WWE Rumors: Major Update On Jeff Hardy’s Contract Status, Per ‘PWInsider’
The latest update on currently inactive WWE superstar Jeff Hardy suggests that the company is doing what it can to help the veteran wrestler in his well-documented battles with substance abuse and injuries.
Citing comments made by Mike Johnson on a recent episode of PWInsider Elite, Ringside News reported that Hardy remains employed by WWE despite his various legal woes because his contract has been frozen. This, he said, is partly due to the knee injury he suffered in April, one that took him out of action for several months with no exact return date in sight.
Johnson was also quoted as saying that Hardy is working on the alcohol abuse issues that led to his recent arrests, including the one in October where he was accused of driving under the influence.
“I can tell you from a source very close to the situation that WWE strongly implored Jeff to address his health and we’re told that Jeff is doing that and really aggressively dove right into it,” Johnson continued.
“So, you can’t fire the guy when he’s doing what you ask him to do. We’ll see what happens when he goes to court.”
Despite being arrested twice this year for alcohol-related incidents, Hardy has not been subjected to any disciplinary measures by WWE. As pointed out by Ringside News, the 42-year-old wrestler was originally scheduled to face the charges related to his October arrest last month, though this date was moved to Thursday, December 5, in order for him to “[focus] on his health.”
In addition to the two reasons mentioned by Johnson, WrestlingNews.co speculated in a separate report that WWE wants to keep Hardy under contract because the company doesn’t want him signing a deal with rival promotions such as All Elite Wrestling, especially if he’s able to “clean himself up” successfully. Aside from AEW, which has signed several former WWE superstars since its January 2019 launch, Impact Wrestling might also show interest in bringing Hardy back for the first time since early 2017, as the company is “trying to generate a buzz” for its weekly prime time show on AXS TV.
Although it’s unclear whether Jeff Hardy has any plans of leaving WWE in the near future, recent reports have speculated that his older brother, Matt Hardy, might soon be on his way out of the company, as his contract expires in just a few months. Since Jeff’s injury, Matt has been used sparingly on WWE television. His most recent appearance was on the November 25 Monday Night Raw, where he lost a quick match to an up-and-coming star, former Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy.
