Jeff Hardy Nearly Accepted A WWE Hall Of Fame Induction

Among the most popular superstars in the Attitude Era of pro wrestling is Jeff Hardy, one-half of the iconic Hardy Boyz. His daredevilry and risk-taking nature led him to the top of the wrestling world, amassing several world championships in WWE and TNA, as well as infamy through tables, ladders, and chairs (oh my!).

It may surprise the lapsed fan to know that Jeff has not been put into the WWE Hall of Fame, but in a recent tweet, his brother Matt shed some light on the matter, implying that the offer may have been made to entrench Jeff in the WWE family and keep him from jumping ship to All Elite Wrestling to join Matt.

In said tweet, Matt recounts:

For the record - WWE offered Jeff the HOF because his drug test returned as no drugs - But alcohol was the problem. The WWE wanted to keep Jeff from going to AEW by any means necessary, so they offered the HOF but he had to re-sign. Jeff chose to reunite with me at AEW. #MattFacts

Jeff's substance abuse issues are well-documented, and indeed these issues have hindered his career on several occasions. They were the subject of a close-to-the-knuckle storyline during the Thunderdome era in 2020, as it was alleged that Jeff's drinking had led to him crashing his car and injuring Elias (now Elijah in TNA).

This isn't to say that this storyline was punishment for Jeff turning down the induction and making plans to join AEW, as Jeff wouldn't sign there until early 2022. Though the McMahon administration of WWE has been notoriously petty, the timeline doesn't quite add up here.

In any case, now that TNA, the Hardys' new home where they are once again World Tag Team Champions, are in a working partnership with WWE, the buzz of a potential Hall of Fame induction feels that much more palpable, as it could actually happen.

Add in a Limp Bizkit induction, as we argued for earlier this year, and that year's Hall of Fame class could be the most nu metal in company history.