Tonight is another PPV in the age of the Pandemic, and I can only imagine what people will think looking back on these shows years from now. This time around it’s WWE Backlash 2020, and tonight Jeff Hardy takes on Sheamus in a grudge bout that will be the culmination of maybe WWE’s most over the top storyline of 2020. You can expect the same coverage as any major event gets from the Overtimer, including in-depth previews of each match.
Sheamus vs. Jeff Hardy
So this feud has sure went places. It actually started out somewhat harmless, believe it or not. Jeff Hardy, after making his return from a long injury and DUI-induced layoff back in March, had his big return hyped in a series of vignettes in April. No I did not make a mistake in that sentence. They not only hyped up his return as if it hadn’t happened yet but also showed a mini documentary of sorts talking up his lengthy history with addiction and his run-ins with the law and how long he’s struggled with his inner demons. But by some wacky fluke chance, every single week this happened to directly coincide with a Sheamus squash match. He would dominate his hapless opponents but as he celebrated, thanks to the lack of fans in the arena, he could always overhear Michael Cole talking up Jeff Hardy.
Sheamus didn’t appreciate this and demanded they focus on him instead. His jealousy of the attention Jeff achieved led to him calling out Jeff before he even made his ‘big comeback’. Jeff was happy to face off with Sheamus and the two ended up squaring off in the first round of the Intercontinental Championship tournament after Sami Zayn vacated the title. Jeff got the win on that night but that’s when things took a turn.
On the night of the semi-finals, Jeff Hardy was embroiled in a scene where he was framed for the hit-and-run assault of Elias, in what was made to look like a drunk driving accident. Jeff made it out of jail before the night was over though and cost Sheamus his match against Daniel Bryan, which if he won, would’ve put him in the IC title tournament finals. Sheamus railed on Jeff for his alcohaulism even after he was cleared of the charges and demanded he take a urine test on the go-home show SmackDown. Jeff obliged and not only passed the test, but in a moment that will forever define this feud in my mind, he splashed the piss right in Sheamus’ face and he later gargled mouthwash to imply that he, in fact, swallowed some of Jeff’s pee.
Now they’re having a match. And with a build like this I sorta can’t believe that it’s a one-and-done. Sheamus to win, technically tying their series 1-1 to lead to some kinda blowoff stip at Extreme Rules or maybe SummerSlam.
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