Jeff Hardy Reveals His 2017 Torn Rotator Cuff Was His First Pro Wrestling Injury
Jeff Hardy made his return to Smackdown earlier this month, debuting a new tattoo and finisher called the Twist of Fury. Hardy's debut came under the conditions of a pandemic where no fans were present. In an in-depth interview on After The Bell, Hardy talked about what it was like to come back under those conditions.
"I never worked with Baron Corbin before," Hardy stated. "Naturally, I was excited about that, but it was like a weird dream like, 'I had the strangest dream last night. I returned to Friday night Smackdown on FOX and it was in front of nobody.' It was very dreamlike.
"I envisioned in my mind what it was going to be like because this is my last chance to get it right. This was gonna be my last big comeback of my career. Being there in front of nobody, it was very dreamlike. So I hope to work with Corbin again with more time and a crowd."
WWE has been airing various vignettes on Hardy with more set to come that is apparently setting up a feud with Sheamus. Hardy opened up about his substance abuse and his journey to get sober and overcome alcoholism. Hardy talked about his reaction to seeing his mugshots on Smackdown and how this current run is his "last chance to get it right." He also revealed that despite all of the wild risks that he's taken in the past, his torn rotator cuff in 2017 was his first pro wrestling related injury.
"It's crazy man. I've been very lucky throughout my career," Hardy admitted. "In my 20's and 30's, I've never had any surgeries, no serious injuries. In [2017], I had rotator cuff surgery, my first injury from pro wrestling. Evidently it was something with me not working on a daily basis [and] worrying about if I'm going to heal?
"After that first DUI I got, I was doing Lillian Garcia's podcast, and I said, 'I got my first and last DUI.' I was so sure of that at that moment, and I think I went on to say I'll never get arrested again. I remember when I said that, I said, 'I probably shouldn't have said that.' Now that I've been in in-patient rehab for the first time in my life, I've learned a lot about the disease known as alcoholism and addiction because I went to the drugs back when I got arrested. Even on Smackdown last week, when they aired the mug shots, that's some heavy stuff. It's gonna be good s–t because this is my last chance to get it right, and I just want to get a few more good years out of this body and do the best I possibly can."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit After The Bell with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.