by Sean Kelly

Created on: June 06, 2010

Being a champion means being able to carry the promotion night in, night out.  It means putting bodies in stands and selling merchandise.  Japan doesn't rely as heavily on merchandise as American promotions, but they certainly look for men who are capable, believable, and can have quality matches every night during their tour.  In the 1990s, Mitsuharu Misawa, Toshiaki Kawada, and Kenta Kobashi dominated All Japan Pro Wrestling because they were terrific workers, were able to draw a crowd, and were God like when it came to consistency.  In the United States, there is a reason why Ric Flair has won so many World titles.  He is reliable, can draw, and is consistent.

Where does Jeff Hardy place in history as WWE World Heavyweight Champions?  In my experience, his place is near the absolute bottom of the list.  There are many reasons I know this to be true.  Like many before him, he simply could not carry the company.  The man simply does not possess the required maturity and responsibility to carry a billion dollar wrestling promotion on his back without embarrassing them.  Even though the WWE World title is not the most recognizable World title in history - that accolade belongs to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, Hardy isn't a good enough performer to have the match of the night every night like the champion is supposed to do.

But there again, not many current wrestlers can be as consistent as a Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Kenta Kobashi, or any of the other super workers who have carried their respected company many times over as a World champion.  Those men have been able to put on wrestling clinics on a consistent basis - and they don't need to jump off ladders or get put through tables to elicit a reaction.  Jeff Hardy just doesn't have the working skills to become a top tiered worker in an industry that now requires it because of the needed entertainment value.  The only way he can work is to do those cheap thrills - getting thrown off ladders, taking countless chair shots, and suplexed through tables.  The man's body would break down from prolonged exposure to that sort of element - which it has.  Wrestling is always evolving, but it seems that Jeff cannot learn from his past mistakes. 

Hardy is a living and breathing PR nightmare.  With all of the investigated deaths of professional wrestlers over the years, more and more performers are being forced to leave the drugs

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