Matt, Dan, and myself all attended the New York Comic Con this year. We were fortunate enough to go as “publicity assistants” through one of Matt’s connections. I started off bright and early…well, not so bright. It was still dark out when I got up at 5:00 am. I left my apartment and headed to Hanson to pick up Matt, then we were off to Brockton to get Dan. From there, we were New York bound. The trip itself wasn’t bad aside from the usual Connecticut traffic and some difficulty finding the hotel and the parking garage.

After we checked in, it was only a short 6-block walk to the convention hall. We started off walking in the wrong direction, quickly turned around, and by around 1:30 pm we were at NY Comic Con! The show floor was quite busy so after processing the enormity of it all, we headed to the Grand Theft Auto booth and grabbed some free bags and shirts. From there it was one booth after the other. Everything from comics to movies to video games could be found. Every now and then we had to nudge each other and have a “Hey, check that out!” moment. It was usually either something cool to see, or someone’s ridiculous costume that was too horrible to miss. Read more »

My favorite wrestler of all-time, Jeff Hardy, has just re-signed with WWE. My excitement knows no bounds.

From WWE.com:

After spending three years combating his personal demons, a refocused and rehabilitated Jeff Hardy is prepared to return to the place where he began his career as a teenager.

WWE.com has learned that WWE officials have rehired former Superstar Jeff Hardy, more than three years after his release from the company.

For this unique athlete, it has been a turbulent, arduous road back to WWE. In 2003, just as Hardy began to make his ascent to the top of World Wrestling Entertainment, he came crashing down, reportedly because of a drug dependency.

After showing up late for several WWE events and demonstrating a deterioration in his in-ring performance, Hardys last match in WWE was on March 24, 2003. In May of that year, after refusing to go into drug rehabilitation, Hardy was subsequently released from WWE.

In 1993, at the age of 16, Jeff and his brother Matt, 19, started working for WWE, wrestling against contracted WWE Superstars. It wasn’t until 1998 that the brothers were given full-time WWE deals. That year, the Hardy Boyz almost instantly became top-tier contenders in WWE’s tag team division.

Both talented risk-takers with dynamic in-ring chemistry, the Hardyz revolutionized sports-entertainment, employing wild aerial maneuvers that did damage to both their opponents and themselves. Capturing both the WWE and WCW Tag Team Championships, the Hardyz made their strongest impact in their epic Tables, Ladders and Chairs Matches with the Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian.

Shortly after the WWE brand extension in 2002, Matt and Jeff were split apart and Jeff found success as a singles star on RAW. After the split, Hardy began to display his most unorthodox side, adding uniquely colored body paint to his ever-changing hair color.

Perhaps the highlight of his singles career was his Ladder Match with Undertaker for the WWE Championship in July 2002. In a match that no one believed Hardy could win, Jeff brought his abilities to a higher level unlike anyone had ever seen in him before. That night, Jeff did not walk out as WWE Champion, but he earned the respect of not only The Phenom, but of all who watched the contest. People started to acknowledge Hardys true talent a talent that was curtailed and snuffed out due to his addiction.

Holding a number of championships, Hardy was en route to reaching the summit of his sports-entertainment career until it all came to an abrupt end due to his erratic behavior and drug use.

Overcoming addiction is arguably the greatest victory of Hardys life. And as a renewed Jeff Hardy prepares to reintroduce himself to WWE fans, one can only expect Hardy to earn his greatest career victories and even larger triumphs when he makes his long-awaited return home.