WWE Backstage (June 2nd, 2020) - 6 Takeaways from this week's episode

#2 Thoughts on the Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio storylines

The Charismatic Enigma

WWE blurred the lines of reality on WWE SmackDown last week as the IC tournament was thrown into turmoil after it appeared as if Jeff Hardy had hit Elias with his rental car. The action allowed several other stars a chance to face Daniel Bryan later in the night. With Hardy's issues with substance abuse well known, it was a touchy subject.

Former WWE champion CM Punk said "I'm speaking from experience here because I worked extensively with Jeff and he might not have been at a great spot at that time. My thing with this segment and story is that I believe that someone's sobriety is very fragile and very important." He went on to say that "we discuss if they should do it or shouldn't do it and if he (Hardy) green-lit it (the angle). To me, it's the responsibility of the writer or promoter to get in front of it and say 'we're not doing it to Jeff again.'"

The Voice of the Voiceless also thought that "this is the wrong way to go about. Someone's sobriety is special" while former WWE Superstar Christian claimed that "if Jeff was okay with all of it, I guess it's to get heat on someone else. I'm not sure that it was the best way to do it." WWE Hall of Famer Booker T claimed that he "saw a lot of guys that had a lot of substance abuse problems. A lot of those guys were my friends and a lot of them aren't here today." He concluded by saying that "he's a guy that has been a part of real life angles before. I hope everything turns out right in the end."

Regarding the reappearance of WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio's son, Dominick, Christian said he's "in a wait and see" position at this point, but "Rey is one of the very best to ever do this. It's going to be hard for Dominick to step out from the shadow." Punk said that "this is a good use of a real-life situation. I like that dynamic." He added that "Dominick is a little wooden with his delivery but he's going to come out of his shell. If it goes the way of becoming a disciple of Seth Rollins, it's something that I think would be intriguing. I'd watch that."