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Editor’s Note: The following letter is in response to Dot Net reader Jason Solomon’s comments, which were posted in the March 11 Powell’s Mailbag.

Just a quick response to the “stupid” Jeff Hardy fan. Does the fact that Jeff has been placed on suspension make any of his past matches less entertaining? We are merely outside observers with limited information as Jason has already pointed out, and are unable to make judgements on Jeff Hardy the person. Jeff Hardy the performer has been nothing short of spectacular since his return. Hell, he made a convert out of me as I used to cringe at the repetitive, spot-filled Hardy Boys tag matches.

With the exception of a few matches back in the day I found them boring. Jeff’s first singles run as the eccentric poet wrestler of the WWE was bizarre and difficult as well. However, since his return I have been impressed on a regular  basis and was one of the many let down by his loss to Orton. Jeff Hardy is the not the only person on the planet with substance abuse issues and is certainly not the only professional wrestler with a drug problem. Having been around countless friends and family battling their own similar demons it irritates me when others rush to judgement.

If Jeff’s in ring fire for the business is any indicator (the only indicator I can base an opinion on); he seems to be enjoying life and he tops himself damn near every match he’s a part of. For all we know he was trying to beat his own demons and made a mistake. Addicts do it every day. It doesn’t mean they don’t want to live clean. It is simply a daily struggle those who have never lived through will understand.

Jason, if you are truly a Jeff Hardy fan then show him more support now than ever before. It may be the love from the crowd that fights his demons the hardest as I’m sure adulation from millions is as powerful as any drug. I wish Jeff well and hope he gets himself better, and will be cheering my ass off when he returns to win back any fans he lost. That is what I look forward to. God knows we don’t need another dead wrestler. Thanks for giving me a forum to vent.

Matt Evans
Dothan, Ala.

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Did Jeff Hardy not get the title because he might violate wellness policy, or did Jeff Hardy violate the wellness policy because he didn't get the strap?
 
Dave
Rochester, NY

Powell replies: I definitely believe it was the former. I reported recently that Hardy was very satisfied with his push and his payoffs. I’m sure the title was a goal, but I never got the impression from anyone that he wasn’t satisfied with his push. Plus, there were rumors that he was going to get the title this spring.

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As far as the new CD to be released, yes I will be buying it. Part of it is that I have yet to pass up a WWF/WWE entrance music CD since “Full Metal” (for all intents and purposes, Volume 1) back in 1996. I have a few different reasons. First, I am a wrestling fan, as well as a music fan. My tastes range from classical to metal, and I have a particular bent towards film scores. I remember first hearing Goldust's theme back in the old WWF days and wondering where I could get a recording of it. Along came Full Metal, and I was able to listen to the early version of it, clean, on my own CD player.

I like the CD's in general, but I have to say that I truly enjoy only about 33 percent to 50 percent of any one release. Sometimes they release collections with lots of musically interesting themes, such as Volume 4, containing the best (in my opinion) versions of themes for Triple H ("My Time"), Test (most upbeat version), The Undertaker (Ministry of Darkness phase), Vince McMahon (the now classic "No Chance in Hell"), and D-Lo Brown. Others CDs are less than stellar, but saved by one remarkable track, like Volume 3's "Gangrel/The Brood."

The bottom line for me is the music itself, not necessarily the wrestlers that come to the ring to it. That is, my enjoyment of any particular track is less influenced by how much I like a particular wrestler and more on the merits of the track itself. I realize that to many music fans, this is the lowest of the low-brow, but I believe Jim Johnston to be an oft-overlooked and very important component to the overall WWE product, and I am a bona fide fan of his work.

Kind regards,

Kevin Wang
McKinney, Texas

Powell replies: That’s cool and I agree that Johnston’s work is a big part of the WWE package. Very good point.

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While I doubt that I would ever consider buying an entire CD of entrance themes, just because it would be a waste of money, there are several that I would consider downloading individually. 

First on that list is the DX theme. It's a great song by itself, and it would fit in with my other music. I might also download the themes of Vince McMahon, Ted DiBiase, Edge, and maybe the one Triple H had around 2001 by Rage Against the Machine. Mark Henry is another one that I'd think about. Those are pretty much the only ones, though, and I for sure wouldn't by an entire CD just for those six songs.

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