Recap Of The Jeff Hardy Interview On The Main Event

Courtesy of The Main Event:

Speaks on his suspension, return to WWE, the tough schedule, wanting to do have heel run, etc.

SHOW: The Main Event, Sunday Mornings from 10:30am-12:00pm on www.MainEventRadio.com and CJLO 1690AM in Montreal.

HOSTS: Mr. Ryan Rider and Steve Rockamaniac

Can Be Downloaded for free anytime at: http://www.MainEventRadio.com (June 22nd show)

This is Ryan Rider with Steve Rockamaniac by my side and we are about to be joined by a man who has been amidst some controversy in the last few months but at the same time has also achieved quite a lot of success. I would like to welcome our guest for today right away, none other than Jeff Hardy…

Q: First off, welcome back to World Wrestling Entertainment! With the draft coming up this Monday on Raw on the Score and USA network (cheap plug), things seem to be heating up for the summer. Would you mind being traded or would you prefer to stay on the Raw brand?

A: I would prefer to be on the Raw side because of the fact that it's live. If I were to getting traded though, you know, I'm cool to go anywhere.

Q: Seeing as things are going to be switching around, who would you like to face that you either haven't had a chance to wrestle yet or just haven't been able to wrestle with enough?

A: I wouldn't mind wrestling Batista, I've only worked with him in one match. If it came down to me going to Smackdown, I wouldn't mind working with MVP; I had a match with him not too long ago and it went pretty well. I'm pretty easy to get along with and I'll work with anybody and try to be entertaining.

Q: So with the draft coming up, would you prefer to be back on the same brand with your brother Matt or do you want to stay separate?

A: I think it would be cool if we were on the same brand but as far as the company wants to keep us on separate brands for some reason. They want us to be established more and more as individual stars but it would be pretty cool to be on the same brand again and team whenever we want to and may even be opponents at some point.

Q: Earlier this year you were riding a wave of unforeseen popularity, nearly capturing the WWE championship and having nice reign with the Intercontinental title. Of course, that was cut short by your suspension on March 11th. If you don't mind me asking, how exactly did the suspension come to be and have you been able to overcome whatever issues you were plagued with at the time?

A: Absolutely, everything's been cleaned up. I've made two mistakes so far but other than losing out on Wrestlemania and losing the Intercontinental title, I've lost a lot more man. I lost my house to the house fire, and that was pretty much the saddest day of my adult life. Getting through that was really tough man, I didn't even know if I wanted to be back on TV after all that went down. Now I've got past that and I'm back on TV and I'm in a better place. Thank G-d Matt [Hardy] was here. I've made some mistakes and I don't plan to make any more.

Q: We all heard about your house fire, which was very sad news, have you been able to get a new house?

A: It's a long process. They've already got the plans laid out, we're going to use the foundation from the house that burnt down but it's going to take 6 months to a year for it to be built. I'm pretty excited about that but in the meantime I'm living with Matt. It's been very overwhelming [the helpfulness and response from the fans]. I also knew that we had a big fan base but I mean we had to take a truck every day to pick up all the boxes of fan mail that we got. It mean't a lot to have that much support.

Q: In the past, specifically towards the end of your last run in WWE, you suffered from burnouts at times and it seemed like you just weren't into the matches at some points. What's different now compared to a few years ago?

A: I was extremely burned out back in those days when I was first released. I didn't care; I was so tired of wrestling. The biggest change in me now is that I've realized that it is a gift I have and that I need to take advantage of while I can and while I'm still fairly young. I really know that now. And it's still tough with the brutal schedule, working all the time and with me there's no time for other hobbies, there's none.

Q: How would you describe your time working in TNA and made you decide to come back to the WWE last year?

A: TNA was fun; I went through a pretty cool journey with them going from being on PPV once a week to going on SpikeTV. More than anything, they were in Orlando all the time and it's the same crowd. You didn't get to be a part of the big Wrestlemanias, the huge crowds, that's the main thing I missed. I wanted to prove to myself that I could go back to the WWE and be good once again. It made my brother extremely proud too because we wanted to team again and we've done that. More than anything, I missed the crowds and I missed being a part of Wrestlemania. I didn't miss the schedule that's for sure.

Q: Well, welcome back then. You mentioned your brother, do you prefer tag team wrestling or singles competition?

A: I'll always prefer tag team wrestling because that's my claim to fame and where we got started and where we gained our popularity. It's a lot easier to do a tag-team match because when you're a singles guy there's no rest time and you have to work a lot more, and be in a lot better shape. I enjoy both but I'll always love teaming with Matt and every time we team together it feels special.

Q: Generally you have always worked a face, a major fan favourite, would you ever be open to do a heel run?

A: Before I'm done, most definitely. There's a lot of people out there who will doubt if that could ever happen, but back in the OMEGA days I played a character named Will O' the Wisp and I was a tweener both good and bad. But I would love to have a heel run in the WWE, I think that would be a blast. It would show a different side of the Hardyz, it would be very cool and very unexpected.

Q: How's your body feeling by the way? Have you been able to keep up with the more intense schedule again in the WWE?

I'm hanging in there man. I've been pretty fortunate. I haven't had any surgeries and I'm 30 now, turning 31 in August. However, I'm sore all the time, my ankles are really weak. If I don't get my ankles taped before a match, I feel like they're gonna break. My knees actually feel kinda weak and my elbows feel kinda weak, but I'm still holding together. Luckily I've had no surgeries but I do have two herniated discs, one in my lower back and one in my neck so that bothers me quite a bit. Knock on wood, I'm held together by something.

Q: You've had quite a lot of classic matches, but I've got to ask you: which one do you consider to be your best?

A: I would probably say as a singles guy, the ladder match against the Undertaker [July 1st 2002 Raw]. It was a huge thing for me at the time. And then obviously all the TLC matches are all on my favorite list: particularly the one we had in Raleigh where Matt was hanging on the rung, that was one of my creations and something I always wanted to do. All the TLC matches are very lovable in retrospect.

Q: You've been in and out of the WWE several times. How are things different from when you first came back in the early 90's to now in 2008?

A: It's changed a lot. There were a lot of new faces when I first came back. It's actually pretty weird, because I'm treated like a veteran now because there are so many younger talents that are there. That's probably the biggest difference, feeling like a veteran.

Q: On Michael Hayes' Influence early on in his career: He was our wrestling mentor, kind of like our father. He taught us a lot of the basic things that you need to know to be a top guy.

His thoughts on the New Brood: It was a blast, I've always been a big fan of vampires. It was awesome to switch places with Edge and Christian and join Gangrell. I got to paint my fingers black and be evil. It was a great opportunity and that was one of the coolest things ever doing our entrance coming up with the elevator up to the fire. It was really fun. You could feel the heat a little bit, but it wasn't that bad.

Working with HHH: I've got nothing bad to say about HHH. He's always been really cool and he's done a lot for me. When I made my mistakes, it let some people down and he was one of those guys. He's been very supportive since I've been back and I think he's a great athlete and a great performer.

Q: This year you've had some brutal back and forth action with Umaga most recently with that big leap at One Night Stand. Do you have any plans on toning things down as you move towards that main event title push?

A: I think I have toned it down already quite a bit. I think I'll always as far as jumping off things it is a part of my character and I'll do it as long as I can. I've been alright with the things I've done so far. I've toned it down quite a bit and I'm pretty comfortable to know what I can and cannot do. As long as I'm comfortable in my own skin doing something then I usually roll with it.

Q: We've seen you do all sorts of crazy moves and matches. What is the next stage in the innovation of Jeff Hardy?

A: I'm kind of running out of things man actually. I think that one of the biggest stages in my career would be an out of nowhere heel turn. It's very possible that that won't happen but it would be a good way to show a different side of my personality. Merchandise has been awesome for me which would be one of the factors going against a potential heel turn. For me, it would be pretty exciting as far as a challenge to see if I could do it well. As far as now though, I've done quite a bit and so much has been done but I feel like I'll keep trying to create interesting moves but it will get harder and harder as time goes on. Too much has been done.

Q: Looking into the near future: what are your immediate goals and will you be able to stay clean?

A: Definitely. After my last suspension, it has definitely opened my eyes. Back in the day, I was addicted, I really was. I got through that time and now I'm on my last leg in the WWE and if I fall off this horse I won't be back on it. I got over my addictions naturally, it was just a phase I went through you know. I don't regret anything I've done; I think everything happens for a reason. I don't regret any of the choices in my life, any mistakes I've made. I looked at myself and said you've gotta stop this and then now here I am.

Q: Do you aspire to go for any of the World championships in the upcoming months?:

A: That's always something. That's the title to win, one of the heavyweight championships, are the only ones that I have yet to have. Well actually I've never been the U.S. champ either; I'd like to have them all. I kind of see myself in the running [for the world titles] as long as everything goes well whether I'm on Smackdown or Raw no matter what.

Q: Jeff Hardy, I want to thank you for joining us on the Main Event today and for being so honest and well-spoken about everything. Best of luck in the future and who knows if you're able to stay motivated, the next time we talk you might just be a World Champion!