I know there have been 1,000's of Jeff Hardy blogs, but mine is one of the better because I was in the arena during Jeff's last match.

I had heard internet rumors that Jeff was going to retire after Summerslam, but during a Smackdown taping before Summerslam it was announced during a commercial that Jeff and Punk would go at it in a steel cage 2 days later. This made me believe that maybe the rumor wasn't true. However, when C.M. Punk made the challenge, I knew we wouldn't be seeing Jeff for a long time after.

Let's talk about Jeff Hardy's departure objectively. I am the first to say it sucks! However, I also realize he had a lot of injuries and put his body in danger constantly. The fact that he is not paralyzed is a miracle. Jeff wouldn't want us to feel sorry for him but would want us to be happy for him in all his hard work and accomplishments. There is no way he could endanger himself day after day, month after month, year after year, etc.  Jeff provided us with exiting match to the end. He was World Heavyweight Champion just days before leaving. He was a 3 time World Heavyweight Champion. Most importantly he was appreciated and respected by his peers and us, his fans. When Punk escaped the cage which was expected still came as a shock. There was a stunned silence even though we were expecting him to lose. As Jeff rose to his feet after the match I can honestly say that I was the first person in my section who chanted "Hardy, Hardy, Hardy!". Jeff addressed us saying goodbye, but not forever. It will be a long time before we see Jeff again, but I believe we will some day. He has taken time off before. From watching WWE for the last 23 years I can say that no single wrestler is bigger than the business. I remember when it was difficult to picture WWE without Hogan or Austin, and WWE has done just fine. That being said, it will always be one of my biggest memories to be in the arena when Jeff wrestled the last match of this particular chapter of his WWE career.