It was supposed to be a dream match between two icons. Instead, it was a sad, horrible disaster.
Backstage, hours before his main event match with Sting at Victory Road, Jeff Hardy appeared fine. But as the match drew nearer, Hardy grew more intoxicated. When the then-33-year-old wrestler’s music hit, it took 45 seconds for him to emerge from the curtain. He was obviously drunk and wobbling, moving slow and strange. Before the match even started, the referee threw up the “X” sign, indicating Hardy was in no condition to compete, but the match went on anyway.
That is, until Eric Bischoff ran to the ring and improvised, declaring the match was now a no-DQ and telling Sting and Hardy how to end the match when the mic was away from his face.
Then the bell finally rang, Hardy pretended to throw his shirt to the crowd for nearly a minute until Sting hit his finisher and pinned Hardy to the ground, visibly preventing him from kicking out at two.
On the way back up the ramp, a fan screamed, “Bull—-!”
Sting yelled back, “I agree!”
Hardy has since cleaned up and is working for WWE.