CHEAP HEAT: HARDY'S SUSPENSION COULDN'T HAVE COME AT A WORSE TIME

by Matt Loede, Let's Wrestle

With now just 17 days away from the company's biggest event of the year, plans for WrestleMania seem to be set, that is unless your one of the companies biggest stars and you just failed a drug test. Yes, the WWE was rocked this past week when it came out on Tuesday that star Jeff Hardy would be on the shelf for 60 days after failing his second drug test in eight months. The first time he failed a test came back in August, and it cost him a title shot at the IC belt at SummerSlam. Now, he'll be out for two months, and his push that could easily have led him to winning the "Money in the Bank" match at Mania is over.

Hardy had been a pleasure to watch the last few months, as he was climbing the ranks fast, and many felt that he would at some point within the next year win the WWE Title and have a run with it. Sources now say that not only will Hardy not win the WWE Title ever, but also when Hardy returns he will be destined to sit as a mid-card wrestler, likely never to get more than a run with the IC belt again. The big question here for Hardy is - why? Why would a guy getting as close to the top as he had do something so stupid? That seems to be the biggest question fans and peers want to know.

The reports out is that Hardy was NOT suspended for drugs such as steroids and HGH, meaning that whatever he was taking was for recreational use only, and not to enhance his in-ring performance. In other words, it was only to get the high. Hardy was well aware of the company policy on drugs, and getting tested was no secret since he had already been suspended once. Upon Hardy's return, he'll have one more shot to get that part of his life turned around, or he's gone for good.

The WWE made changes on their three-hour special Monday night to push Hardy out of the match at Mania he was in, as well as made him drop the IC belt in a tremendous match to Chris Jericho. Hardy will be replaced in the "Money in the Bank" match, leaving him off the biggest card of the year, and also the biggest payday of the year. His own brother Matt wrote on his MySpace page in a roundabout way about the deal and basically said his brother was unwise to do what he did. That's an understatement.

Agree or not, you have to give the WWE credit for placing such a high profile guy on the suspended list just over two weeks away from Mania. One report said that Vince McMahon could not wait to suspended a mid-level to bigger star to show the other wrestlers that he means business in this department. It should also show the media and the outside sources that slam wrestling that they are doing their best to try and police the situation.

* The company has added a few more matches to the WrestleMania 24 card for March 30th in Orlando. They announced this week a 24-man Battle Royale with the winner facing ECW Champ Chavo Guerrero later on in the evening. They also announced a match between JBL and Finaly, that bout will be a "Belfast Brawl."

* The Floyd Mayweather-Big Show match continues to get mainstream attention, this time due to the almost real riot that broke out among Mayweather's posse and a number of WWE wrestlers at ringside Monday night. Mayweather, who now is a full-fledged heel, and Show had a weigh-in, and afterwards, Show threw Mayweather from the ring onto a pile of wrestlers. A brawl then broke out between Mayweather's people and the wrestlers, and from all indications it was as true to life as you can get. There appears to be more and more tension about this match building by the day.

* Expect to see Umaga move over to SmackDown following WrestleMania to continue a feud with Batista. Word is Umaga will get a major push, and that will lead to a World Title match with Undertaker at SummerSlam, which will be in Indianapolis on August 17th.