WWE Hell in a Cell 2020 preview: Jeff Hardy vs. Elias

Jeff Hardy vs. Elias

WWE is showing some uncharacteristic continuity when it comes to Elias’ latest return.

The oft injured Elias was written off TV earlier this year after a torn pectoral injury. The story given was that he was hit by a car in the parking lot. Jeff Hardy was initially arrested for a DUI and hit-and-run but was released when all evidence pointed to a set up. The perpetrator was probably Sheamus but that was never actually confirmed.

Elias took time to deal with his real injury while Hardy and Sheamus feuded. In case you’ve forgotten or blocked it out, this included a segment where Jeff threw his own piss in the face of the Celtic Warrior. Their story concluded in a bar room brawl that Hardy won.

Both men then went their separate ways and this story was never referenced again. That was until night two of the WWE Draft when Elias returned to attack Hardy with a guitar.

The troubadour’s goal to rival the Big Show’s heel/face turn numbers aside, this return shows continuity. It doesn’t forget that the man was recently hit by a car and the assailant is at large.

Elias isn’t just going to forget that someone ran him over. But WWE could have. Elias could have just returned in another program and the fans probably wouldn’t have thought much of it. He was written out and now he’s back. Wrestlers often get new direction when returning from injuries.

Bringing him back in connection to they way he went out gives him a ready made feud and an excuse for his newest heel turn. Because while he thinks he’s righteous, the rest of us know Jeff Hardy is innocent. And if Elias just watched the product, he’d know that’s the case too. (To be fair, numbers show a lot of people were tuning out of the product at that time.)

This probably isn’t going go further than tonight’s match, and that’s OK. It did what it needed to. While I’d prefer a scene where Elias, gripping his guitar, chases Jeff down a dam and Hardy insists he is not the guilty party before jumping hundreds of feet down into the water (a very Jeff Hardy thing to do), we can only ask for so much. The continuity here is enough.

Elias seeks unwarranted revenge against Jeff Hardy tonight at Hell in a Cell, airing on the WWE Network at 7 PM ET. Keep it here to CagesideSeats.com for all your Hell in a Cell coverage.