WWE Backlash 2020 Results: Sheamus Beats Jeff Hardy As Drug Addiction Storyline Continues

Sheamus defeated Jeff Hardy at WWE Backlash as WWE continued to play up Jeff Hardy’s substance abuse issues with Michael Cole suggesting he may relapse if he loses, and Corey Graves noting Sheamus intended to Brogue Kick Jeff Hardy “back off the wagon.”

Sheamus dominated much of the match, with Jeff Hardy taking immense punishment before battling back and ultimately losing.

Jeff Hardy’s beef with Sheamus has centered around his past substance abuse issues as WWE attempts to shoot what it calls a redemption storyline. Playing off real-life issues as serious as drug addiction will always open WWE to well-deserved criticism of exploiting the dark side of the business. And as it attempts to dig itself out of a deep ratings hole, WWE’s art-imitating-life storyline has effectively—if not uncomfortably—positioned Jeff Hardy as a babyface in recovery.

After a messy crime-scene open to the May 29 broadcast of Friday Night SmackDown, Jeff Hardy insisted an individual with red hair and a red beard was the culprit behind a frame-job that made Hardy to look like he was the drunk driver behind an accident that (kayfabe) injured Elias. While all signs point to this being his chief rival Sheamus, Hardy’s claims have since led to speculation that this could all be part of a swerve with former Intercontinental champion Sami Zayn being revealed as the prime suspect.

Judging a recovering addict as part of an uncomfortable drug addiction storyline would position Sami Zayn as a dastardly heel, and positioning Zayn as a dastardly heel could be a priority for WWE for reasons beyond simply telling a story.

With the culprit still unconfirmed, this unsettling storyline, focusing on Jeff Hardy’s checkered past, figures to continue, much to the apparent chagrin of brother Matt Hardy.

With SmackDown’s pool of viable challengers quickly thinning out—as evidenced by the rare two-on-on Universal Championship match pitting Braun Strowman against The Miz and John Morrison—whoever comes out of this Jeff Hardy-Sheamus feud figures to be next in line for a shot at a Universal Championship in search of a purpose.