Jeff Hardy: Where does TNA go from here?

The Jeff Hardy situation at Victory Road has thrown a spotlight on TNA, and it's hardly the one they would have hoped for. With WWE currently engaging Twitter fans with a war of words between The Rock, John Cena and The Miz, the only thing being discussed about TNA is how Jeff Hardy ever made it to the ring.

To be frank, that the decision to cut short the match appeared to take place only after both Hardy and Sting had made their way to the ring was nothing short of ludicrous, showing a stark contrast in levels of professionalism between TNA and the WWE. Does anyone believe that if Jerry Lawler had turned up clearly unfit to compete that he would ever have made it out for his match against The Miz at Elimination Chamber last month? It's unthinkable. Chances are he'd never have left the dressing room. Yet when this situation occurs in TNA, it took until Hardy's entrance music hitting for anyone to realise there was a serious problem.

Falling: The Shameful Tragedy of Jeff Hardy

This past Sunday saw the latest in a long stretch of incidents of Jeff Hardy's personal life conflicting with his professional one. Seeing that Jeff Hardy was in no state to work a main event match, Eric Bischoff altered the finish, live on Pay Per View, leading to a disgraceful ninety second long conclusion to TNA's Victory Road. One would be tempted to suggest that this is a failure that should not be laid on TNA's slender shoulders - Jeff Hardy failed to meet his most basic obligations, after all - until of course the realisation that it was TNA's limp reaction to substance abuse within professional wrestling that was key in luring Hardy from WWE. That Hardy is facing the  impending fallout from his plea bargain, following charges of drug trafficking, and that he has proven yet again that he is incapable of keeping his self-destruction in check, shows how much we and Hardy have lost.