AEW: Booking Jeff Hardy in a singles match with Darby Allin is a mistake

Arguably one of the biggest and most anticipated arrivals into AEW in 2022 was that of Jeff Hardy.  Hardy has always been wildly popular with wrestling fans for his high-flying style and enigmatic personality.

So when Jeff Hardy’s music hit on the March 9th episode of AEW Dynamite the crowd popped big as Hardy danced his way down to the ring.  AEW had another star that was going to be capable of delivering exciting matches, in both the singles and tag team divisions.

Just two months later, Hardy had his first singles match in AEW when he battled Bobby Fish in an Owen Hart Foundation Tournament qualifying match on AEW Dynamite.  The anticipation for Jeff’s AEW singles debut was high, but it left fans wanting at its conclusion.

Bobby Fish has a lot of great attributes as an in-ring talent, but quickness and agility are not among them.  And at times during the match between Fish and Hardy, it seemed like Fish had to slow himself down in spots for Hardy to keep up.

Jeff Hardy would go on to win the lackluster match, setting up a first-round matchup in the tournament with one of the quickest and most agile competitors on the AEW roster in Darby Allin.

AEW is going to overexpose Jeff Hardy’s shortcomings by pairing him with Darby Allin in a singles match in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.

This match is one that many wrestling fans were excited about the moment that Jeff Hardy was officially All Elite.  But it has become glaringly obvious over the past couple of months that a singles match between the two is a mistake.

While Jeff Hardy has looked fine in traditional tag team matches in AEW, any sort of stipulation tag match and his one singles match have left a lot to be desired.

It is no secret that Jeff Hardy has done this for a long time, and he has literally put his body through more than maybe any single person still actively wrestling.

He has been one of the top professional wrestlers for decades and deserves every bit of acclaim that is heaped upon him.

But age waits for no man.  The years of wear and tear that Hardy has on him are showing through like a spotlight in a dark room.

And a man that has trouble keeping up with Bobby Fish is going to be in over his head with Darby Allin.

Darby’s offense is built on speed and if he has to slow it down for Jeff Hardy to keep up then it isn’t going to come off with the same effectiveness as it should.

Jeff Hardy has a chance to continue to be a big draw in AEW.  But he is at the point of his career where booking him properly is extremely important.  And this feels like the worst possible booking for Hardy in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.