Vince McMahon Did Not Turn Jeff Hardy Heel Because He Didn’t “Totally Trust” Him

Jeff Hardy at his prime was one of the biggest babyfaces in the WWE. He won several championships, including the WWE and World Heavyweight Championship. However, the fans never got to really see his dark side on screen. The charismatic enigma was almost always portrayed as a good guy that the fans could cheer for, and a lot of that had to do with the fact that Vince McMahon did not “totally trust” him.

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Jeff Hardy’s struggles with addiction are well documented. He is up there with some of the most troubled figures in the wrestling industry, and the WWE Chairman did not think he was reliable enough to go too far with him.

Vince McMahon did not turn Jeff Hardy heel because he didn’t “totally trust” him

During a recent episode of ‘Grillin JR,’ WWE Hall of Famer, Jim Ross, discussed Jeff Hardy and why the WWE never really turned him heel during his stay with the promotion. JR revealed that Vince McMahon did not think the former WWE Champion had reliability issues, which prevented the WWE Chairman from going all in with him.

“How far do you go with someone that you don’t totally trust? And I think that’s where Vince was,” JR said.

The legendary commentator added that it was hard to trust Jeff to stay sober and clean, before adding that it was something he still struggled with to this day.

“I think Jeff’s issue was Jeff. And his credibility was the fact that can he be trusted? Is he clean and sober? And can he stay clean and sober? And we know the answer to that? The answer is no. He didn’t stay clean and sober. He had all kinds of issues. He’s still [dealing with issues].”

Jeff Hardy’s driver license suspended for 10 years after following multiple cases of DUI

Jeff Hardy, who now wrestles for AEW, recently had his driver license suspended for 10 years after pleading no contest to a DUI offense. This has allowed him to avoid jail time. However, it will be a long time before he gets behind the wheel again.

He was arrested last year in Florida and was charged with driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license and driving while his license was restricted.

Hardy pleaded not guilty despite this being his third DUI arrest in the last 10 years, and faced five years in prison.

However, by pleading no contest, he has avoided any admission of guilt while still avoiding jail.

Hardy will pay $4,586 in fines apart from serving two years probation. Apart from that, he also has to attend a rehab program.

The AEW star was suspended from the promotion upon his arrest, following which they announced that he would only return “upon successfully completing treatment and maintaining his sobriety.”

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