Jeff Hardy surpassed John Cena during 2008-2009 where he was WWE and World Heavyweight Champion. Fans loved him greatly and his feud with CM Punk and him leaving for the first time were great.
Nope. A temporary surge does not equal decades of success. This is why Vince/WWE is successful, and you're a nobody talking about meaningless hypotheticals online.
i don't think ppl remember how popular Jeff was back then.. his feud with Punk, he won world titles, got bigger pops than everyone including Cena, i think he passed Cena in merch sales back then also.. but Jeff's demons got ahold of him and he had to leave but Jeff was definitely more popular back then
And the fact that he couldn't cut a promo for absolute shit and sounded like he was the Ultimate Warrior on Angel Dust even when he was sober. Not a prayer in Hell.
100% true. Jeff Hardy was the face of the company for an extremely brief period he was beloved if he was able to kick his drug addictions and stay on WWE but guess we will never know
The fact that Jeff Hardy can actually say that statement and it is not dismissed outright even says a lot in my opinion. He was good and had moments or periods of greatness.
What's missing from the context is that he fully acknowledges that he pissed away the opportunities he recieved in the '08 - '09 period when he says this could've happened.
Jeff Hardy was one of the few wrestlers who was able to really get over organically with the fans. His second run in WWE between 2006-2009 was amazing. He was the biggest superstar in wrestling in 08 and 09. Unfortunately the addictions and bad decisions killed that. Cena’s biggest strength was his commitment and reliability.
Jeff was massive in 2008-09, he was my absolute favorite back then. But I still don't think he would have been bigger than Cena but he might have been a #2 for a longer time
@@KOHoxton yeah because Alex Riley and Tyler Reks were great contenders for being the faces of the company, unlike the nobodies CM Punk and Daniel Bryan that Cena put over
If you were a fan of Jeff Hardy during 2008-2009, he is still one of your favorite wrestlers ever. He was beloved by all types of demographics as well.
That Main event was awful on so many levels. I can't wait for AEW to praise the fact that 5 white people beat down one black man, and only after the damage was done did Adam Copeland and FTR come to help.
John’s promo ability was always going to keep him on top in the long run but Jeff definitely had an opportunity to briefly become the face of the company
My family sells a lot of different stuff from China and shit in Mexico. The amount of Jeff Hardy's sleeves we sold during that summer was CRAZY. I NEVER saw kids trying to be Cena, but man, Jeff Hardy made wrestling cool again for one summer better than Cena ever did.
@Miguel-mp7uz I mean, those were sold on the clothes store. But yeah, no one cared for Cena. Even my lil bro who only liked WWE during those days was because of Hardy, all his friends were using those on his birthday party. No one was using jorts. They thought they looked stupid.
@TheRobmaynez wow went racist with it cool......oh and losers wore and wear fake sleeves.....lmao. I'd imagine you got bullied st whatever local community College they paid for
I remember hearing that Jeff was the #1 merch seller at points in 2008 and 09 but I can't remember where that info came from. He was certainly more over than Cena during that time going off crowd reactions. As much as I love Jeff, I agree with Corny that it's tough to see him as "the guy" on the same level as Cena.
There’s a reason people compare Jeff’s popularity in 2008 to Obama. If Jeff didn’t get in his own way, I think he could have been most popular wrestler in the business
Nonsense, when Punk teamed with DX, two of the biggest legends in history of WWE, CM Punk chants were louder than anything. This was in 2006. Punk was always destined to rise to the very top.
@@poindexterflex1981 People cheered DX in 2006 all the time regardless of if they were terrible, it was because Punk was the biggest indie star who'd signed the year before and he has tons of potential. Plus, Punk already won the WHC before that feud with Hardy and won the MITB ladder match too. Punk was immensely popular. The Straight Edge Society did more for Punk than Jeff, and then the Pipebomb finally made him a proper main eventer.
In 2008 and 2009 he was legit Cena levels of popular. Even more so in some circles. Maybe not more than Cena but certainly on par. Could have been like a Misawa/Kobashi or Hogan/Savage thing where there was the number one top guy, and the number two guy who was just right under.
I disagree with Jeff. It wasn't just him who was more over than Cena. Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, AJ Styles, Kofi, Seth, and literally so many others were more over than Cena. Being more over is one thing. Being a household name like Cena is a different beast.
Jeff was huge in 08-09. Like HUGE. I think I remember reading reports that he was on par with Cena for merch sales. The addictions ruined it all. He was right there.
Jeff Hardy was massively over in 2009, and his feud with Cm Punk made Punk utterly despised by the WWE audience. Saying he could be bigger than Cena is significant, but he was unquestionably super over.
Oh man....To be as big as Cena,Hulkster,or Stone Cold, you need SOOOOO many things to go right and continue to go right for you. Hardy is crazy to think he could have been both that talented AND lucky as the other names i mentioned were.
There was a moment in time 2008/2009 if I remember the years right where he could have been a top guy. The issue who knows if he would have sustained the popularity even if he did manage to stay clean at the time
The late 2000s was a dark period of time to be a wwe fan but there were certain feuds, matches, and guys who were just so good and so over despite the company’s flaws that you watched anyway. That was Jeff Hardy. He was never pushed or treated like John Cena because nobody was but there was a 2-3 year stretch where he was the most popular and over guy in the business. Like CM Punk from 11-13 or Daniel Bryan in 13-14. Guys who were so over organically and so good that wwe had no choice but to give them the rub.
@@fusion4015 Cap. Nobody held Jeff back other than Jeff. Vince tried to elevate him a few times and he kept screwing it up. The man said it himself and yet you say otherwise 😂
@@fusion4015did you not see the undertaker vs hardy match for the title like 20 years ago? That was his test to be pushed and he instantly screwed it up. He’s this generations Buddy Landel. Jeff screwed Jeff.
to be fair, jim i believe wasnt in much of the wwe realm when hardy was super over...and i think him saying they would never make him the face of the company like cena proves it, because he was the face at one point...albeit a blip in wwe history...it totally happened...and i believe this instance is what jeff was really referring to
I guarantee if jeff had gotten off the drugs, cena would have turned heel in 2011/2012. Imagine heel cena vs jeff hardy, MILLIONSS. or vise versa, heel Jeff could cut fantastic promos when he was the "Antichrist" in tna
Jeff stands on his own merit. He is a legend from the TLC matches alone. There's a lot more than in ring and promo that goes into how 'big' people are in WWE.
Not knocking Jeff here. He was over as hell circa 07-08. But he was never going to be on Cena's level in terms of promos and as a long term draw. His style was not conducive to staying the top guy for 15 years, and he was never going to stay that over on his charisma alone.
i think you're underestimating the connection Jeff Hardy has with the fans... i kinda agree with the promos but his style and unique charisma would've kept him on top.. ppl were just drawn to Jeff man.. it would've been enough
@@DynastyIcon i was a Hardy fan during that time. Not saying he wouldn't be a top guy. He wouldn't have the longevity without communicating consistently with the crowd every night. He coulda gotten better if he focused on it i suppose.
I don't think he's completely wrong BUT he was already a major WWE star and he could've been even bigger but John Cena is a monolith with his promos and crossover appeal. That's something Jeff didn't have
Jeff maybe wouldn’t have been bigger than John Cena but he definitely would’ve been 1000x bigger than he is now he could’ve been a good #2-#3 guy in wwe
WWE at that time in 2009 were moving away from the ruthless aggression era and moving into the PG era and trying to appeal the younger audience. It wouldn’t have made sense to push Hardy to become the face of the company as he was a hardcore style wrestler doing risky and dangerous moves.
Honestly I 100% agree with Jeff him and Cena are the only active wrestlers that can come out of NOWHERE unannounced etc and they’ll blow the roof off the place
so here's the thing. jeff was incredibly popular at the height of his popularity. that was the year he won the world title. what people like to forget is that this period was rather short. 2-3 years max. so it's impossible to say how big he could've been if booked like cena over a longer period of time. at the same time it makes no sense comparing yourself to someone who has been put in the "face of the company" position like cena, hogan, austin, rock or reigns. jeff should be compared to kofi kingston. got his spike of popularity, had a world title run.
Every time Jeff Hardy opens his mouth, 95% of the world thinks he sounds like a slack jowed hayseed from the sticks. John Cena is more popular in every Multiverse.
I think Jeff and Cena would've been equal in popularity in this what-if situation. Jeff would be the cool counter-culture icon for the teens and young adults while Cena would do the heavy lifting as the mainstream face and ambassador of the company. One wouldn't need to exceed the other.
I’m so glad Jeff is sober now it’s looks like from cvv interview that he’s in a good place right now and in tna I would love to see a wwe run one more time while he’s still feeling good in ring
This stinks of every wrestler from the 80s saying they could have been bigger than Hogan. Jeff on the mic has never been very good, that was all on Matt
Jeff was almost everyone's fav wrestler in 08-09 he was mega over, Cena was just pushed down fans throat at that point especially in 2010. Hardy just felt more natural and human and relatable. his feud with cm punk in 09 is easily his best work
I like Jeff Hardy but he is very, very lucky that fans have so much goodwill towards him they can continually forgive him for making selfish, reckless decisions that endanger his life and jeopardize whatever company he works for. He's also extremely lucky most current fans remember him for his brief main event run in 2009 instead of his horrible first attempt in '02/'03 or his mediocre first TNA run.
Jeff Hardy really could have been He was from the attitude era. He was symbolic from his TLC matches, he was a dare devil baby face. Kids thought he was cool. Women thought he was good looking and young men identified with his style. He only has himself to blame. What a wasted opportunity. He was solid in ring, had an over song and finisher.
I was around 8-10 years old when Jeff had that brief run and he was my number 1 favorite wrestler, which I think says a lot considering we still had guys like Taker on the roster. I’m not sure about him surpassing Cena, bcuz Cena was just so good on the mic and the obvious drug problem Jeff would have lol, but he definitely could’ve been up there. Jeff’s wrestling was amongst the best to me as a kid and I remember finding it cool how’d he sacrifice his own body to win 😂 This reminds me of RVD too of another what if story.
I'm don't know if you watched TNA (2009-2010) but the original plan was to turn RVD heel and become TNA champion and join Immortal. Instead, they went with Jeff Hardy. Shows how highly they thought of him to be the top guy.
Thing is, as over as Jeff was, the selling point for every babyface that got over with the crowd was "they aren't Cena." Them becoming Cena would not have worked
The 08-09 period was the perfect time Jeff would be the lead had the substance abuse didn't happen. Though genuinely he could be the CM Punk tier of popularity as Cena is a rarity.
If you know wrestling history and you look at guys like Orville Brown and Magnum TA - who were both mega popular to the point where they could have changed the trajectory of wrestling had they not had accidents, Hardy falls into that category too. Anyone that's watched wrestling the last 20 years can attest to the popularity of Jeff Hardy.
Jeff is a great talent when he stayed clean & out of trouble, but even then, I can't see him being bigger than Cena. He may have had moments in his career when he was pushed well and sold merch, but that can be said for a number other people in the business, many who also didn't get bigger than Cena. Being the face of a company and always keeping the ratings & ticket sales hot throughout one's career is the mark of a wrestling superstar, and Jeff simply couldn't keep that level of intensity up even if he stayed 'healthy'. Its good to have a positive attitude & retrospective of your career, but you shouldn't get carried away with how much "bigger" you supposedly could've been.
I’ll say as a kid who grew up loving Jeff Hardy…. Hes wrong but I could see a world where he did become the biggest babyface in WWE history besides Austin.
But the drug test said: you can't pee me!!!!!
ayo😭😭
😂💀
Oh dear 😂
Hahaha😂
Dun dun nun dunnnn!
Jeff Hardy was nearly on that level, but like Icarus, flew too close to the sun
Great analogy.
Jeff Hardy surpassed John Cena during 2008-2009 where he was WWE and World Heavyweight Champion. Fans loved him greatly and his feud with CM Punk and him leaving for the first time were great.
He was literally never going to be pushed past being an underdog by Vince.
Nope. A temporary surge does not equal decades of success.
This is why Vince/WWE is successful, and you're a nobody talking about meaningless hypotheticals online.
No kid.
@@anonymousbo0318 ok dude calm down. Taking this a too far.
i don't think ppl remember how popular Jeff was back then.. his feud with Punk, he won world titles, got bigger pops than everyone including Cena, i think he passed Cena in merch sales back then also.. but Jeff's demons got ahold of him and he had to leave but Jeff was definitely more popular back then
In 08’ he absolutely was. But his mistakes got in the way
L
No he wasn't, a one time hype doesn't mean someone would be a bigger star.
Nonsense. Not bigger. He's still on the drugs
@@JPK169L on Jeff Hardy for never staying clean
And the fact that he couldn't cut a promo for absolute shit and sounded like he was the Ultimate Warrior on Angel Dust even when he was sober.
Not a prayer in Hell.
100% true. Jeff Hardy was the face of the company for an extremely brief period he was beloved if he was able to kick his drug addictions and stay on WWE but guess we will never know
He was never the face of the company John Cena and Randy Ortan were the faces
@@JPK169Don't bother reasoning wrestling fan are extremely ignorant.
The fact that Jeff Hardy can actually say that statement and it is not dismissed outright even says a lot in my opinion. He was good and had moments or periods of greatness.
What's missing from the context is that he fully acknowledges that he pissed away the opportunities he recieved in the '08 - '09 period when he says this could've happened.
Periods of success does not equal legitimate long term success. You're not all that bright.
@@DarkNorthEmperordid u not listen to the video?
@@anonymousbo0318why are you being unnecessary bitter? I dislike Jeff and people like him as much as the next guy but why go after fans?
Jeff Hardy was one of the few wrestlers who was able to really get over organically with the fans. His second run in WWE between 2006-2009 was amazing. He was the biggest superstar in wrestling in 08 and 09. Unfortunately the addictions and bad decisions killed that. Cena’s biggest strength was his commitment and reliability.
Eddie RVD hbk Bret Jericho Jeff hardy
Jeff was massive in 2008-09, he was my absolute favorite back then. But I still don't think he would have been bigger than Cena but he might have been a #2 for a longer time
He was never number 2 Randy Ortan was bigger and better then him
@JPK169 In 2009, Jeff was the most over wrestler in the world. Not even close.
Jeff Hardy is perfect for the short term burst of popularity, he was never touching Cena long term.
Cena also has the habit of burying anyone that does happen to get more popular lmao.
Lol @@KOHoxton
@@KOHoxton yeah because Alex Riley and Tyler Reks were great contenders for being the faces of the company, unlike the nobodies CM Punk and Daniel Bryan that Cena put over
If you were a fan of Jeff Hardy during 2008-2009, he is still one of your favorite wrestlers ever. He was beloved by all types of demographics as well.
Jeff Hardy in 08/09 was mega over. i wasn't watching at the time, but I heard Jeff's name more than cena back them
He got a win over Undertaker on Smackdown. That should say enough about his stature.
Nobody is over as much as the fan at Dynamite that had the Dick The Boozer sign tonight!
Absolute legend
Fantastic.
The bore horsemen are over..on time
That Main event was awful on so many levels. I can't wait for AEW to praise the fact that 5 white people beat down one black man, and only after the damage was done did Adam Copeland and FTR come to help.
the fact you even watched that horse shit 😂😂 pure comedy
John’s promo ability was always going to keep him on top in the long run but Jeff definitely had an opportunity to briefly become the face of the company
"I can feel you without even seeing you." - Jeff Hardy
My family sells a lot of different stuff from China and shit in Mexico. The amount of Jeff Hardy's sleeves we sold during that summer was CRAZY. I NEVER saw kids trying to be Cena, but man, Jeff Hardy made wrestling cool again for one summer better than Cena ever did.
Yall should have sold jorts.....everyone wore them. Oh ya so did Cena. Odd.
@Miguel-mp7uz I mean, those were sold on the clothes store. But yeah, no one cared for Cena. Even my lil bro who only liked WWE during those days was because of Hardy, all his friends were using those on his birthday party. No one was using jorts. They thought they looked stupid.
@TheRobmaynez nah they all.wore them lmao. You're Lying to yourself if you think jorts weren't more popular than ARM SLEAVES lmao....nah....
@Miguel-mp7uz i never saw any kid wearing jorts not once. Only cholos wore that shit. But those sleeves paid for my college tuition that year.
@TheRobmaynez wow went racist with it cool......oh and losers wore and wear fake sleeves.....lmao. I'd imagine you got bullied st whatever local community College they paid for
I remember hearing that Jeff was the #1 merch seller at points in 2008 and 09 but I can't remember where that info came from. He was certainly more over than Cena during that time going off crowd reactions. As much as I love Jeff, I agree with Corny that it's tough to see him as "the guy" on the same level as Cena.
There’s a reason people compare Jeff’s popularity in 2008 to Obama. If Jeff didn’t get in his own way, I think he could have been most popular wrestler in the business
If Jeff stayed clean cm punk likely doesnt skyrocket the way he did
Nonsense, when Punk teamed with DX, two of the biggest legends in history of WWE, CM Punk chants were louder than anything. This was in 2006. Punk was always destined to rise to the very top.
@jameslitz9819 😂
@@jameslitz9819 Or because DX in 2006 was terrible. They would've been chanting 'WOO WOO WOO' if that version of Zach Ryder were a thing at the time.
@@poindexterflex1981 People cheered DX in 2006 all the time regardless of if they were terrible, it was because Punk was the biggest indie star who'd signed the year before and he has tons of potential. Plus, Punk already won the WHC before that feud with Hardy and won the MITB ladder match too. Punk was immensely popular. The Straight Edge Society did more for Punk than Jeff, and then the Pipebomb finally made him a proper main eventer.
@@anonymousbo0318 My reaction when people's memory fails them.
In 2008 and 2009 he was legit Cena levels of popular. Even more so in some circles. Maybe not more than Cena but certainly on par. Could have been like a Misawa/Kobashi or Hogan/Savage thing where there was the number one top guy, and the number two guy who was just right under.
Every baddie was in love with Jeff Hardy back in 08 and 09. He genuinely was a massive star
I believe it considering how much Jeff shot himself in the foot
I disagree with Jeff. It wasn't just him who was more over than Cena. Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, AJ Styles, Kofi, Seth, and literally so many others were more over than Cena.
Being more over is one thing. Being a household name like Cena is a different beast.
Jeff was huge in 08-09. Like HUGE. I think I remember reading reports that he was on par with Cena for merch sales. The addictions ruined it all. He was right there.
Hardy was bigger than Obama in 08
Agreed, but God is that a hilarious statement.
Jeff Hardy didn’t have the personality on and off the camera to be “the guy”
Jeff Hardy was massively over in 2009, and his feud with Cm Punk made Punk utterly despised by the WWE audience. Saying he could be bigger than Cena is significant, but he was unquestionably super over.
Oh man....To be as big as Cena,Hulkster,or Stone Cold, you need SOOOOO many things to go right and continue to go right for you. Hardy is crazy to think he could have been both that talented AND lucky as the other names i mentioned were.
You need a push, proper matches and being able to talk on the mic. He was a gimmick for table matches and hardcore matches
We loved him but he should have a tag team belt or hardcore belt
If Jeff became a main event guy in 03 and becomes the face of Smackdown that significantly hinders cena rise
Jeff was never going to get crazy over as a single, even Taker couldn't get him over as a main eventer.
What are you talking about lol
There was a moment in time 2008/2009 if I remember the years right where he could have been a top guy. The issue who knows if he would have sustained the popularity even if he did manage to stay clean at the time
He was the top babyface on Smackdown i. 09 clown
Buddy, Jeff was the most over guy in the company in 08-09. Idk wtf you’re talking about.
I think he absolutely couldve have been the #2 guy with brief moments and runs as #1.
In 08 09 jeff was more over than obama
Even without the drug issues I could not suspend my disbelief long enough to look at Jeff Hardy as a main eventer.
The late 2000s was a dark period of time to be a wwe fan but there were certain feuds, matches, and guys who were just so good and so over despite the company’s flaws that you watched anyway. That was Jeff Hardy. He was never pushed or treated like John Cena because nobody was but there was a 2-3 year stretch where he was the most popular and over guy in the business. Like CM Punk from 11-13 or Daniel Bryan in 13-14. Guys who were so over organically and so good that wwe had no choice but to give them the rub.
Plus the business changed around that time..right after benoit. Rock and Austin were gone.
The head injuries were bound to catch up at some point
His style was better than Cena just that Vince didnt push him as the guy we the fans did that
Know nothing fool
@@fusion4015 Cap. Nobody held Jeff back other than Jeff. Vince tried to elevate him a few times and he kept screwing it up. The man said it himself and yet you say otherwise 😂
We’ve been saying this for years. When jeff says it he’s now braindead
@@fusion4015did you not see the undertaker vs hardy match for the title like 20 years ago? That was his test to be pushed and he instantly screwed it up. He’s this generations Buddy Landel. Jeff screwed Jeff.
Jeff Hardy vs John Cena should have been the main event of WrestleMania 25.
Jeff just had too many demons back then.
to be fair, jim i believe wasnt in much of the wwe realm when hardy was super over...and i think him saying they would never make him the face of the company like cena proves it, because he was the face at one point...albeit a blip in wwe history...it totally happened...and i believe this instance is what jeff was really referring to
All due respect Jeff Hardy was a Babyface that was over with the fans. But he can't be on Cenas level because he can't cut a promo or be durable.
Durability was the least of his issues. He had far fewer physical injuries than Cena did. His rehab time was more than Batista's physical rehab time.
@@maceomaceo11I swear these fans just talk garbage on purpose
@pleaseshutup7053 They're marks. None of them know what the term "points" mean in the marketing world.
Apparently Tony doesn't either...
In 08/09 Jeff Hardy was a god to me, 9 year old me thought he was bigger than Cena
I believe it too because Jeff was actually beloved back then, Cena was hated.
🤡
@@anonymousbo0318Pot meet kettle.
Jeff was so over in 2003 they couldn’t turn him heel when they tried. He could’ve 100% have been bigger than Cena.
AND HIS NAME IS JEFF HARVEY!
In 2008-2009, Jeff Hardy was definently bigger than Cena.
He definitely could have, he was main eventing PPVs with Punk for the WHC over Triple H & Cena
Jeff was that guy when I was a kid
Jeff isn't that crazy to say this
2006 RVD and 2008 Jeff Hardy Pros and Cons
Every kid in 2008-ish wanted to be Jeff Hardy
I guarantee if jeff had gotten off the drugs, cena would have turned heel in 2011/2012. Imagine heel cena vs jeff hardy, MILLIONSS. or vise versa, heel Jeff could cut fantastic promos when he was the "Antichrist" in tna
I think its impossible to guarantee that, sustaining popularity was a big issue especially with the product and booking back then.
Jeff was amazing back then.
Streets won't forget Jeff's short run
Jeff stands on his own merit. He is a legend from the TLC matches alone. There's a lot more than in ring and promo that goes into how 'big' people are in WWE.
“I need drugs” Necro and Jeff Hardy
‘07-‘11 Jeff Hardy was different💔
Especially at the TNA Victory Road in a match with Sting, he was at such a high.
Not knocking Jeff here. He was over as hell circa 07-08. But he was never going to be on Cena's level in terms of promos and as a long term draw. His style was not conducive to staying the top guy for 15 years, and he was never going to stay that over on his charisma alone.
Yeah, his mic work wasn't that great compared to Cena.. ⏸️
i think you're underestimating the connection Jeff Hardy has with the fans... i kinda agree with the promos but his style and unique charisma would've kept him on top.. ppl were just drawn to Jeff man.. it would've been enough
@@DynastyIcon i was a Hardy fan during that time. Not saying he wouldn't be a top guy. He wouldn't have the longevity without communicating consistently with the crowd every night. He coulda gotten better if he focused on it i suppose.
I was in third grade when Jeff had his big run in 08-09 and man I could tell ya he was over like rover
I don't think he's completely wrong BUT he was already a major WWE star and he could've been even bigger but John Cena is a monolith with his promos and crossover appeal. That's something Jeff didn't have
Jeff never had the mic skills to be better than Cena.
How many entertainers/athletes say the same thing -- decades after the opportunity was fumbled due to the pusherman.
Only if Jeff turned into CM Punk before trying to turn into John Cena. Gotta be straight edged before turning into a Cena.
Jeff maybe wouldn’t have been bigger than John Cena but he definitely would’ve been 1000x bigger than he is now he could’ve been a good #2-#3 guy in wwe
2008-2009 were the golden years for Jeff but his drug and alcohol problems killed it.
Its an insane thing to say, its how you know the drugs and stunts ruined the guy's brain
WWE at that time in 2009 were moving away from the ruthless aggression era and moving into the PG era and trying to appeal the younger audience. It wouldn’t have made sense to push Hardy to become the face of the company as he was a hardcore style wrestler doing risky and dangerous moves.
I could see Jeff vs HBK vs HHH at WrestleMania 20 instead of Chris Benoit
IF
1. Jeff never leaves for TNA
2. Benoit stayed on SmackDown! in 2004
Honestly I 100% agree with Jeff him and Cena are the only active wrestlers that can come out of NOWHERE unannounced etc and they’ll blow the roof off the place
I loved jeff heel turn in TNA along with his theme "another me" but he would never be as big as cena
so here's the thing. jeff was incredibly popular at the height of his popularity. that was the year he won the world title. what people like to forget is that this period was rather short. 2-3 years max. so it's impossible to say how big he could've been if booked like cena over a longer period of time. at the same time it makes no sense comparing yourself to someone who has been put in the "face of the company" position like cena, hogan, austin, rock or reigns. jeff should be compared to kofi kingston. got his spike of popularity, had a world title run.
John Cena vs Jeff Hardy in 2009 is a match that should’ve happened. It would have made so much money
I think if your not the age of 18-28 right now you wouldn’t understand how this isn’t that crazy to say
But, fans will reminisce about and emulate Jeff Hardy.
Every time Jeff Hardy opens his mouth, 95% of the world thinks he sounds like a slack jowed hayseed from the sticks. John Cena is more popular in every Multiverse.
I agree with Jeff. If he didn't get in trouble and was consistent, Its possible he could have been on that level.
Jeff is right here
I think Jeff and Cena would've been equal in popularity in this what-if situation. Jeff would be the cool counter-culture icon for the teens and young adults while Cena would do the heavy lifting as the mainstream face and ambassador of the company. One wouldn't need to exceed the other.
I could see it. Jeff Hardy was massively over back in 09 especially around the time when he became champion.
I’m so glad Jeff is sober now it’s looks like from cvv interview that he’s in a good place right now and in tna I would love to see a wwe run one more time while he’s still feeling good in ring
Go to a mall and ask 100 people to name a pro wrestler..not 1 will say jeff hardy
He’d probably stayed at the level of Daniel Bryan. They are very similar in terms of the popularity and fan base.
The difference is John Cena is reliable, and Jeff Hardy isn’t.
This stinks of every wrestler from the 80s saying they could have been bigger than Hogan. Jeff on the mic has never been very good, that was all on Matt
No inflammatory comments that would require an ice bath
Jeff was almost everyone's fav wrestler in 08-09 he was mega over, Cena was just pushed down fans throat at that point especially in 2010. Hardy just felt more natural and human and relatable. his feud with cm punk in 09 is easily his best work
Good to see the drugs are still working well in Jeff's system 🤣
Jeff could never because he couldn’t do promos.
I like Jeff Hardy but he is very, very lucky that fans have so much goodwill towards him they can continually forgive him for making selfish, reckless decisions that endanger his life and jeopardize whatever company he works for. He's also extremely lucky most current fans remember him for his brief main event run in 2009 instead of his horrible first attempt in '02/'03 or his mediocre first TNA run.
CTE also had something to do with his lifestyle and issues
Jeff Hardy really could have been
He was from the attitude era. He was symbolic from his TLC matches, he was a dare devil baby face.
Kids thought he was cool. Women thought he was good looking and young men identified with his style.
He only has himself to blame. What a wasted opportunity.
He was solid in ring, had an over song and finisher.
I was around 8-10 years old when Jeff had that brief run and he was my number 1 favorite wrestler, which I think says a lot considering we still had guys like Taker on the roster. I’m not sure about him surpassing Cena, bcuz Cena was just so good on the mic and the obvious drug problem Jeff would have lol, but he definitely could’ve been up there. Jeff’s wrestling was amongst the best to me as a kid and I remember finding it cool how’d he sacrifice his own body to win 😂
This reminds me of RVD too of another what if story.
I'm don't know if you watched TNA (2009-2010) but the original plan was to turn RVD heel and become TNA champion and join Immortal. Instead, they went with Jeff Hardy. Shows how highly they thought of him to be the top guy.
Thing is, as over as Jeff was, the selling point for every babyface that got over with the crowd was "they aren't Cena." Them becoming Cena would not have worked
Jeff 2008-2009 was more over than Cena if you was watching the product at time you knew
John Cena is who the people got, Jeff Hardy is who the people wanted.
Nah he can't speak well on the mic like Cena
Great point.
@@dwade6322 It's not a great point. The discussion isn't about who was the better promo.
The discussion is who would be the better pro wrestler. Promos are a part of being a pro wrestler
Cena was not that good on mic. He only kissed the audience's ass for cheap pops.
The 08-09 period was the perfect time Jeff would be the lead had the substance abuse didn't happen. Though genuinely he could be the CM Punk tier of popularity as Cena is a rarity.
If you know wrestling history and you look at guys like Orville Brown and Magnum TA - who were both mega popular to the point where they could have changed the trajectory of wrestling had they not had accidents, Hardy falls into that category too. Anyone that's watched wrestling the last 20 years can attest to the popularity of Jeff Hardy.
Jeff is a great talent when he stayed clean & out of trouble, but even then, I can't see him being bigger than Cena. He may have had moments in his career when he was pushed well and sold merch, but that can be said for a number other people in the business, many who also didn't get bigger than Cena. Being the face of a company and always keeping the ratings & ticket sales hot throughout one's career is the mark of a wrestling superstar, and Jeff simply couldn't keep that level of intensity up even if he stayed 'healthy'.
Its good to have a positive attitude & retrospective of your career, but you shouldn't get carried away with how much "bigger" you supposedly could've been.
Cena was despised for huge parts of his run by huge parts of the fanbase.
I don't think he'd be bigger than Cena because WWE would never have allowed him to be for a start
I’ll say as a kid who grew up loving Jeff Hardy…. Hes wrong but I could see a world where he did become the biggest babyface in WWE history besides Austin.
Punk vs Jeff was main event at summerslam 09 over randy vs cena does say a lot
Jeff is perhaps one of the very few people who became so over with the audience with minimal speaking skills
Jeff was good, but Cena could cut the kind of promos needed to get over. You can see that they carried over when Cena was a heel when he turned.