Written by Rob Crowther IV
The WWE Network series WWE 24 always provides an insightful behind the scenes look at sports entertainment and its superstars. As a longtime fan of The Hardys, I was super stoked to tune in for this one, and it ABSOLUTELY exceeded my expectations.
The documentary did not hold back as it dived into nearly all of the Hardys demons over the years, even focusing heavily on their time in TNA. I really appreciated all the contributions from guys like AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, and Sting giving their two cents on the Hardys’ time in TNA. Interestingly enough, there was even a major focus on Jeff’s all-time low match with Sting where Sting was forced to go to the quick finish. Sting adds, “I wasn’t mad at Jeff, I was just disappointed.” The charismatic enigma stated that to this day he is still humiliated by that match with Sting being one of his all-time favorite wrestlers. Eric Bischoff even chimes in about working with the Hardys in TNA saying that they would sneak off and find hiding places at the events to do who knows what. He would have special interns whose jobs were only to locate the Hardys an hour before their match.
Another major focus was Matt’s pain killer abuse and online suicide note. Guys like the Big Show, Hurricane and Christian weighed in, saying that Matt would pretty much pass out in his food and would not listen to their pleas for him to get help. This documentary gets REAL at times, but I really appreciated nothing being sugarcoated.
The light at the end of the tunnel is essentially family for Matt, who finally seeks help thanks to his wife (then girlfriend) Reby. Matt is able to recover and create his Woken (Broken) identity based on his life changing experiences. Elsewhere, Jeff serves a 10-day prison sentence for drug abuse and trafficking, which he says was the wake up call he needed.
Everything really comes full circle as at the beginning of the show we see the old tapes of the young Hardys competing (on a trampoline) and cutting promos at home, whereas now we see the Hardys creating new magic with their Broken characters. Jeff says the two of them filming these characters really reminded him of their time as kids together. Now the Hardys, with kids of their own, realize that there are people whom they care about more than themselves.
Now, of course we do get a good dose of classic Hardys wrestling spots, and nearly ALL of Jeff’s death defying Ladder Swanton Bombs. Viewers are even treated to a behind the scenes look at the newly reformed Hardys sneaking in to make their return at Wrestlemania 33. Just seeing the excitement and smiles beaming from the brothers was really special. It was really epic to see this personal all time favorite moment unfold from behind the curtain.
However, everything wasn’t yet wrapped up in a neat little package, as I was absolutely stunned to see that they did in fact address Jeff Hardy’s recent DUI arrest. This is something I had both wondered and worried about, because Jeff really came back to a strong push. We get to see that Jeff once again owns his mistakes, and immediately puts the work in at the performance center. It’s difficult to see one of your all time favorites get into the same type of trouble time and time again, but I really do hope Jeff conquers his demons once and for all.
The documentary wraps up with the Hardys again (and currently) being on the top tier of the roster and holding championship gold. As we know Matt has won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal at Wrestlemania and is now a RAW tag team champion with Bray Wyatt. Jeff is currently riding a wave of a success with his singles run as the United States Champion.
The bulk of this documentary really focuses on the Hardy’s demons and less on the wrestling, which I thought was perfect. A lot of questions I had about what exactly had happened during those difficult times were fully answered by both superstar and family interviews. It’s really good to know that both of the Hardys are finally in a good place and that their true passion is for their family, and that love for their family is what keeps them on the right path.
