do everything in his power to drive him out of the promotion just like he did to Raven months earlier. With ROH announcing a third title in the form of the Pure Championship, Punk’s latest encounter with Hardy would kick off the company’s “2nd Anniversary Show” in the opening round of the Pure title tournament. Drilling Hardy into the mat with his super Pedigree known as the “Pepsi Plunge” after blocking the Swanton Bomb, Punk’s finisher leads to Hardy suffering a head injury that puts him out of action while Punk fails to wrest the Pure Championship from eventual first Pure titleholder AJ Styles.
After winning the ROH World Tag Team Championship, Punk would find himself haunted by mysterious figures and discovering a particular mask in his belongings before every ROH event until ROH’s return to Elizabeth, New Jersey – the site of Jeff Hardy’s ROH debut almost a year ago to the day. Earlier in the night, Colt Cabana – Punk’s then-best friend & fellow tag team partner – is attacked by a masked man wearing a trench coat.
Instead of fighting in a rather random Four Corner Survival match as in reality against two members of the Generation Next faction in Alex Shelley and Austin Aries as well as Matt Stryker, Punk calls out the person responsible for stalking him and laying out Cabana; gaining a face-to-mask confrontation between himself and the mysterious figure. After unleashing a series of right hands, it becomes obvious this unidentified individual is Jeff Hardy; unmasking himself after forcing Punk to cower in the corner in hopes of stopping the onslaught. This unscheduled fight would go around the building until returning ringside where Dan Maff & BJ Whitmer of The Prophecy – who are in the midst of a feud with the Second City Saints – jump Punk and, eventually, Jeff for trying to keep this war one-on-one.
The Briscoes – who will challenge for The Saints’ Tag Team Championship a week later – also join in the growing brawl that culminates in Hardy taking a spike piledriver on the floor courtesy of The Prophecy. The attack leaves Jeff unconscious and Punk, shockingly, concerned about Hardy’s health as The Briscoes fight Maff & Whitmer to the backstage area. Punk, after gaining some vocal support from the fans following his thrilling World title clash with Samoa Joe in June a month earlier, assists the medical crew in getting Hardy out of the building and into an ambulance. With Hardy becoming more of a prominent figure in TNA while gaining the financial benefits thereof, this “injury” proves to be Jeff’s exit from ROH while reinforcing Punk’s brewing babyface turn and The Saints’ problems with The Prophecy.
Remain or Change?
As noted, ROH would have an entire year to utilize Jeff Hardy to his fullest in this scenario featuring a much more enthused Hardy giving his all as a wrestler; avoiding burnout thanks to a relaxed schedule. Though some dream matches like Hardy versus Red or Low Ki wouldn’t come true in ROH due to injuries, international commitments, and simply circumstances beyond anyone’s control, Hardy would still get the chance to mix it up with some of ROH and wrestling’s best during that time while giving legitimacy to the likes of CM Punk and AJ Styles. This grand “what if” would also see Jeff Hardy getting his personal life & addiction in order for at least that year heading into his time with TNA where he succeeded incredibly well and eventually found his way back to WWE for his greatest singles run of his career thus far. If this change in history meant a happier & healthier Jeff Hardy much earlier in his life it would be worth it more than him having great matches and memorable storyline with a future ROH legend.
