I mean how can you keep using a guy that you can't trust not to get wasted between the start of the show and the start of his match?

How can you employ a writer that has the worst track record in wrestling business history and has a proven failure for the last 10 years ?

Same reason probably.

According to Dave on the latest Observer Radio show, the reason why TNA management were caught so flat footed was that Jeff turned up to the show "fine enough" (by his standards), worked out the whole match with Sting, then after the show had already started "whatever happened happened".

Knowing this what you think he took? Likely to wrestle and semi-fast acting.

I believe it was touched upon earlier in the thread, but a big reason why WCW never fired Hall for so long was because of the lawsuits between WCW and WWF and likely somebody with WCW afraid that Hall would go testify for WWF if he got released. As I recall, once the two companies settled the lawsuit, Hall was released a couple of weeks later.

 

Of course, that didn't stop Kevin Nash and DDP from bringing him up in interviews, which may have been influenced by a certain current TNA booker.

That's discussed in "The Death of WCW" as well. Hall was supposedly telling people there was no chance of him ever getting fired because of his capacity as a witness in the lawsuit.

Could another reason Hall was not fired or even reprimanded be that he was dating the daughter of a Turner executive at the time of his most embarrassing incidents?

The current plan is for Jeff to come back...

Wait... WTF? You lost me.

 

John

Some more details from Jason Powell in this week's Torch newsletter:

 

Shortly before Hardy’s match with Sting, Bruno and Big Tilly (former Phi Delta Slam tag team and Main Event Mafia security), who work backstage, found Hardy in or around his trailer. “They had to carry him from his trailer to the gorilla position,” stated an observer, whose story was supported by others within the company.

There was talk backstage that Hardy won’t be used again until his legal situation has played out, but that’s merely speculation and was not officially announced by management.

There are plenty of people within TNA who feel strongly that Hardy should be fired or at the very least given the “rehab or fired” ultimatum that WWE officials once gave him. ... The assumption is that WWE would cover the cost of Hardy’s rehab if he opted to go that route. ... However, there is no indication that TNA made such request, as whatever talks there were between Hardy and management have been kept quiet.

I do love how TNA wants to leave it up to WWE to pick up the tab of Hardy's rehab bill on the off chance he decides to clean up.

I read it this way:

 

WWE officials once gave him the “rehab or fired” ultimatum + WWE would cover the cost of Hardy’s rehab if he opted to go that route at that time

 

 

Didn't read it that the WWE would pick up the tab now, or that anyone in TNA thinks the WWE would.

 

John

I think the WWE's policy is to pick up the rehab tab of any of their former wrestlers. I know guys like Waltman and Hall have done rehab on the WWE's dime.

Yeah, the full paragraph makes things clearer, sorry John:

 

There are plenty of people within TNA who feel strongly that Hardy should be fired or at the very least given the “rehab or fired” ultimatum that WWE officials once gave him. Hardy declined WWE’s request and left the company, which eventually led to his first run in TNA. The assumption is that WWE would cover the cost of Hardy’s rehab if he opted to go that route. WWE has an ongoing offer to cover the cost of drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs for their current and former performers. However, there is no indication that TNA made such request, as whatever talks there were between Hardy and management have been kept quiet.

That makes better sense. Didn't know that the WWE picks up rehab on former workers. I guess that's a positive, though I might be annoyed if I were a former worker who was clean but needed some other health coverage and the WWF didn't cover it.

 

John

How many former WWE workers are actually clean, though?

That makes better sense. Didn't know that the WWE picks up rehab on former workers. I guess that's a positive, though I might be annoyed if I were a former worker who was clean but needed some other health coverage and the WWF didn't cover it.

 

John

They started doing that post-Benoit. They sent out a form letter to everyone who had ever worked for them that said regardless of the circumstances under which you left, you're eligible. There was a funny item in the WON about Cornette getting the letter and going crazy.

It feels like the biggest problem isn't wrestlers living the lifestyle, but coming down from it.

That makes better sense. Didn't know that the WWE picks up rehab on former workers. I guess that's a positive, though I might be annoyed if I were a former worker who was clean but needed some other health coverage and the WWF didn't cover it.

 

John

They started doing that post-Benoit. They sent out a form letter to everyone who had ever worked for them that said regardless of the circumstances under which you left, you're eligible. There was a funny item in the WON about Cornette getting the letter and going crazy.

 

It was Bruno, not Cornette. He considered holding a press conference.

 

Yup.

There was definitely a similar Cornette story.

I don't know either story. Why would Bruno or Cornette go crazy about Vince offering rehab?

I don't know either story. Why would Bruno or Cornette go crazy about Vince offering rehab?

Not knowing it's a form letter and thinking WWE is sending them a letter calling them a drug addict.

Safe to assume both of them were corrected into believing that they were form letters?

I don't know either story. Why would Bruno or Cornette go crazy about Vince offering rehab?

As Bruno is extremely anti-drugs and has come after WWE for direct/indirectly promoting the use of drugs.

Vince was asked during the Waxman hearings what had motivated this magnanimous gesture. "Two words: Public Relations." At least he was honest.

Angle was caught de-facto driving drunk. And let's not forget the circumstances behind TNA hiring him.

 

Ian Rotten is a despicable human behind that nobody should give money to. Just how many steps removed is TNA when it comes to enabling/encouraging incredibly self-destructive behavior?

Angle was caught de-facto driving drunk. And let's not forget the circumstances behind TNA hiring him.

 

Ian Rotten is a despicable human behind that nobody should give money to. Just how many steps removed is TNA when it comes to enabling/encouraging incredibly self-destructive behavior?

Just to hazard a guess to a rhetorical question: zero. I can't even give them "at least TNA is doing it for higher wages". I mean they are, maybe enough for the top guys that I could bump it up to 0.5, but when a titleholder on a televised promotion still needs a second job at the Sunglass Hut, you're functionally no better than Rotten.

when a titleholder on a televised promotion still needs a second job at the Sunglass Hut, you're functionally no better than Rotten.

Wait, what?

when a titleholder on a televised promotion still needs a second job at the Sunglass Hut, you're functionally no better than Rotten.

Wait, what?

 

The recently retired Taylor Wilde had to hold down a second job at the Sunglass Hut while she was Knockout Champion, but she ended up quitting that job out of embarrassment after one of her customers recognized her.