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By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Jeff Hardy was recently at the top of his game as one of the top babyfaces in pro wrestling. He left WWE after completing one of the hottest babyface runs since John Cena's star-making run from 2005-2006.

News of Hardy suddenly crashing down to being arrested, jailed, and accused of drug trafficking barely two weeks after his farewell would be a shock to any fan. A fall from that high of a peak would hurt anyone who supported Jeff financially or emotionally.

We ran a guest editorial from Torch reader Nick Vincent early this morning taking a very harsh, but necessary look at the circumstances surrounding Jeff Hardy. We received heartfelt and passionate feedback from Hardy fans who were understandably upset at the sheer thought of Hardy possibly being next on The List.

No one is wishing that Jeff Hardy dies. Nick Vincent did not say in his editorial he wants Hardy to die. Quite the opposite. Nick, along with the rest of us who have covered the pro wrestling business for a day or 25 years, want to see Hardy healthy and not added to the long list of dead wrestlers before the age of 45-years-old.

Taking a step back from the breaking news on Hardy, I went back to January and February 2008. Hardy was at the peak of his first major babyface run and lost a WWE Title match to Randy Orton at the January 2008 Royal Rumble PPV.

Hardy fans were outraged he didn't win that night, but it was evident there was a darn good reason why. Hardy was suspended in February 2008 for a Wellness Policy violation. He missed WrestleMania 24 - one of the biggest paydays of the year.

It was clear WWE made the right call not putting the belt on Hardy despite the celebrity idol worship that dictated putting the belt on one of WWE's hottest babyfaces.

Two days before the Rumble '08, he told Kevin Eck of the Baltimore Sun: "I know I've got herniated discs in my neck and my back, which isn't extremely serious - they could lead to being serious. I've got [bone] chips in my elbows. I can't wrestle a match without getting my ankles taped because they feel like they'll shatter on me."

Nearly two years later, it appears we have reached that serious point. Is Hardy depending more and more on painkillers to wake up and move around? Since the time he returned to WWE in spring 2008 following his second strike, how many more bumps, falls, and dives has he taken? And how many of those highspots have been celebrated while Hardy has been hurting more and more and more?

It could very well be that the exceedingly high number of pills found in Hardy's home were all for him. It could be that he's on the "Kurt Angle in WWE 2006" medication plan of popping darn near a full bottle of prescription pills a day. He's built up enough tolerance over time to where medicating pain would require a large dosage.

The problem with celebrity idol worship is that the audience only sees the character on TV. No one sees the pain a wrestler endures the day after a show or when they can't go to sleep at night because every joint hurts.

The feedback we've received has been related to the "entertainment provided" by Hardy. That's the problem with celebrity idol worship. People find value in the individual based on the entertainment he or she provides, not on the individual's merit away from the cameras.

People coming to Jeff Hardy's defense need to realize this is a serious matter. Whether it's because Hardy was legit drug trafficking or because he just needed that much medication to provide the entertainment he provided, there is major cause for concern.

The Hardy Bust could be the best thing that ever happened to him if the public is made aware (again) of his health concerns when the red light is off and his closest friends and family continue to support him. No one wants to see Hardy next on The List.

Something has to be done to prevent him from one day not waking up because his body can't take the stress of medicating for all of the bumps and bruises he endured to provide entertainment for fans who are caught in the celebrity idol worship trap.

Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.

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