5 Times WWE used real-life incidents in storylines 

#4 Jeff Hardy's substance abuse issues were mocked by Sheamus in WWE

Sheamus and Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy's substance abuse issues have plagued him for years throughout his WWE and pro wrestling career. Those issues were highlighted in a controversial storyline in 2020.

It all began when Sheamus mocked Hardy's alcohol and drug issues on WWE SmackDown. The storyline took a major turn when The Celtic Warrior tried to frame Hardy for drunk-driving. In kayfabe, Hardy was arrested after he crashed his car into Elias during that segment. It was later revealed that he had passed the sobriety test and wasn't responsible for what happened to Elias.

#SmackDown RESULTSSmackDown opened the show with what looked like a car accident. A rental car had run into a stop sign, and Elias was out on the ground. It was revealed that the car belonged to Jeff Hardy, and it was covered in bottles of alcohol. pic.twitter.com/GUVCwrUEDo

— WRESTLING FACTOR 🤼‍♂️🤼 🤼‍ (@wres_factor) May 30, 2020

Although The Charismatic Enigma was comfortable in doing the aforementioned storyline, it created a lot of controversy on social media. Sheamus and Hardy feuded for a while, and their storyline ended in a Bar Fight on WWE SmackDown. Hardy defeated Sheamus during the Bar Fight.

Remember when “Willow” made an appearance in the Jeff Hardy vs Sheamus Bar Fight, then was dropped and hasn’t been seen since? pic.twitter.com/wZQPqDh12a

— TheElitist (@TheElitistonYT2) January 8, 2021

Interestingly, this wasn't the first time that WWE had chosen to bring up Jeff Hardy's substance abuse issues in a storyline. Back in 2009, CM Punk targeted Hardy with the latter's history of drug abuse as well.

In real life, Hardy has been on the road to recovery since late 2019. He has overcome a lot of challenges throughout his life, which is a commendable feat.