Former WWE Champion Jeff Hardy jumped ship to competing promotion All Elite Wrestling earlier this year, immediately reuniting with his brother Matt to reform their world-famous tag team. Jeff has seen a great deal of in-ring success in AEW so far, picking up a number of victories on TV and defeating The Young Bucks at the recent Double or Nothing pay-per-view event. Jeff and Matt were scheduled to face The Young Bucks yet again on the upcoming Road Rager edition of Dynamite in a three-way Ladder Match for the AEW World Tag Team Championship that also involved The Jurassic Express. However, Jeff has been pulled from the match and suspended from AEW.
This was confirmed by AEW president and CEO Tony Khan, who released a statement on Twitter. AEW is suspending Jeff Hardy due to an incident that occurred on the morning of Monday, June 13, where Jeff was pulled over by police in Florida and charged with a felony DUI. According to the police reports, Jeff's BAC was .294. For comparison, the legal limit in Florida is .08.
This isn't the first time that Jeff Hardy has been charged with a DUI, and as a result of those prior incidences, he had been required to drive with an ignition interlock device. The vehicle that he had been driving on June 13 allegedly did not have one.
AEW Statement on Jeff Hardy
In AEW's statement on the Jeff Hardy situation, Tony Khan confirmed that the company would be willing to help Jeff receive appropriate treatment for substance abuse issues, and that the star wrestler is "open to receiving" the help. Until Hardy receives treatment for his substance abuse problems, AEW is suspending him without pay. Jeff Hardy will be able to return to AEW programming once he is able to complete a treatment program and maintain his sobriety.
AEW's statement on Jeff Hardy has come out around the same time that TMZ Sports has uploaded a video of Hardy's arrest. In the footage, officers draw their weapons when they approach Hardy's car. They then conduct field sobriety tests. Hardy can be seen stumbling and struggling to properly follow the officers' instructions.
In the past, AEW has shown a willingness to work with its performers that have substance abuse issues and assist them in getting the help that they need. In late 2021, former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley entered a rehab facility for his alcoholism, which saw the top star removed from AEW programming for around three months. Moxley has since returned to AEW and is currently slated to wrestle New Japan's Hiroshi Tanahashi at the AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door pay-per-view event to determine the interim AEW World Champion.
Source: WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando, Cageside Seats