Jeff Hardy
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Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American
professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
and
musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...
. He is currently signed to
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE. AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, w ...
(AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded as one of the most daring high flyers and risktakers throughout his career. Together with his brother
Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team ...
, the tag team
The Hardy Boyz The Hardys, also known as The Hardy Boyz, are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Shoot (professional wrestling), real-life brothers Matt Hardy, Matt and Jeff Hardy, who are currently appearing in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). ...
are widely regarded as one of the major teams that revived tag team wrestling during the
Attitude Era The Attitude Era was a term used by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE) to describe the company's programming from November 9, 1997 to May 6, 2002. It started during the Monday Night Wars, a ...
and one of the greatest tag teams in professional wrestling history. Born and raised in
Cameron, North Carolina Cameron is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 359 at the 2020 census. History Cameron grew up around a plank road that was followed in later years by a railroad. The town was planned in 1875 and incorporated ...
, Hardy started his career as a youth performing in the Trampoline Wrestling Federation, which he started alongside his brother Matt Hardy. Eventually, that would transition into the Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA) as they became older. As a tag team, the Hardy Boyz worked as enhancement talents for the
World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
(WWF) from 1994, and were signed to full-time contracts in 1998. They gained notoriety in the
tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
division, partly due to their participation in Tables, Ladders and Chairs matches. With the addition of Lita, the team became known as Team Xtreme and continued to rise in popularity. After splitting up as a team in 2002, Jeff's popularity as a singles wrestler began to grow. However, the brothers still teamed up sporadically in the years afterward, and together they have held twenty-one
world tag team championship The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championship (professional wrestling), championships in professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotions, promotions. Nomenclature The name of the promo ...
s between WWE, TNA, ROH and other promotions. Hardy has had great success in his singles career, capturing his first of six
world championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
, the
WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...
in 2008 and going on to hold WWE's World Heavyweight Championship twice and the
TNA World Heavyweight Championship The Impact World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via the result o ...
three times. Within WWF/WWE, he has also won the Intercontinental Championship five times, the Hardcore Championship three times and the
European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
,
Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...
, and United States Championships once each. Having won the required championships, he is the 18th Triple Crown Champion and 9th Grand Slam Champion in WWE history (one of five men to complete both WWE Grand Slam formats, and one of two to win all original Grand Slam titles). He has headlined numerous
pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
events for
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
and TNA, including TNA's flagship event, Bound for Glory, on two occasions. Readers of ''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...
'' named him " Most Popular Wrestler of the Year" on two occasions. Hardy is involved in
motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...
, music, painting and other artistic endeavors. He is currently a member of the band
PeroxWhy?Gen PeroxWhy?Gen (pronounced ''peroxygen'') is an American rock band from North Carolina started by professional wrestlers Jeff Hardy and Shannon Moore. Then members of the metal band Burnside 6 joined the band, but later left except for Junior Merri ...
, with whom he tours and has released three studio albums and four extended plays. In 2003, Hardy, along with his brother Matt, co-wrote an autobiographical book of memoirs titled ''The Hardy Boyz''. Their book was a New York Times Best Seller.


Early life

Jeff Nero Hardy is the son of Gilbert and Ruby Moore Hardy, and the younger brother of
Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team ...
. Their mother died of
brain cancer A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondar ...
in 1987, when Jeff Hardy was nine. He developed an interest in motocross at age 12 and got his first bike, a Yamaha YZ-80. Hardy, Hardy, and Krugman: p. 11. He had his first race when he was in
ninth grade Ninth grade, freshman year, or grade 9 is the ninth year of school education in some school systems. Ninth grade is often the first school year of secondary school, high school in the United States, or the last year of middle school#United States ...
. Hardy, Hardy, and Krugman: p. 12. Hardy played baseball when he was young, but had to stop after he crashed during a motocross race, injuring his arm. He also played
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
during high school as a fullback and
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
. He briefly competed in
amateur wrestling Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced in collegiate, school, or other amateur level competitions. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games: freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both styles are under the ...
in high school. He had to stop playing football in high school, after he was ordered to pick between
professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
and football, and he chose wrestling. Hardy's favorite subjects in school were U.S. history and art, which he did for extra credit.


Professional wrestling career


Early career (1992–1998)

Hardy, along with his brother Matt and friends, started their own federation, the Trampoline Wrestling Federation (TWF) and mimicked the moves they saw on television. Later on, the TWF went under several names, eventually being integrated into a county fair in
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
. The brothers and their friends then began to work for other independent companies. They drove all over the East Coast of the United States, working for companies such as ACW and other small promotions. Before arriving in the WWF, Jeff and Matt formed their own
wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails manag ...
, the Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA) with Thomas Simpson. The promotion was a more successful version of the original TWF and included talent such as both Hardy brothers,
Shannon Moore Shannon Moore (born July 27, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1999 and 2001 and with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for several years in the 2000s. H ...
,
Gregory Helms Gregory Shane Helms (born July 12, 1974) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is currently signed with WWE under a legends contract, as a wrestler and as a backstage producer. In WWE, Helms has wrestled as The Hurrican ...
,
Joey Matthews Adam Birch (born July 18, 1979), better known by the ring names Joey Mercury and Joey Matthews, is an American professional wrestler who is best known for his two tenures in WWE. Birch was most recently signed to Ring of Honor, where he worked ...
, and
Steve Corino Steven Eugene "Steve" Corino (born May 29, 1973) is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler currently signed with WWE as a trainer and producer for their developmental territory NXT. He is best known for his tenure with Extreme Championship ...
, among others. In OMEGA, each of the brothers portrayed several characters; Hardy portrayed such characters as Willow the Wisp, Iceman, Mean Jimmy Jack Tomkins, and The Masked Mountain. While there, Hardy held the New Frontier Championship (NFC) as a singles competitor and the Tag Team Championship with Matt. The promotion folded in April 1998 when they signed contracts with the WWF.


World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment


Early years (1994–1997)

Hardy cites
Hulk Hogan Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...
,
The Ultimate Warrior Warrior (born James Brian Hellwig; June 16, 1959 – April 8, 2014) was an American professional wrestler and bodybuilder. Best known by his ring name The Ultimate Warrior, he wrestled for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) from 198 ...
, Sting, and Shawn Michaels as his childhood inspirations to wrestle. He started on
World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
(WWF) television as a
jobber Jobber may refer to: Athletics * Job (professional wrestling) - A professional wrestler who routinely loses a match. * Wichita Jobbers, a minor league baseball team in the Western Association from 1905 to 1911 Commerce * A person or corporation ...
—a wrestler who consistently loses to make his opponents look stronger. His first WWF match was against
Razor Ramon Scott Oliver Hall (October 20, 1958 – March 14, 2022) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his tenures with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under his real name and under the ring name the Diamond Studd and with the ...
on May 23, 1994 in
Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...
, with
Randy Savage Randall Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestl ...
mentioning on commentary, "Welcome to the big time". His ringname that night, Keith Davis, was the name of Razor's scheduled jobber, who backed out on short notice.
Gary Sabaugh Gary Sabaugh (born October 24, 1957) is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, The Italian Stallion, who has competed in North American independent promotions throughout the 1980s and 1990s including stints in ...
, who had brought Hardy in a group along with Davis, suggested him to agent
Tony Garea Anthony Gareljich (born 20 September 1946) is a New Zealand retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Tony Garea. He is best known for his appearances in the United States with the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestl ...
, who agreed after Hardy claimed he was 18 (he was in fact, only 16). The next day, he wrestled under his real name against The 1–2–3 Kid, and the match aired on the June 25 episode of '' Superstars''. He occasionally wrestled as a jobber as late as 1997 (including a match against
Rob Van Dam Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
during the
ECW ECW may refer to: Professional wrestling * Extreme Championship Wrestling (originally Eastern Championship Wrestling), a professional wrestling promotion that operated from 1992 to 2001 * The Alliance (professional wrestling) (originally the WCW/E ...
"invasion" storyline that had Hardy billed as being from
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
instead of
Cameron, North Carolina Cameron is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 359 at the 2020 census. History Cameron grew up around a plank road that was followed in later years by a railroad. The town was planned in 1875 and incorporated ...
) before beginning his first major run in 1998.


The Hardy Boyz (1998–2002)

The Hardy brothers eventually caught the eyes of the
World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
(WWF). After being signed to a contract in 1998, they were trained by
Dory Funk Jr. Dorrance Earnest Funk (born February 3, 1941), known professionally as Dory Funk Jr., is an American retired professional wrestler and wrestling trainer. The son of Dory Funk (Dorrance Wilhelm Funk) and brother of Terry Funk, he was the promoter ...
in his Funkin' Dojo with other notable wrestlers such as
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former Collegiate wrestling, ...
,
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
,
Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
, and
A-Train is a series of business simulation video games developed and published by Japanese game developer Artdink in Japan. The first game in the series was published in 1985. The first release in the United States was ''Take the A-Train II'', published ...
. When the team was finally brought up to WWF television, after months of " jobbing" and live events, they then formed the acrobatic tag team called the Hardy Boyz. While feuding with
The Brood ''The Brood'' is a 1979 Canadian psychological body horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring Oliver Reed, Samantha Eggar, and Art Hindle. Its plot follows a man and his mentally ill ex-wife, who has been sequestered b ...
in mid-1999, they added Michael Hayes as their
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...
. On July 5, they won their first
WWF Tag Team Championship The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the promotion's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then- ...
by defeating
the Acolytes The Acolytes Protection Agency (APA) was an American professional wrestling tag team who consisted of Bradshaw (John Layfield) and Faarooq (Ron Simmons). They wrestled for the American promotion World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) b ...
, but lost it back to them a month later. After the dissolution of the Brood, the Hardys joined forces with Gangrel as The New Brood and feuded with
Edge and Christian Edge & Christian (E&C) were a Canadian professional wrestling tag team. They are best known for their time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), later renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where they won the WWF Tag Team Championship on ...
. This
stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...
did not last long, however, and on October 17, 1999 at No Mercy, the Hardy Boyz won the managerial services of
Terri Runnels Terri Lynne Boatright Runnels A transcript of the article can be found a (born October 5, 1966) is an American retired professional wrestling manager, television host, and professional wrestler. Runnels began her professional wrestling career i ...
in the finals of the Terri Invitational Tournament in the WWF's first ever tag team ladder match against Edge and Christian. They competed in the first ever tag team triple threat ladder match against
The Dudley Boyz The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team that consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley (Mark LoMonaco) and D-Von Dudley (Devon Hughes). The team was also joined by various Dudley family me ...
, and Edge & Christian at
WrestleMania 2000 WrestleMania 2000 (sequentially known as WrestleMania 16) was the 16th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on April 2, 2000, at the Arrowh ...
, in which Edge & Christian won. During the match, Hardy performed a Swanton Bomb to Bubba Ray Dudley off a 20-foot ladder. In 2000, the Hardy Boyz found a new manager in their real-life friend Lita. Together, the three became known as " Team Xtreme". They continued their feud with Edge and Christian throughout 2000, defeating them for the WWF Tag Team Championship on two occasions. At
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
, the Hardy Boyz competed in perhaps the most physically demanding type of match they had competed in thus far- the first ever Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match (TLC match)- in their hometown of
Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
, for the Tag Team Championship against the
Dudley Boyz The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team that consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley (Mark LoMonaco) and D-Von Dudley (Devon Hughes). The team was also joined by various Dudley family me ...
and Edge & Christian, but were unsuccessful. The second TLC match at Wrestlemania 17 in
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, which is regarded as one of the greatest matches in WWE history they faced off once again against Edge & Christian and the Dudley Boyz but lost to the former. Hardy gained attention for his high risk stunts in the TLC matches, such as doing Swanton Bomb frontflips off of the top steps of 10 and 20 foot high ladders, making a name for himself as one of the most seemingly reckless and unorthodox WWF performers of his time. In 2001, Hardy received a
push Push may refer to: Music * Mike Dierickx (born 1973), a Belgian producer also known as Push Albums * ''Push'' (Bros album), 1988 * ''Push'' (Gruntruck album), 1992 * ''Push'' (Jacky Terrasson album), 2010 Songs * "Push" (Enrique Iglesias s ...
as a singles competitor, and he held the
Intercontinental Intercontinental is an adjective to describe something which relates to more than one continent. Intercontinental may also refer to: * Intercontinental ballistic missile, a long-range guided ballistic missile * InterContinental Hotels Group (IH ...
(defeating
Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as on ...
),
Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...
(defeating
Jerry Lynn Jeremy Lynn (born June 12, 1963), better known by the ring name Jerry Lynn, is an American retired professional wrestler currently signed with All Elite Wrestling as a producer and coach. He has worked for promotions such as World Championship ...
) and Hardcore Championships (defeating
Mike Awesome Michael Lee Alfonso (January 24, 1965 – February 17, 2007) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances with the American professional wrestling promotions Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestl ...
and Van Dam on two occasions). At the end of 2001, the Hardys began a storyline in which they began to fight, which led to Matt demanding a match at Vengeance, with Lita as the special guest referee. After Hardy beat Matt by pinfall at Vengeance, while Matt's foot was on the ropes, Hardy and Lita began feuding against Matt. In the middle of the feud, however, Hardy faced
The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majority ...
in a Hardcore Championship match and lost. After the match, The Undertaker was scripted to attack both Hardy and Lita, injuring them. On the next episode of '' SmackDown!'', The Undertaker attacked Matt as well, also injuring him, in storyline. The Hardys and Lita were not seen again until the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle roya ...
, because WWF did not have another storyline for their characters. The Hardys later came back as a team, and there was never any mention of their previous storyline split. In early April 2002, the Hardy Boyz began a feud with
Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...
after Lesnar gave Matt an F-5 on the steel entrance ramp, which led to an angered Hardy seeking revenge on Lesnar. At
Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character * ''Backla ...
, Hardy faced-off against Lesnar in Lesnar's first televised match. Lesnar dominated Hardy and won the match by knockout. Lesnar and the Hardys continued to feud over the next few weeks, with the Hardys coming out victorious only once by disqualification. At
Judgment Day The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...
, Lesnar gained the upper hand on the Hardy Boyz before tagging his partner,
Paul Heyman Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former promoter, photographer, and executive. He is currently signed to WWE, appearing on the SmackDown brand as manager for Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweig ...
, in to claim the win for the team. In July 2002, Hardy won his third Hardcore Championship by defeating Bradshaw.


Singles championship reigns and departure (2002–2003)

After years in the tag team division, Hardy took on
The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majority ...
in a ladder match for the WWE Undisputed Championship. Hardy came up short in the intense match, but earned The Undertaker's respect when he displayed courage by attempting to rise to his feet after the bout and challenge The Undertaker to continue. Hardy competed for singles titles on several occasions and defeated
William Regal Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is known for his over 20 years spent in WWE, as both a performer and an on-screen authority, and for his ti ...
for the European Championship. Hardy was defeated a few weeks later by
Rob Van Dam Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
in a ladder match to unify the European Championship and the Intercontinental Championship, and the European Championship was retired. Finally, the Hardy Boyz split apart, as Hardy continued to pursue his singles ambitions on
Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
and his brother, Matt left Raw for his own singles pursuits signing with Stephanie McMahon's SmackDown! brand. On Raw, Hardy would compete in WWE's Hardcore division until the title's unification with the Intercontinental Championship. In late 2002, Hardy had been teaming with Rob Van Dam and Bubba Ray Dudley. He along with Bubba Ray and
Spike Dudley Matthew Jonathan Hyson (born August 13, 1970) is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Spike Dudley. Prior to WWE, Hyson began performing as Spike Dudley in the 1990s with E ...
defeated
3-Minute Warning 3-Minute Warning was an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of cousins Matt Anoa'i and Eddie Fatu, most notable for their time with WWF/E under their ring names of Rosey and Jamal, respectively. As they were the members of the ...
at
Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...
in a six-man tag team elimination tables match. In January 2003, Hardy briefly turned into a
heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower Human leg, leg. Structure To distribute the compressive for ...
(villain) after he attacked Van Dam and Shawn Michaels. It ended a month later when he saved
Stacy Keibler Stacy Ann-Marie Keibler (born October 14, 1979) is an American retired professional wrestler and actress, former cheerleader, dancer, and model. She is specifically known for her work with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling E ...
from an attack by then-villain,
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
. In February, he had a brief program with Michaels, which saw the two team up. Then, in storyline, Hardy began dating
Trish Stratus Patricia Anne Stratigeas (; born December 18, 1975) better known by the ring name Trish Stratus is a Canadian professional wrestler, actress and yoga instructor. She is currently signed to WWE. Often regarded as one of the greatest Women's Per ...
after saving her from Steven Richards and
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
in March. Hardy and Stratus had a brief on-screen relationship that saw the duo talking backstage and teaming together in matches. Hardy competed in his final match (his first departure) against The Rock and lost. Hardy was released from WWE on April 22, 2003. The reasons given for the release were Hardy's erratic behavior, drug use, refusal to go to rehab, deteriorating ring performance, as well as constant tardiness and no-showing events. Hardy also cites "burn out" and the need for time off as reasons for leaving WWE.


Independent circuit and Ring of Honor (2003)

On May 24, 2003, Hardy made his first wrestling appearance after being released by WWE during a show for the promotion OMEGA. There, he used his old gimmick, "Willow the Wisp", and challenged Krazy K in a match for the OMEGA Cruiserweight Championship, in which he was defeated. This same year, he also appeared on
Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...
(ROH) at the event ''Death Before Dishonour'', once again as "Willow the Wisp", wearing a mask and a trench coat. As Willow, he participated in a triple-threat match against
Joey Matthews Adam Birch (born July 18, 1979), better known by the ring names Joey Mercury and Joey Matthews, is an American professional wrestler who is best known for his two tenures in WWE. Birch was most recently signed to Ring of Honor, where he worked ...
and Krazy K, having the victory and during the which he was quickly unmasked and lost his jacket, being left in an attire similar to the one he wore in WWE. Because of this, he was booed before, during, and after the match by the ROH audience, who chanted "We want Matt!" and "You got fired!".


Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2004–2006)

Hardy debuted in
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
(TNA) on June 23, 2004, at the ''Second Anniversary Show'', in a match against
A.J. Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
, for the
TNA X Division Championship The Impact X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It debuted on June 19, 2002, at the taping of then-TNA's second weekly pay-per-view (PPV) event. The current champion is Trey ...
. He also debuted his new entrance theme "Modest", a song performed by Hardy himself, and a new nickname, "The Charismatic Enigma". The match ended in a no contest when
Kid Kash David Tyler Cash (born July 31, 1969) better known by his ring name Kid Kash, is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, best known for his tenures with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Impact Wrestling, Total Nonstop A ...
and
Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
interfered. Hardy returned to TNA on July 21 and was awarded a shot at the
NWA World Heavyweight Championship The NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship is a world heavyweight professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), an American professional wrestling promotion. The current champion is Tyrus, who is i ...
. Hardy challenged for the title on September 8, losing to NWA World Heavyweight Champion
Jeff Jarrett Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett (born July 14, 1967) is an American professional wrestler and promoter. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he also serves as Director of Business Development. Beginning his career in his father J ...
. In October 2004, he won a tournament, earning a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on November 7 at Victory Road, TNA's first monthly pay-per-view. Hardy was defeated by Jarrett once again in a ladder match at Victory Road following interference from
Kevin Nash Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he performed under his r ...
and Scott Hall. One month later at
Turning Point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...
, Hardy, Styles and
Randy Savage Randall Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestl ...
defeated Jarrett, Hall and Nash (collectively known as the Kings of Wrestling). Hardy went on to defeat Hall in a singles match, substituting for
Héctor Garza Héctor Solano Segura (June 12, 1969 – May 26, 2013) was a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Héctor Garza. During his career he worked for various major Mexican professional wrestling promotions such as Consejo Mu ...
at
Final Resolution Final Resolution is a professional wrestling Impact Plus event held by Impact Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to Decem ...
on January 16, 2005. At Against All Odds in February 2005, Hardy lost to
Abyss Abyss may refer to: * Abyss (religion), a bottomless pit, or a passage to the underworld Film and television * ''The Abyss'' (1910 film), a Danish silent film starring Asta Nielsen * ''The Abyss'' (1988 film) (''L'Œuvre au noir''), a French- ...
in a "Full Metal Mayhem" match for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Hardy returned the favor by defeating Abyss in a
Falls Count Anywhere match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
at
Destination X Destination X is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event held by Impact Wrestling currently in the month of August. The event primarily revolves around the X-Division, the 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2010 events had Ultimate X matches. It w ...
in March. On March 25, 2005, Hardy teamed with Shocker defeating David Young and Lex Lovett. Hardy then went on to feud with Raven, Hardy defeated Raven in a Six sides of steel match at
Lockdown A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...
in April. Hardy was suspended from TNA after no-showing his "Clockwork Orange House of Fun" rematch with Raven at
Hard Justice Hardcore Justice, originally known as Hard Justice, is an annual professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind use ...
on May 15, allegedly due to travel difficulties. Hardy's suspension was lifted on August 5, and he returned at
Sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exi ...
approximately a week later, attacking Jeff Jarrett. He wrestled his first TNA match in four months at
Unbreakable Unbreakable may refer to: * '' Unbreakable: My Story, My Way'', a book written by Jenni Rivera * Unbreakable (horse) (1935–1962), a Thoroughbred racehorse and sire Film and television * ''Unbreakable'' (film series), a trilogy directed by M ...
on September 11, losing to Bobby Roode following interference from Jarrett. Throughout October 2005, Hardy became embroiled in a feud with Abyss,
Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
and Sabu. The four-way feud culminated in a
Monster's Ball match A Monster's Ball match is a professional wrestling, hardcore match staged by Impact Wrestling. Originally, the key premise of the match was that all contenders were sequestered alone in a locked room without light, food, or water for 24 hours befo ...
at Bound for Glory on October 23, which Rhino won after delivering a second rope Rhino Driver to Hardy. In the course of the match, Hardy delivered a Swanton Bomb to Abyss from a height of approximately . Later that night, Hardy competed in a ten-man
battle royal Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...
for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, which Rhino also won. At
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
in November, Hardy lost to
Monty Brown Montaque "Monty" Brown (born April 13, 1970) is an American retired professional wrestler and NFL linebacker. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) where he wrestled under his real n ...
in another number one contender match. Hardy was scheduled to wrestle on the pre-show of
Turning Point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...
in December 2005, but once again no-showed the event, again citing traveling problems. Hardy was suspended as a result and did not appear on TNA television again. In March, April, and May 2006, Hardy appeared on several live events promoted by TNA in conjunction with
Dave Hebner David Hebner (May 17, 1949 – June 17, 2022) was an American professional wrestling authority figure, promoter, road agent, and referee. He was the identical twin brother of Earl Hebner. Career Hebner debuted as a professional wrestling refe ...
and the United Wrestling Federation. Hardy was later released from his TNA contract in June 2006.


Return to WWE


The Hardy Boyz reunion (2006–2007)

On August 4, 2006, WWE announced that Hardy had re-signed with the company. In the following weeks,
vignettes Vignette may refer to: * Vignette (entertainment), a sketch in a sketch comedy * Vignette (graphic design), decorative designs in books (originally in the form of leaves and vines) to separate sections or chapters * Vignette (literature), short, i ...
aired hyping his return on the August 21 episode of ''Raw''. On the day of his return, Hardy confronted then
WWE Champion The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDow ...
Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
, before an altercation between the two that ended when Lita pulled Edge out of the ring, preventing Hardy from delivering a Swanton Bomb. After failing to capture the Intercontinental Championship from Johnny Nitro over the next few weeks, including at
Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American Revisionist Western film starring, directed, and produced by Clint Eastwood, and written by David Webb Peoples. The film tells the story of William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job, ...
, Hardy finally defeated Nitro to win his second Intercontinental Championship on the October 2 episode of ''Raw''. On the November 6 episode of ''Raw'', Hardy lost the Intercontinental Championship back to Nitro, after Nitro hit him with the Intercontinental Championship title belt. One week later, Hardy regained it on the November 13 episode of ''Raw'', with a crucifix pin. This marked Hardy's third reign as Intercontinental Champion. On the November 21 episode of ''
ECW ECW may refer to: Professional wrestling * Extreme Championship Wrestling (originally Eastern Championship Wrestling), a professional wrestling promotion that operated from 1992 to 2001 * The Alliance (professional wrestling) (originally the WCW/E ...
'', Hardy teamed with his brother, Matt, for the first time in four years to defeat
The Full Blooded Italians The Full Blooded Italians (or F.B.I.) are an American professional wrestling stable and tag team that wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from the mid-1990s to early-2000s and for World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE) during the mid- ...
. At
Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...
, they both were a part of Team
D-Generation X D-Generation X (DX) is an American professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable, and later a tag team, who consisted of Triple H and Shawn Michaels. The group originated in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF ...
, which gained the victory over Team Rated-RKO with a clean sweep. The brothers then received their first opportunity since Hardy's return to win a tag team championship at
Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...
. They competed in a four-team ladder match for the
WWE Tag Team Championship WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...
, but they came up short in their attempt. In the course of the match, however, they inadvertently legitimately injured
Joey Mercury Adam Birch (born July 18, 1979), better known by the ring names Joey Mercury and Joey Matthews, is an American professional wrestler who is best known for his two tenures in WWE. Birch was most recently signed to Ring of Honor, where he worke ...
's face. With Hardy still feuding with Johnny Nitro and the other members of MNM into 2007, he was challenged once again by Nitro at New Year's Revolution in a
steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
for the Intercontinental Championship. Hardy once again defeated Nitro. Hardy then teamed with Matt to defeat MNM at both the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle roya ...
and No Way Out pay-per-views. The next night on the February 19 episode of ''Raw'', Hardy lost the Intercontinental Championship to Umaga. In April 2007, Hardy competed in the
Money in the Bank ladder match The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First contested at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate Money in the Bank pay-per-view was established ...
at
WrestleMania 23 WrestleMania 23 was the 23rd annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW brand divisions. The event ...
. During the match, Matt threw Edge onto a ladder and encouraged Hardy, who was close to the winning briefcase, to finish Edge off. Hardy then leaped off the ladder, drove Edge through the ladder with a
leg drop A leg drop or legdrop refers to an attack used in professional wrestling in which an attacking wrestler will jump and land his leg across a fallen opponent's chest, throat, face or head or in some cases, the groin/lower-abdominal area. The mov ...
, injuring both Edge and himself. The two were unable to continue the match and were removed from ringside on stretchers. The night after WrestleMania on the April 2 episode of ''Raw'', the Hardys competed in a 10-team battle royal for the
World Tag Team Championship The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championship (professional wrestling), championships in professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotions, promotions. Nomenclature The name of the promo ...
. They won the titles from then WWE Champion
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied w ...
and Shawn Michaels by last eliminating
Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch were an American professional wrestling tag team most famous for the time they spent performing for World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw brand. The team debuted on the September 5, 2005 episode of '' Raw'' and in the ...
. They then began a feud with Cade and Murdoch, with the Hardys retaining the Championship in their first title defense against them at
Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character * ''Backla ...
and again at
Judgment Day The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...
. The Hardys then defended their titles against
The World's Greatest Tag Team The World's Greatest Tag Team was an American professional wrestling tag team, which also used the name Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team. The team consisted of Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin. Originally formed in World Wrestling Entertainment ( W ...
in a Ladder match at
One Night Stand A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...
. However, the next night on ''Raw'', the Hardys lost the titles to Cade and Murdoch, competing through injuries sustained in their previous night's ladder match. The Hardys earned a rematch at Vengeance: Night of Champions but were defeated.


Intercontinental Champion (2007–2008)

In the midst of feuding with Umaga, who defeated Hardy at
The Great American Bash The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event currently produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. Created by Dusty Rhodes, the event was established in 1985 and was originally produced by the National Wr ...
to retain the Intercontinental Championship in late July, Hardy was abruptly taken off WWE programming. He posted on his own website and in the forums of TheHardyShow.com that it was time off to heal, stemming from a bad fall taken in a match against
Mr. Kennedy Kenneth Anderson (born March 6, 1976) is an American professional wrestler. Anderson is known for his tenure with WWE from 2005 to 2009 under the ring name Mr. Kennedy, and his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as Mr. Anderson from 2010 to 2 ...
on the July 23 episode of ''Raw''. He made his return on the August 27 episode of ''Raw'', defeating Kennedy by disqualification after Umaga interfered. The following week, on the September 3 episode of ''Raw'', Hardy captured his fourth Intercontinental Championship by defeating Umaga. This was the start of a push for Hardy, and at
Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...
, Hardy and Triple H were the last two men remaining to win the traditional
elimination match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...
. Hardy began an on and off tag team with Triple H, which eventually led to a respectful feud between the two. The rivalry continued at
Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...
, when Hardy defeated Triple H to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship at the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle roya ...
. In the weeks leading up to the Royal Rumble, Hardy and Randy Orton engaged in a personal feud, which began when Orton kicked Hardy's brother, Matt, in the head in the storyline on the December 31 episode of ''Raw''. Hardy, in retaliation, performed a Swanton Bomb on Orton from the top of the Raw set on the January 14 episode of ''Raw'' and seemed to have all the momentum after coming out on top in their encounters. Hardy, however, lost the title match at the Royal Rumble, but was named as one of six men to compete in the Raw Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out, where he survived to the final two before being eliminated by the eventual winner, Triple H. During the March 3 episode of ''Raw'', Hardy appeared on
Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jeri ...
's "
Highlight Reel Highlight film is a video synopsis of an athletic team's entire season, especially one produced about such a team in the United States. The practice of teams producing highlight films appears to have emerged gradually during the 1970s; a particu ...
" segment as a special guest, but ended up attacking Jericho. This led to an Intercontinental title match on the following ''Raw'' where Hardy dropped the title to Jericho. Off-screen, Hardy dropped the title after he was suspended for sixty days, as of March 11, for his second violation of the company's Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy. Hardy was also removed from the Money in the Bank ladder match at
WrestleMania XXIV WrestleMania XXIV was the 24th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brand divisions. The ev ...
in which he was booked to win after the suspension was announced. Hardy returned on the May 12 episode of ''Raw'', defeating Umaga. This reignited the rivalry between the two, and they met in a Falls Count Anywhere match at
One Night Stand A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...
, which Hardy won.


World Championship Reigns and departure (2008–2009)

On June 23, 2008, Hardy was drafted to the SmackDown brand as a part of the 2008 WWE draft. Hardy made his debut for the brand on the July 4 episode of ''SmackDown'', defeating John Morrison. Hardy participated in the WWE Championship Scramble match at
Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American Revisionist Western film starring, directed, and produced by Clint Eastwood, and written by David Webb Peoples. The film tells the story of William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job, ...
and also challenged for the championship at No Mercy and
Cyber Sunday WWE Cyber Sunday (originally known as WWE Taboo Tuesday) was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. Established in 2004, ...
, but failed to win each time. He was originally scheduled to be in the WWE Championship match at
Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...
, but, in storyline, was found unconscious in his hotel stairwell, allowing the returning Edge to replace him in the match and win the title. At
Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...
, Hardy defeated Edge and Triple H in a triple threat match to capture the WWE Championship, his first
world championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
. In January 2009, Hardy's next storyline led to his involvement in scripted accidents, including a hit-and-run automobile accident and an accident involving his ring entrance
pyrotechnics Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating such things as fireworks, safety matches, oxygen candles, explosive bolts and other fasteners, parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, quarrying, and demolition. ...
. At the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle roya ...
, Hardy lost the WWE Championship to Edge after Hardy's brother, Matt, interfered and turned on Hardy, hitting him with a steel chair. The buildup to this feud involved Matt implying that he was responsible for all of Hardy's accidents over the past few months, and at
WrestleMania 25 WrestleMania 25 (also marketed as The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania and written as WrestleMania 25th Anniversary) was the 25th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE ...
, Matt defeated Hardy in an Extreme Rules match and in a stretcher match on the April 10 episode of ''SmackDown''. In a rematch at
Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character * ''Backla ...
, however, Hardy defeated Matt in an "I Quit" match to end the feud. On the following episode of ''SmackDown'', Hardy won a fatal four-way elimination match to become the number one contender for Edge's World Heavyweight Championship at
Judgment Day The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...
, but lost to Edge after Matt interfered and attacked him. Hardy then defeated Edge in a non-title match on the following ''SmackDown'' to earn the right to choose the stipulation for their rematch at Extreme Rules and chose a ladder match. At Extreme Rules, Hardy won the match to become World Heavyweight Champion for the first time. Immediately after the match,
CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...
cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and defeated Hardy to win the championship. He received his rematch against Punk in a triple threat match also involving Edge on the June 15 episode of ''Raw'', but failed to win. Hardy got another rematch at The Bash, and won the match via disqualification after Punk kicked the ref in the back while feigning an eye injury with Punk still retaining the title. At
Night of Champions Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends o ...
, however, Hardy defeated Punk to win the championship for the second time. He made his first successful title defense five days later on ''SmackDown'' by defeating John Morrison. After the match, he was attacked by Punk, who invoked his rematch for the following week, where Hardy retained the championship after interference from Matt Hardy, who was the special guest enforcer. Punk again attacked Hardy post-match, resulting in
Teddy Long Theodore Robert Rufus Long (born September 15, 1947) is an American former professional referee and manager known for his work for WWE and WCW serving as an on-screen authority figure. Long began his career in the National Wrestling Alliance ...
announcing a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match between the two for the World Heavyweight Championship at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
. At SummerSlam, Hardy lost the title back to Punk. On the August 28 episode of ''SmackDown'', Hardy lost to Punk in a steel cage rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship, resulting in Hardy leaving WWE, in storyline, per the pre-match stipulation. This storyline was put in place to allow Hardy to leave WWE to heal his injuries, including a neck injury. Hardy also had two
herniated disc Spinal disc herniation is an injury to the cushioning and connective tissue between vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, and physical ...
s in his lower back and was suffering from
restless legs syndrome Restless legs syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis-Ekbom disease (WED), is generally a long-term disorder that causes a strong urge to move one's legs. There is often an unpleasant feeling in the legs that improves somewhat by moving them. This ...
. Jeff Hardy's contract with WWE expired that week thus ending his 3 year stint with the company.


Return to TNA


Immortal (2010–2011)

On TNA's first live Monday episode of '' Impact!'' on January 4, 2010, Hardy made his return to TNA, along with
Shannon Moore Shannon Moore (born July 27, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1999 and 2001 and with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for several years in the 2000s. H ...
. He was attacked by
Homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...
after emerging from the crowd, but hit Homicide with a steel chair and performed the ''Twist of Fate'' on the Impact! Zone ramp. He later appeared in backstage segments throughout the evening. The following day, it was reported that Hardy had signed a new contract with TNA. Hardy would make his next appearance for the company on the March 8 episode of ''Impact!'', saving
D'Angelo Dinero Elijah Samuel Burke (born May 24, 1981) is an American professional wrestler also known under the ring names "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero and Da Pope. He currently wrestles for National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) as "Da Pope" Elijah Burke, where he ...
, Abyss and
Hulk Hogan Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...
from
A.J. Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
,
Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...
and
Desmond Wolfe Steven Haworth (born 23 January 1976), better known by his ring name Nigel McGuinness, is an English actor, professional wrestling commentator and retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with WWE where he worked as a color ...
. The following week, Hardy defeated then
TNA World Heavyweight Champion The Impact World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via the result o ...
A.J. Styles in a non-title match. On the April 5 episode of ''Impact!'', Hardy was introduced as a member of Team Hogan for the annual
Lethal Lockdown match A Lethal Lockdown match is a professional wrestling match used in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). This match has become a staple of TNA's Lockdown pay-per-view event, but has also made appearances at other TNA pay-per-views, and during Impac ...
, where they would face Team Flair. One week later, however, Hardy was injured when James Storm spewed a volatile liquid against a flame from his lighter, forming a fireball that singed most of Hardy's face. At
Lockdown A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...
, Team Hogan (Hardy, Abyss, Jeff Jarrett and Rob Van Dam) defeated Team Flair ( Sting, Desmond Wolfe,
Robert Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is currently inactive due to undergoing neck surgery. Roode is known for his 12-year tenure for Total Nonst ...
and James Storm). At
Sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exi ...
, Hardy defeated Mr. Anderson. After the event, Anderson turned face and eventually managed to convince the skeptical Hardy that he really had changed, after which the two went on to form a tag team. At
Slammiversary VIII Slammiversary VIII was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), which took place on June 13, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the sixth event under the Slammiversary ch ...
, Hardy and Anderson, now known as Enigmatic Assholes, defeated
Beer Money, Inc. Beer Money, Inc. was a professional wrestling tag team which consisted of Robert "Bobby" Roode and James Storm in the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where they are record-tying five-time TNA World Tag Te ...
(Robert Roode and James Storm) in a tag team match. On the August 19 episode of ''Impact!'', the TNA World Heavyweight Championship was vacated after Rob Van Dam was injured by Abyss. Hardy was entered into an eight-man tournament for the championship, defeating
Rob Terry Robert Terry (born 30 April 1980) is a Welsh bodybuilder and a former professional wrestler. He is known for his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring names Rob Terry and The Freak. He is also known for his work in T ...
in his first round match. At the semi-finals at
No Surrender No Surrender may refer to: Politics * "No Surrender!", a British Unionist slogan originating from Siege of Derry now used in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England *No Surrender (to the IRA), a political chant since used by England football fans ...
, Hardy first wrestled
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former Collegiate wrestling, ...
to a twenty-minute time-limit draw, after which
Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, professional wrestling booker, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Senior Vice President of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and ...
ordered a five-minute period of extra time. After that and a second five-minute extra time period also ended in draws, it was ruled that Angle was unable to continue and the match ended in a no contest. After wrestling a draw on the September 16 episode of ''Impact!'', it was announced that both Hardy and Angle would advance to the finals at Bound for Glory, where they would compete with Mr. Anderson in a three–way match. At Bound for Glory, Hardy turned heel with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff and with their help defeated Angle and Anderson to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time. They were then joined by Jeff Jarrett and Abyss, revealing the group that Abyss had been referring to as "they" for several months. On the following episode of ''Impact!'', the stable was named
Immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...
, as it formed an alliance with Ric Flair's
Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...
. Meanwhile, Hardy debuted a new dark character, using cryptic messages as he explained the reasons behind his turn. At
Turning Point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...
, Hardy retained his title in a defense against
Matt Morgan Matthew Thomas Morgan (born September 10, 1976) is an American politician, actor and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is a current City Commissioner in Longwood, Florida. He is known for his time in Total Nonstop Actio ...
, a replacement for Mr. Anderson, who was sidelined after suffering a concussion during an attack by Hardy. On the following episode of ''Impact!'', Hogan presented Hardy with a new design of the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, which he dubbed the TNA Immortal Championship. At
Final Resolution Final Resolution is a professional wrestling Impact Plus event held by Impact Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to Decem ...
in December, Hardy successfully defended the championship in a rematch against Morgan after incapacitating the special guest referee Mr. Anderson and having a replacement referee count the pinfall. On January 4, 2011, Hardy made his debut for
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...
(NJPW) at Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome, where he successfully defended the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against
Tetsuya Naito is a Japanese professional wrestler signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the leader of the ''Los Ingobernables de Japón'' faction. Tetsuya Naito began training for a professional wrestling career in 2000, initially under Anima ...
. On January 9 at
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
, Hardy's brother, Matt, made his TNA debut as a surprise member of Immortal and defeated Rob Van Dam to prevent him from receiving a match at Hardy's championship. That same night, Hardy gave Anderson a match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, immediately following Anderson's victory in a number one contender's match. Despite Matt, Flair, and Bischoff interfering in an attempt to help Hardy, Anderson defeated Hardy for the championship. On the January 13 episode of ''Impact!'', the Hardy Boyz reunited and defeated Anderson and Van Dam in a tag team match, following interference from Beer Money, Inc. On the February 3 episode of ''Impact!'', Hardy received his rematch for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. The rest of Immortal interfered in the match, but were stopped by Fortune, which led to Anderson retaining the championship. On February 13 at Against All Odds, Hardy defeated Anderson in a ladder match to regain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Hardy held the championship for less than two weeks, defending it once against Rob Van Dam, before losing it to the returning Sting on February 24, at the tapings of the March 3 episode of ''Impact!''. On March 13 at Victory Road, Hardy received a rematch for the title under No Disqualification rules, but was defeated in ninety seconds. TNA had made the decision to cut the match short after deeming that Hardy was too intoxicated to wrestle, coming out visibly under the influence during his entrance. The following day it was reported that TNA had sent Hardy home from the week's ''Impact!'' tapings. On the March 17 episode of ''Impact!'', Immortal severed their ties with Hardy.


TNA World Heavyweight Champion (2011–2013)

On August 23, 2011, TNA announced that Hardy would be making his return to the promotion at the ''Impact Wrestling'' tapings on August 25 in
Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...
. The return would take place only five days after Matt Hardy was released from his TNA contract. In his return, which was taped for the September 8 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy spoke to the audience, acknowledging that he had hit rock bottom at Victory Road in March, before asking the fans for "one more shot", turning
face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
in the process. Hardy wrestled his first match in six months on September 15 at a live event in
York, Pennsylvania York ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Yarrick''), known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is the county seat of York County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the south-central region of the state. The populati ...
, defeating Jeff Jarrett. Hardy then began feuding with his former stable Immortal, attacking Eric Bischoff on the October 6 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'' and engaging in brawls with Jeff Jarrett at Bound for Glory and on the October 20 episode of ''Impact Wrestling''. Hardy wrestled his first televised match since his return on the October 27 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', defeating Immortal member Bully Ray. On November 13 at
Turning Point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...
, Hardy defeated Jeff Jarrett three times, first in six seconds, the second in six minutes, and the third in ten seconds. On December 11 at
Final Resolution Final Resolution is a professional wrestling Impact Plus event held by Impact Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to Decem ...
, Hardy defeated Jarrett in a steel cage match to become the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On January 8, 2012, at
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
, Hardy defeated TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode via disqualification and as a result the title remained with Roode. On the following episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', a rematch between Hardy and Roode ended in a no contest, following interference from Bully Ray. The following week, Hardy was entered into a number one contender's match against James Storm, which ended in a no contest following interference from Ray and Roode. On February 12 at Against All Odds, Hardy was unable to capture the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Roode in a four-way match, which also included Bully Ray and James Storm. On the following episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy lost his shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, following interference from the returning Kurt Angle. On March 18 at Victory Road, Hardy was defeated by Angle in a singles match. On April 15 at
Lockdown A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...
, Hardy defeated Angle in a rematch, contested inside a steel cage. On the following episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy and Mr. Anderson were defeated by Rob Van Dam in a three-way number one contender's match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. During the first "Open Fight Night" the following week, Hardy teamed up with Anderson to unsuccessfully challenge
Magnus Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...
and
Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Samoa Joe who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Joe is currently a double champion - in his first reign both as AEW ...
for the
TNA World Tag Team Championship TNA may refer to: Organisations * Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka * The National Alliance, a political party in Kenya * The National Archives (United Kingdom), a UK public body * Tonga Nurses' Association, a trade union ...
. On May 13 at
Sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exi ...
, Hardy was defeated by Anderson in a singles match. On the following episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy defeated Anderson in a rematch. On the live May 31 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy won a fan voting to become the number one contender to the
TNA Television Championship The TNA Television Championship was a professional wrestling championship owned by the promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA, now Impact Wrestling). It was introduced on the October 23, 2008 episode of TNA's television program '' TNA I ...
. However, his title match with
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
ended in a no contest, following interference from
Robbie E Robert Strauss (born October 1, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and manager. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand as a manager under the ring name Mr. Stone. He is best known for his time in Total Nonstop A ...
and Robbie T. On June 10 at
Slammiversary Slammiversary is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the American promotion Impact Wrestling. It is one of Impact's “Big Four” PPV events (along with Hard to Kill, Rebellion, and Bound for Glory), and celebrates ...
, Hardy was defeated by Mr. Anderson in a three-way number one contender's match, also involving Rob Van Dam. On the June 14 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy entered the 2012 Bound for Glory Series, taking part in the opening gauntlet match, from which he was the first man eliminated by Bully Ray. Hardy wrestled his final group stage match of the tournament on the September 6 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', defeating Samoa Joe via submission, thus finishing fourth and advancing to the semi-finals. Three days later at
No Surrender No Surrender may refer to: Politics * "No Surrender!", a British Unionist slogan originating from Siege of Derry now used in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England *No Surrender (to the IRA), a political chant since used by England football fans ...
, Hardy defeated Joe in a rematch to advance to the finals of the tournament. Before the finals took place, Hardy suffered a storyline injury after taking part in a brawl between the TNA locker room and the
Aces & Eights Aces & Eights are an American stable in the promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), initially consisting of a group of masked wrestlers before their identities were revealed. It had the gimmick of an outlaw motorcycle club; members of ...
stable. Despite the injury, Hardy defeated Bully Ray in the finals to win the 2012 Bound for Glory Series and become the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On the following episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy defeated Ray in a rematch to reaffirm his status as the number one contender. On October 14 at Bound for Glory, Hardy defeated
Austin Aries Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently signed to the Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion. He is best known for his ...
to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the third time, and, according to TNA, completing his "road to redemption" following the events of March 2011. Hardy made his first televised title defense on the October 25 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', defeating Kurt Angle to retain his title. On November 11 at
Turning Point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...
, Hardy defeated Austin Aries in a ladder match to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On the December 6 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy was attacked by the Aces & Eights who were revealed to be paid off by his number one contender Bobby Roode. Three days later at
Final Resolution Final Resolution is a professional wrestling Impact Plus event held by Impact Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to Decem ...
, Hardy defeated Roode to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, after which, both men were attacked by the Aces & Eights. On the following episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Aces & Eights member Devon revealed Austin Aries as the man who outpaid Roode for the Aces & Eights to interfere in their match, which led to Hardy issuing Aries a title challenge. The following week, Hardy was successful in retaining his title against Aries, following interference from Bobby Roode. The rivalry culminated in a three-way elimination match on January 13, 2013, at
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
, where Hardy defeated both Aries and Roode to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On the January 24 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy successfully defended the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Christopher Daniels. Afterwards, Hardy was jumped by a masked member of Aces & Eights who then injured Hardy's left leg with a
ball-peen hammer A ball-peen or ball pein hammer, also known as a machinist's hammer, is a type of peening hammer used in metalworking. It has two heads, one flat and the other, called the peen, rounded. It is distinguished from a cross-peen hammer, diagonal-peen ...
. This was done to write Hardy out of the tapings in the United Kingdom, as the UK would not allow him to make appearances due to his criminal convictions. Hardy made his in-ring return on the February 28 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', teaming with his new number one contender Bully Ray to defeat Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Kazarian). On March 10 at
Lockdown A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...
, Hardy lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Ray in a steel cage match, following interference from the Aces & Eights, ending his reign at 147 days. On the March 21 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy defeated Kurt Angle, Magnus, and Samoa Joe in a four-way match to become number one contender for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Hardy received his title opportunity on the April 11 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', but was again defeated by Bully Ray in a Full Metal Mayhem match. Hardy returned to TNA on June 2 at
Slammiversary XI Slammiversary XI was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion, which took place on June 2, 2013 at the Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts. It was the 11th anniversary cel ...
, teaming with Magnus and Samoa Joe in a winning effort against Aces & Eights (
Garett Bischoff Garett Bischoff (born April 20, 1984) is an American professional wrestler. He is known for his time in Impact Wrestling and is the son of pro-wrestling executive and personality Eric Bischoff. Early life Bischoff was born in 1984 to Eric and L ...
, Mr. Anderson, and
Wes Brisco Wesley Brisco (born February 21, 1983) is an American professional wrestler known for his time in impact Wrestling (TNA), where he is a former member of Aces & Eights. He is a member of the Brisco wrestling family; the son of former Champions ...
). As a result of previously winning the Bound for Glory Series, Hardy and Bobby Roode were entered into the 2013 Bound for Glory Series on the June 13 episode of ''Impact Wrestling''. The following week, Hardy defeated Roode in his first BFG series match via pinfall to earn seven points in the tournament. Hardy's participation in the Bound for Glory series ended on the September 5 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', when he was eliminated from a twenty-point battle royal by Kazarian. On the September 19 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy defeated X Division Champion Manik in a non-title match. On the October 3 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy teamed with Manik defeating
Kenny King Kenneth, Ken or Kenny King may refer to: Ken King * Ken King (born 1971), American politician and businessman * Ken King (ice hockey) (1952–2020), Canadian sports executive Kenneth King * Kenneth George King or Jonathan King (born 1944), Englis ...
and Chris Sabin which led to the announcement of the
Ultimate X match The Ultimate X match is a type of professional wrestling match created by Impact Wrestling (formerly Total Nonstop Action Wrestling aka TNA), mainly used in their X Division. It is considered the signature match of the X Division. Match format ...
for the X Division Championship at Bound for Glory. On October 20, 2013 at Bound for Glory, Hardy debuted a new theme song and competed in his first Ultimate X match for the TNA X Division Championship but was unsuccessful as Chris Sabin won the match after an interference from
Velvet Sky Jamie Lynn Szantyr (born June 2, 1981) is an American color commentator and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to NWA. She is best known for her time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Velvet Sky. She is a ...
.


Willow (2013–2014)

In November, Hardy entered the World Title Tournament to crown a new champion, after
A.J. Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
left the company with the championship. Hardy defeated Chris Sabin and Bobby Roode in the first two rounds of the tournament, to reach the finals at
Final Resolution Final Resolution is a professional wrestling Impact Plus event held by Impact Wrestling in December. Initially introduced as a pay-per-view by TNA in 2005, the event originally took place in January until 2008, when TNA moved the event to Decem ...
. In the championship match, Hardy was defeated by
Magnus Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...
after interference from Ethan Carter III and
Rockstar Spud James Michael Curtin (born 30 January 1983) is an English former professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE as a writer on Raw. During his time as an on screen performer in the company, he worked under the ring name Drake Maverick. ...
. The following week on ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy teamed up with Sting to face
The BroMans The BroMans were an American professional wrestling stable in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), which consist of Jessie Godderz, Robbie E, and DJZ. They are two-time TNA World Tag Team Champions. History Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ...
, Ethan Carter III and Rockstar Spud, which they lost. Afterwards, a frustrated Hardy announced he could no longer work in TNA with Dixie Carter's backstage politics, and quit TNA. In February 2014, strange vignettes began airing advertising Hardy's return to TNA under his
OMEGA Omega (; capital: Ω, lowercase: ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and final letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system/isopsephy (gematria), it has a value of 800. The wo ...
character, Willow. He made his TNA return at
Lockdown A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...
, in the
Lethal Lockdown match A Lethal Lockdown match is a professional wrestling match used in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). This match has become a staple of TNA's Lockdown pay-per-view event, but has also made appearances at other TNA pay-per-views, and during Impac ...
as part of Team
MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
. He then appeared on the following episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', facing
Rockstar Spud James Michael Curtin (born 30 January 1983) is an English former professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE as a writer on Raw. During his time as an on screen performer in the company, he worked under the ring name Drake Maverick. ...
. In the following weeks, he would continue to feud with Ethan Carter III and Rockstar Spud, leading to a tag-team match between them (with
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former Collegiate wrestling, ...
as Willow's partner) at
Sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exi ...
on April 27, Willow and Angle would go on to win that match. On the May 1 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Willow defeated James Storm by disqualification when Storm shoved the referee and as Storm made his way up the ramp, Mr. Anderson appeared and hit Storm with the Mic check. On the May 8 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Willow's match against
Magnus Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...
ended in a DQ when
Bram Bram may refer to: People * Bram (given name) * Bram (surname) * Bram (wrestler) (born 1986), ring name of professional wrestler Thomas Raymond Latimer * Bram Tchaikovsky (born 1950), stage name of British musician Peter Bramall * Bram Stoker Iris ...
interfered and handcuffed Willow to the bottom rope and started to hit him with a metal turnbuckle. On the May 15 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Willow defeated both Magnus and Bram in a two on one handicap match. On the May 22 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Willow defeated Magnus in a Falls Count Anywhere match. On the June 5 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Willow won his match against Bram by DQ when Magnus came to the ring and attacked him with a Steel Pry Bar. At
Slammiversary XII Slammiversary XII was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion. It took place on June 15, 2014 at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas and was the 12th anniversary cel ...
, Willow was defeated by Magnus.


The Hardys third reunion (2014–2016)

On the July 10 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Director of Wrestling Operations
Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former Collegiate wrestling, ...
asked Willow to bring Jeff Hardy back for a 20-man over the top rope battle royal later that night. Hardy competed in the match as himself and won, earning a match with Lashley for the
TNA World Heavyweight Championship The Impact World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via the result o ...
the following week, which Hardy lost. On the July 24 ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy told the audience that we had not seen the last of Willow and then brought out
Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team ...
, his brother, to reform The Hardys. The Wolves joined them in the ring and challenged them to a match for the
TNA World Tag Team Championship TNA may refer to: Organisations * Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka * The National Alliance, a political party in Kenya * The National Archives (United Kingdom), a UK public body * Tonga Nurses' Association, a trade union ...
at '' Impact Wrestling: Destination X'', which the Hardys agreed to. At Destination X, the Hardys lost against the Wolves, but shook hands after the match. On October 22, 2014, The Hardys entered a number one contenders tournament for the TNA World Tag Team Championships defeating
The BroMans The BroMans were an American professional wrestling stable in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), which consist of Jessie Godderz, Robbie E, and DJZ. They are two-time TNA World Tag Team Champions. History Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ...
(
Jessie Godderz Jessie Godderz (born April 23, 1986), also known as Mr. PEC-Tacular, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He currently competes for Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) where he is a former one-time OVW National Heavyweight Champion, one-time ...
and
DJ Z Michael Paris (born October 5, 1986) is a American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Smackdown brand, under the ring name Joaquin Wilde. He is a member of Legado Del Fantasma. Paris began his career in 2004, ...
) in the first round of the tournament. On October 29, episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', The Hardys defeated Team Dixie ( EC3 and Tyrus) in the semifinals to advance to the finals of the tournament where they defeated
Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Samoa Joe who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Joe is currently a double champion - in his first reign both as AEW ...
and Low Ki to become number one contenders for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. On the January 7 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy along with his brother Matt were at ringside for The Wolves vs. James Storm and
Abyss Abyss may refer to: * Abyss (religion), a bottomless pit, or a passage to the underworld Film and television * ''The Abyss'' (1910 film), a Danish silent film starring Asta Nielsen * ''The Abyss'' (1988 film) (''L'Œuvre au noir''), a French- ...
; during the match, The Great Sanada and Manik attempted to interfere in the match, but then ended up receiving a ''Side Effect'' from Matt Hardy, and a ''Twist of Fate'' from Jeff Hardy. Despite that, it distracted Eddie Edwards, who then received a ''Last Call'' super kick from Storm. At the
Lockdown A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...
episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy suffered a minor concussion which was set as a storyline injury when he fell on the door of the cage; James Storm hit Hardy off the door onto the steel steps below with a cowbell. The falling off the cage spot was covered in mainstream media such as
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
and
TMZ TMZ is a tabloid news website owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, originally as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. On September 13, 202 ...
. Hardy returned after TNA United Kingdom tour. In March, The Hardys participated in a tournament for the vacant TNA World Tag Team Championship. On March 16, 2015, The Hardys won an Ultimate X match for the belts for the first time as a team and individually. On May 8, 2015, the Hardys were forced to vacate the TNA World Tag Team Championship due to Jeff suffering a broken leg in a legitimate dirt bike accident. Hardy returned from injury on the July 29 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', making an announcement that his brother, Matt, would face
TNA World Heavyweight Champion The Impact World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by Impact Wrestling. It is the promotion's principal championship. Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via the result o ...
Ethan Carter III in a Full Metal Mayhem match, in which Matt was unsuccessful. After a brief hiatus, Hardy returned on the August 26 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', where he and Matt made an agreement that if Matt would lose his second match against Carter for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, then Jeff would become his personal assistant. Matt was unsuccessful, and Jeff was forced to be Carter's assistant. On the September 23 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', after refusing to hit Spud, then hitting Carter with a ''Twist of Fate'', Hardy quit as Carter's personal assistant, therefore also (storyline) quitting TNA. On the September 30 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', TNA President
Dixie Carter Dixie Virginia Carter (May 25, 1939 – April 10, 2010) was an American actress. She starred as Julia Sugarbaker on the sitcom ''Designing Women'' (1986–1993) and as Randi King on the drama series ''Family Law (American TV series), Family La ...
announced that Hardy would be the special guest referee in the three-way dance TNA World Heavyweight Championship match between Carter, his brother Matt, and
Drew Galloway Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June 1985) is a Scottish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre. McIntyre is a two-time WWE Champion, one-time WWE In ...
at Bound for Glory. At the event, Hardy turned on Carter by hitting him with a steel chair with Matt hitting the ''Twist of Fate'', thus giving Matt his first TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Hardy made an appearance on January 5, 2016 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'' on its live
Pop TV Pop TV is a Slovenian generalist television channel operated by Pro Plus d.o.o., a subsidiary of Central European Media Enterprises (CME), which is in turn owned by Czech investment company PPF. News programs POP TV's current news programmin ...
debut backstage and ringside to support his brother Matt in the semi-finals and finals of the
TNA World Title Series The ''TNA World Title Series'' was a professional wrestling round-robin tournament produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It was taped between July 22 and July 25, 2015 (except the semifinals and finals, which ran live on January 5, 2016 ...
, which Matt had later lost.


Brother Nero (2016–2017)

On the January 12, 2016 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy made his return in a segment that involved Ethan Carter III denying Hardy an opportunity at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, instead bringing out Shynron to face Hardy, won the match. On the January 26 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy issued a challenge to the villainous Matt Hardy for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, as the match was set to begin he was attacked by Eric Young and
Bram Bram may refer to: People * Bram (given name) * Bram (surname) * Bram (wrestler) (born 1986), ring name of professional wrestler Thomas Raymond Latimer * Bram Tchaikovsky (born 1950), stage name of British musician Peter Bramall * Bram Stoker Iris ...
. Hardy returned on March 15 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Jeff Hardy defeating Eric Young in a match to determine the third challenger for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship match in which included Matt Hardy and Ethan Carter III, which Jeff lost. After Matt losing the title, he started a feud with Jeff, he wanted an
I Quit match I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...
against him. On the April 19 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', the match eventually ended up in a no-contest after neither man could continue. On the May 10 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy teaming with James Storm against
Decay Decay may refer to: Science and technology * Bit decay, in computing * Software decay, in computing * Distance decay, in geography * Decay time (fall time), in electronics Biology * Decomposition of organic matter * Tooth decay (dental caries ...
in a losing effort after an Imposter Willow distracted Hardy. After the match, Hardy searched backstage for Imposter Willow but was attacked by three people dressed as Willow. On the May 17 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy defeated one of the Imposter Willows. Afterwards, Matt Hardy revealed himself to be one of the Imposter Willows behind the attacks on Jeff. In the following weeks, Matt Hardy would debut a new persona as a "Broken" man with part of his hair bleached blonde along with a strange British-like accent, blaming Jeff (who he began to refer to as "Brother Nero", Nero being Jeff's middle name) for breaking him and becoming obsessed with "deleting" him. On the June 28 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Matt challenged Jeff to a final battle with the Hardy brand on the line, to take place at their home in Cameron, North Carolina the next week. On July 5, during special episode "The Final Deletion", Matt defeated Jeff in the match to become sole owner of the Hardy brand, forcing Jeff to drop his last name and become referred to as "Brother Nero". Also, Matt would force Jeff to stop using his high-flying moves in order to stop him from being a "spot monkey". On the August 18 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Brother Nero and Matt defeated The Tribunal,
The BroMans The BroMans were an American professional wrestling stable in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), which consist of Jessie Godderz, Robbie E, and DJZ. They are two-time TNA World Tag Team Champions. History Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ...
and
The Helms Dynasty The Helms Dynasty was a villainous professional wrestling tag team in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), which consisted of Andrew Everett and Trevor Lee, and manager Gregory Shane Helms. The general background of the team was that Helms help ...
in an "Ascension To Hell" match for an opportunity to challenge
Decay Decay may refer to: Science and technology * Bit decay, in computing * Software decay, in computing * Distance decay, in geography * Decay time (fall time), in electronics Biology * Decomposition of organic matter * Tooth decay (dental caries ...
for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. On September 8, they faced Decay in a match held at the Hardy compound dubbed "Delete or Decay", where Brother Nero would again sacrifice himself to save Matt from
Abyss Abyss may refer to: * Abyss (religion), a bottomless pit, or a passage to the underworld Film and television * ''The Abyss'' (1910 film), a Danish silent film starring Asta Nielsen * ''The Abyss'' (1988 film) (''L'Œuvre au noir''), a French- ...
. At Bound for Glory, the Hardys defeated Decay in what was dubbed "The Great War" to win the
TNA World Tag Team Championship TNA may refer to: Organisations * Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka * The National Alliance, a political party in Kenya * The National Archives (United Kingdom), a UK public body * Tonga Nurses' Association, a trade union ...
for the second time. On the October 6 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', they successfully defended their titles against Decay, in a Wolf Creek match. During the match, Brother Nero "transformed" into Willow and his ''Hardy Show'' persona Itchweeed during the pre-recorded backstage fighting. On the November 3 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', the Hardys successfully defended their titles against The Tribunal. After the match, the Hardys were attacked by the masked trio known as Death Crew Council (DCC), with Matt later suffered (kayfabe) amnesia after being knocked off a forklift by one of the DCC members. On the December 1 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Matt returned to the ring, ambushing DCC by using their entrance theme; he would accept DCC's title challenge. The Hardys faced Bram and Kingston, and Matt would pin Kingston to retain the titles. In the following weeks, the Hardys would issue an open challenge for the tag team titles. On December 15, during special episode "
Total Nonstop Deletion Total Nonstop Deletion was a professional wrestling special event episode of '' Impact Wrestling'' produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. It took place on December 15, 2016, at the Hardy Compound in Cameron, North Carolina. The event included ...
", they were once again successful in retaining. Brother Nero hit
Crazzy Steve Steven Scott (born March 4, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler, currently signed with Impact Wrestling, under the ring name Crazzy Steve, where he is a former Impact World Tag Team Champion. He also wrestles on the independent circuit fo ...
with the ''Twist of Fate'', who then fell into a volcano (that had appeared on the compound in the weeks leading up the event), and was shot up into the sky, landing in the ring. Matt then covered him to win the match. Hardy had previously debuted the Itchweeed character earlier in the episode, defeating Chet Sterling. On the January 12, 2017 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', The Hardys successfully defended their titles against The Wolves; Jeff would roll up Davey Richards to retain the titles. The following week, on the inaugural '' Race for the Case'' tournament, Jeff won the green case. At
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
, The Hardys retained their titles against the DCC and Decay in a three-way tag team match. On ''Open Fight Night'', the Hardys would begin a storyline where they would teleport to different promotions and win that promotions' tag team championship gold, which was referred to by Matt as their "Expedition of Gold". Jeff called out Lashley for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, but he was unsuccessful in his attempt at winning it. On February 27, the Hardys announced their departure from TNA, after contract talks broke down between the two parties. Though the two sides were reportedly close to a contract agreement, talks began to break down and changes in management prompted their departure from the company. The TNA World Tag Team Championships were vacated due to the Hardys' departure and was explained on TNA television in a segment where The Hardys would teleport to their next Expedition of Gold destination, but a technicality resulted in them disappearing and the belts appearing in the arms of Decay.


Return to ROH (2017)

On March 4, 2017, Hardy returned to
Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...
at Manhattan Mayhem VI where he teamed with his brother and they defeated
The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team and promoters, consisting of brothers Matthew and Nicholas Massie, who are known by their ring names Matt and Nick Jackson, respectively. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...
for the
ROH World Tag Team Championship The ROH World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, i ...
. They then lost the titles back to The Young Bucks in a ladder match on April 1 at
Supercard of Honor XI Supercard of Honor XI was the 11th Supercard of Honor professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place Saturday, April 1, 2017, at the Lakeland Center (Jenkins Arena) in Lakeland, Florida ...
, to which after the match, Jeff was noted as staying in the ring and saying "We'll fade away and classify ourselves as obsolete", paying homage to their "Broken" characters. It was also announced after the match that both Matt and Jeff Hardy's contracts had expired.


Second return to WWE (2017-2021)


The Hardy Boyz's return (2017–2018)

At the
WrestleMania 33 WrestleMania 33 was the 33rd annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on April 2, 201 ...
pay-per-view on April 2, 2017, Hardy made his surprise return to WWE, along with his brother Matt Hardy, being added as last-minute participants in the ladder match for the
Raw Tag Team Championship The WWE Raw Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE's main roste ...
, defeating Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson,
Cesaro and Sheamus The Bar, originally simply known as Cesaro and Sheamus, was a professional wrestling tag team in WWE. They were record-setting four-time Raw Tag Team Champions and one-time SmackDown Tag Team Champions, making their team overall five-time cham ...
, and
Enzo Amore and Big Cass FreeAgentZ (formerly known as Enzo and Cass) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of nZo and CaZXL. The duo are best known for their tenure with WWE, from 2013 to 2017, under the respective ring names, Enzo Amore and Big Ca ...
to win the Raw Tag Team Championship. Also, it was their first win as a team at WrestleMania, as well as Hardy's first victory at WrestleMania. The next night on ''Raw'', The Hardy Boyz successfully defended the title against Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. At
Payback Payback may refer to: * Revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance Payback may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Payback, a member of the fictional comics superhero team Shadow ...
, The Hardy Boyz retained their championships against Cesaro and Sheamus, who attacked them after the match. The next night on ''Raw'', Cesaro and Sheamus explained their actions, claiming the fans were more supportive of 'novelty acts' from the past like The Hardy Boyz, who they feel did not deserve to be in the match at WrestleMania 33. Subsequently, at Extreme Rules, The Hardy Boyz lost the titles against Cesaro and Sheamus in a steel cage match, and failed to regain it back the following month at the
Great Balls of Fire "Great Balls of Fire" is a 1957 popular song recorded by American rock and roll musician Jerry Lee Lewis on Sun Records and featured in the 1957 movie '' Jamboree''. It was written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer. The Jerry Lee Lewis 1957 rec ...
event. On the August 28 episode of ''Raw'', Hardy won a battle royal by last eliminating
Jason Jordan Nathan Everhart (born September 28, 1988) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Jason Jordan. He is currently signed to WWE, where he works as a producer. He has not wrestled since suffering a neck injury in Janu ...
to become the number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship, but was unsuccessful in his challenge the following week. In September, Hardy suffered his first major injury which was a shoulder injury and it was reported that the injury would sideline him for four to six months. On January 22, 2018, Hardy made a special appearance on the 25th-anniversary episode of ''Raw'' in a poker segment also involving The APA,
Ted DiBiase Theodore Marvin DiBiase Sr. (born January 18, 1954) is an American retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE working in their Legends program. DiBiase achieved championship ...
, and many other wrestlers. On the March 19 episode of ''Raw'', Hardy also made a cameo appearance in a segment, calling "The Ultimate Deletion" between Matt Hardy and
Bray Wyatt Windham Lawrence Rotunda (born May 23, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Bray Wyatt. Rotunda is a third-generation professional wrestler, fo ...
, allowing his brother Matt to pick up the victory.


Various championship reigns (2018–2020)

On the April 9 episode of ''Raw'', Hardy returned from injury, where he assisted
Finn Bálor Fergal Devitt (born 25 July 1981) is an Irish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Finn Bálor (), and is a member of The Judgment Day. Devitt is widely known for his t ...
and
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth Rollins (often referred to as Seth "Freakin" Rollins). Prior to signing ...
in a confrontation with
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fa ...
and The Miztourage (
Bo Dallas Taylor Michael Rotunda (born May 25, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Bo Dallas. Rotunda is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Blac ...
and
Curtis Axel Joseph Curtis Hennig (born October 1, 1979) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Curtis Axel. Hennig signed with WWE in 2007 and wrestled at their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) and was ...
). Later that night, Hardy teaming up with Bálor and Rollins to defeat Miz and Miztourage. The following week on ''Raw'', Hardy defeated
Jinder Mahal Yuvraj Singh Dhesi (born July 19, 1986) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand, under the ring name Jinder Mahal. Having started his career on the independent circuit, Mahal joine ...
to win the United States Championship, making him the second person to complete the modern
Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...
, after completing the original format separately. The next day, Hardy was traded to the SmackDown brand as part of the Superstar Shake-up, and took the title with him. Later on that day, Hardy defeated
Shelton Benjamin Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under his real name. He is also known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wres ...
in his first match on the SmackDown brand since 2009. Hardy retained his title against Jinder Mahal at the
Greatest Royal Rumble WWE Greatest Royal Rumble was a professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live brand divisions. The event took place on April 27, 2018, a ...
event on April 27, and against Randy Orton at
Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character * ''Backla ...
on May 6. Two days later on the May 8 episode of SmackDown Live, Hardy lost to
The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fa ...
in a qualifying match for the 2018 pay-per-view Money in the Bank ladder match. Two weeks later on the May 22 episode of SmackDown Live, Hardy faced Daniel Bryan in an attempt to earn another Money in the Bank qualifying match, which he lost. At Extreme Rules, Hardy lost the title to Shinsuke Nakamura, after a pre-match low blow by Nakamura, ending his reign at 90 days. After the match, Randy Orton attacked Hardy with a low blow. Two days later on ''SmackDown Live'', Hardy had a rematch with Nakamura, winning by disqualification after Orton attacked Hardy. Hardy received another rematch at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
, but was again defeated by Nakamura. On the August 21 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', Hardy and Orton faced off in a match that ended in a no-contest, with Hardy continuing to attack Orton after the match. The following week, Hardy challenged Orton to a
Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a five-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link fen ...
match at the namesake pay-per-view, which Orton accepted. At the event on September 16, Hardy lost to Orton. After nearly a month off, Hardy returned on the October 9 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', defeating
Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Samoa Joe who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Joe is currently a double champion - in his first reign both as AEW ...
to qualify for the
WWE World Cup The 2018 Crown Jewel was the inaugural Crown Jewel professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on Novembe ...
tournament at Crown Jewel. At the event, Hardy lost to The Miz in the first round of the tournament. On the November 6 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', Hardy lost to Samoa Joe in an attempt to join Team SmackDown at
Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...
. However, the following week, Hardy defeated Andrade "Cien" Almas to earn a spot on Team SmackDown, after team member Daniel Bryan was removed from the match. At Survivor Series, Team SmackDown lost to Team Raw. At the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle roya ...
pay-per-view on January 27, 2019, Hardy participated in the Royal Rumble match, but was unsuccessful. At
Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was founded by Chris Jericho , created and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel ...
, Hardy failed to capture the
WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...
in an Elimination Chamber match, after being eliminated by Daniel Bryan. On the February 26 episode ''SmackDown Live'', Hardy teamed with the returning Matt Hardy to defeat The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus). At
WrestleMania 35 WrestleMania 35 was the 35th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live brand divisions. The event took place ...
on April 7, Hardy competed in the
André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal The André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is a namesake battle royal held as part of WrestleMania Weekend by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The winner of the match receives the André the Giant Memorial Trophy. The inaugura ...
, but was eliminated by eventual winner,
Braun Strowman Adam Joseph Scherr (born September 6, 1983) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Strongman (strength athlete), strongman. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDo ...
. Two days later on ''SmackDown Live'', The Hardy Boyz defeated
The Usos The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of twin brothers Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, who are known professionally by their respective ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They are ...
(Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) to win the
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, representing the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two male tag team championships for WWE' ...
, their ninth tag team championship together in WWE. The reign only lasted 21 days, as they had to vacate the title due to Hardy injuring his knee, this was explained in storyline as injuries afflicted by
Lars Sullivan Dylan Miley (born July 6, 1988) is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his time in WWE under the ring name Lars Sullivan. He joined WWE in 2013 and spent several years training at the WWE Performance Center before making his ...
. WWE announced that Hardy would be out of action for six to nine months. On the March 13, 2020 episode of ''SmackDown'', Hardy returned from injury, defeating King Corbin. He began a feud with
Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on the European indep ...
over comments that the latter made, defeating him in the first round of the Intercontinental Championship tournament on the May 22 episode of ''SmackDown''. The following week on ''SmackDown'', Hardy was "arrested" (
kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe, as a noun, is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not staged. ...
) after crashing his car into
Elias Elias is the Greek equivalent of Elijah ( he, אֵלִיָּהוּ‎ ''ʾĒlīyyāhū''; Syriac: ܐܠܝܐ ''Eliyā''; Arabic: الیاس Ilyās/Elyās), a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, mentioned in several holy ...
, however later in the episode, Hardy would cause a distraction for Sheamus, costing him a match against Daniel Bryan, and attacked Sheamus after the match. The feud led to a match at
Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character * ''Backla ...
, which Hardy lost. On the July 24 episode of ''SmackDown'', Hardy defeated Sheamus in a Bar Fight, ending their feud. On the August 14 episode of ''SmackDown'', Hardy issued a challenge to the Intercontinental Champion
AJ Styles Allen Neal Jones (born June 2, 1977), better known by his ring name AJ Styles (also stylized as A.J. Styles), is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Regarded as one of the best ...
for the title. The following week on ''SmackDown'', he defeated Styles to win the Intercontinental Championship for the fifth time. On the August 28 episode of ''SmackDown'', Hardy retained the title against Shinsuke Nakamura. At
Clash of Champions ''Clash of the Champions'' is an American series of professional wrestling television specials that were produced by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). ...
, Hardy lost the title to
Sami Zayn Rami Sebei ( ar, رامي سبعي; born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sami Zayn, and is a member of The Bloodline. Prior to jo ...
in a triple threat ladder match, which included AJ Styles. On the October 2 episode of ''SmackDown'', he received a rematch for the title but he was unsuccessful.


Final feuds (2020–2021)

As part of the 2020 WWE Draft, 2020 Draft in October, Hardy was drafted to the
Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
WWE brand extension, brand. On the October 12 episode of ''Raw'', Hardy would face
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth Rollins (often referred to as Seth "Freakin" Rollins). Prior to signing ...
and AJ Styles in a triple threat match, but a returning
Elias Elias is the Greek equivalent of Elijah ( he, אֵלִיָּהוּ‎ ''ʾĒlīyyāhū''; Syriac: ܐܠܝܐ ''Eliyā''; Arabic: الیاس Ilyās/Elyās), a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, mentioned in several holy ...
would attack Hardy, thus starting a feud between them. At Hell in a Cell (2020), Hell in a Cell, Hardy lost to Elias by Disqualification (professional wrestling), disqualification after he hit him with a guitar. Hardy then defeated Elias in a Guitar on a Pole match on the November 2 episode of ''Raw'', and in a Symphony of Destruction match on the November 30 episode of ''Raw''. On January 26, 2021, at the Royal Rumble (2021), Royal Rumble, Hardy entered the Royal Rumble match at number 5, but was eliminated by Dolph Ziggler. On the February 1 episode of ''Raw'', Hardy would team with a returning Carly Colón, Carlito to defeat Elias and Jaxson Ryker to end his feud with Elias. At Elimination Chamber (2021), Elimination Chamber, Hardy unsuccessfully challenged for the WWE Championship in a Elimination Chamber match after being eliminated by Drew McIntyre. On the June 7 episode of ''Raw'', Hardy defeated Cedric Alexander in a match where had Hardy lost, he would have retired. He defeated Alexander once more on the following episode of ''Raw''. On the July 19 episode of ''Raw'', Hardy, who by popular demand notably brought back his "No More Words" entrance theme song by Endeverafter for the first time since his 2009 departure (all of his appearances since his WrestleMania 33 return before this one were to "Loaded", which doubles as his tag team entrance with brother Matt), defeated NXT Champion Karrion Kross, becoming the first man in WWE to defeat Kross by pinfall. On the September 6 episode of ''Raw,'' Hardy was seen chasing the WWE 24/7 Championship, 24/7 Championship, which was heavily criticized by fans. The following ''Raw,'' Hardy challenged Damian Priest for the WWE United States Championship, but lost. On the September 20 episode of ''Raw'', Hardy would defeat Sheamus to be added to the United States title match at Extreme Rules (2021), Extreme Rules. At the event, Hardy would fail to win the title as Damian Priest would retain. He then entered a brief feud with Austin Theory, losing to Theory on the October 11 and October 18 episodes of ''Raw''. As part of the 2021 WWE Draft, 2021 Draft in October, Hardy was drafted to the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. He defeated
Sami Zayn Rami Sebei ( ar, رامي سبعي; born July 12, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sami Zayn, and is a member of The Bloodline. Prior to jo ...
on the November 12 episode of ''SmackDown'' to qualify for Team SmackDown at Survivor Series. The following week he defeated Madcap Moss. At Survivor Series (2021), Survivor Series, Hardy took part in the 5-on-5 elimination match on Team SmackDown but was lastly eliminated by
Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth Rollins (often referred to as Seth "Freakin" Rollins). Prior to signing ...
. He then began aiding Drew McIntyre in his feud with Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss with Hardy and McIntyre going on to defeat the duo in tag team action on the November 26 episode of ''SmackDown'', Hardy later appeared in his final WWE televised appearance the following week, helping McIntyre fend off the two during a segment of ''Happy Talk''. During a house show on December 4, Hardy walked out during a tag team match. The following day, he was sent home during WWE's live tour. This turned out to be his final WWE appearance as Hardy was released from his contract five days later. Subsequent reports revealed that Hardy was originally going to be placed in a storyline in ''WWE NXT, NXT 2.0'' with MSK (professional wrestling), MSK as their “Shaman” but that spot was given to Matt Riddle, Riddle instead.


All Elite Wrestling (2022–present)

In an interview with Jared Myers in February 2022, Hardy confirmed that he planned on signing with
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE. AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, w ...
(AEW), where his brother Matt has worked since 2020, and would wait until after his 90 day WWE non-compete clause expired to do so. Myers confirmed that Hardy said this in an interview with ''Post Wrestling''. On the March 9 episode of ''AEW Dynamite, Dynamite'', Hardy made his AEW debut, saving his brother Matt from an attack by Team AHFO (Andrade El Idolo, Private Party (professional wrestling), Private Party, and The Butcher and The Blade). On the May 4 episode of ''Dynamite'', Hardy had his first singles match, defeating Bobby Fish to qualify in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. On the May 11 episode of ''Dynamite'', Hardy advanced to the tournament's semifinals after defeating Darby Allin. On the May 18 episode of ''Dynamite'', Hardy would be eliminated from the tournament after losing to Adam Cole. After winning a tag team match at the Double or Nothing (2022), Double or Nothing event, in which he teamed with his brother to wrestle against
The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team and promoters, consisting of brothers Matthew and Nicholas Massie, who are known by their ring names Matt and Nick Jackson, respectively. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...
, it was revealed that Jeff had sustained a "terrible" concussion-like injury, which left him "almost knocked out" according to Matt. On June 14, AEW announced that Hardy was indefinitely suspended without pay after being arrested for driving under the influence the day prior. Hardy was scheduled to appear at Triplemanía XXX on June 18, where he and Matt were to face Dragon Lee (wrestler), Dragon Lee and Dralístico in the main event. After his arrest, the company Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide announced that he would not participate in the event and would instead be replaced by a surprise wrestler. At the event, Matt teamed with John Morrison (wrestler), Johnny Hardy.


Professional wrestling style and persona

Hardy's professional wrestling style has been described as "high-flying" and "death-defying" with "daredevil stunts". His signature finishing move is the '' Swanton Bomb''. However, by 2018, Hardy used the ''Swanton Bomb'' less frequently due to his accumulated lower back injuries. Hardy also used the move ''450 Splash'' in his early career but stopped after injuring his shoulder, instead using the ''Swanton Bomb'' exclusively. Hardy also uses the ''Twist of Fate'', a Cutter (professional wrestling)#Front facelock cutter, Facelock cutter or a Stunner (professional wrestling)#Front facelock stunner, facelock stunner. During his time as a heel (professional wrestling), heel in 2010, the ''Twist of Fate'' was renamed the ''Twist of Hate''. Hardy's other signature moves include ''Whisper in the Wind'' (a Professional wrestling aerial techniques#Rolling senton bomb, rolling senton bomb or a Professional wrestling aerial techniques#Corkscrew, corkscrew moonsault); ''Professional wrestling double-team maneuvers#Poetry in Motion, Poetry in Motion''; a Professional wrestling throws#Sitout jawbreaker, sitout jawbreaker; and a Leg drop#Double leg drop, double leg drop to the midsection of a supine opponent. Hardy's professional wrestling persona reflects his artistic interests. He is known for his Body painting#Face painting, face and body painting, body paint which he creates himself before his matches. He credits seeing Sting as a child during a show in North Carolina with inspiring him to create new designs with his face paint each match, saying, "Sting was coming out, this was an old NWA [National Wrestling Alliance] show, and I was able to touch his shoulder. And he had his face painted, his neon green tights on, and the blonde hair - and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I want to do that. I want to make somebody feel like he made me feel right now'". It is difficult to paint on a canvas while traveling for his work as a wrestler, so he uses his facepaint as a creative outlet. He considers himself shy and introverted when not wearing his painted face, saying, "I can get to the building and have this image in my head. And being that I don't have a canvas I can just use my face as what I want to try to bring to life... All these artistic thoughts come into mind. Like it shows artistic freedom and also freedom of your soul. It's like expression at its best. I think I am more sociable when I'm all painted up. I think I feel normal, quite normal, a lot more normal than when I'm all shy and not painted. That's Jeff Hardy, the Charismatic Enigma at his best, when he comes out with the face paint. The face painted freak, man, that's by far a compliment in my book".


Other media

Hardy appeared on the February 7, 1999 episode of ''That '70s Show'' entitled "That Wrestling Show", along with Matt, as an uncredited wrestler. Hardy and Matt also appeared on ''WWE Tough Enough, Tough Enough'' in early 2001, talking to and wrestling the contestants. He appeared on the February 25, 2002 episode of ''Fear Factor'' competing against five other World Wrestling Federation wrestlers. Hardy, Hardy, and Krugman: pp 227–229. He was eliminated in the first round. His brother eventually won the $50,000 for his charity. Hardy also appears on ''The Hardy Show'', an internet web show which features the Hardys, Shannon Moore and many of their friends. In September 2009, Hardy signed a deal with Touchstone Television, Fox 21 to appear in a reality television show. In 2001, Hardy, Matt and Lita appeared in ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's 2001 Sports Hall of Fame issue. In 2003, Hardy and Matt, with the help of Michael Krugman, wrote and published their autobiography ''The Hardy Boyz: Exist 2 Inspire''. According to the ''Wrestling Figure Checklist'', Hardy had 128 different action figures released in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. As part of WWE, Hardy has appeared in several of their DVDs, including ''The Hardy Boyz: Leap of Faith'' (2001) and ''The Ladder Match'' (2007). He is also featured in the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling release ''Enigma: The Best of Jeff Hardy'' (2005) and ''Pro Wrestling's Ultimate Insiders: Hardy Boys – From the Backyard to the Big Time'' (2005). On April 29, 2008, WWE released ''"Twist of Fate: The Matt and Jeff Hardy Story"''. The DVD features footage of the brothers in OMEGA and WWE, and also briefly mentions Hardy's first run with TNA. In December 2009, WWE released a DVD about Hardy entitled ''Jeff Hardy: My Life, My Rules''. In 2012 Total Nonstop Action released "Enigma: The Best Of Jeff Hardy Volume 2", a followup to the 2005 release featuring a 2 disc long documentary following Hardy's return to TNA, his heel turn, and the Victory Road 2011 incident, and is accompanied by the matches spoken about. In 2015, Total Nonstop Action release "The Best of Jeff Hardy Volume 3: Humanomoly", featuring some of his greatest matches throughout his TNA tenure.


Video games


Artistic and musical pursuits

Hardy has an Eclecticism, eclectic set of interests outside of wrestling which includes songwriting, poetry and creating art. He calls his artistic side "The Imag-I-Nation". He has created three-dimensional artworks such as a statue of an "aluminummy" named "Neroameee" out of tin foil outside of his recording studio (a Spray painting, spray painted Mobile home, trailer), an artificial volcano in his front yard, which he then jumped over on his
motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...
Motorcycle, dirtbike and a large sculpture of his brother Matt's hand signal "V1", which was seen on ''The Hardy Show'', an online webshow which featured both the Hardys,
Shannon Moore Shannon Moore (born July 27, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1999 and 2001 and with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for several years in the 2000s. H ...
, and many of their friends. He has sold his original paintings online and has donated his artwork to numerous charity auctions. He also designs the art sold on numerous merchandise throughout his career including the album artwork for his musical pursuits. In 2003, Hardy formed a band,
PeroxWhy?Gen PeroxWhy?Gen (pronounced ''peroxygen'') is an American rock band from North Carolina started by professional wrestlers Jeff Hardy and Shannon Moore. Then members of the metal band Burnside 6 joined the band, but later left except for Junior Merri ...
, with members of the band Burnside 6 and Moore, who later left. He also converted a Mobile home, trailer into a recording studio and taught himself how to play guitar and later purchased a drum set. Hardy, Hardy, and Krugman: p. 247. Their first album (marketed as a Jeff Hardy solo album) ''Plurality of Worlds'' was released through TNA Music on November 7, 2013. Peroxwhy?Gen released their second album ''Within the Cygnus Rift'' on July 27, 2015.Peroxwhygen , Within the Cygnus Rift
. Peroxwhygenrocks.com (July 27, 2015). Retrieved on August 3, 2015.
Their third album, ''Precession of the Equinoxes'', was released in 2017. He performs his music at venues while traveling for his wrestling career, sometimes just hours after a match. His music features rock and pop songs, tend to be autobiographical and Hardy prefers performing his slower songs live.


Discography


Studio albums

* ''Plurality of Worlds'' (2013) * ''Within the Cygnus Rift'' (2015) * ''Precession of the Equinoxes'' (2017)


Extended plays

* ''Similar Creatures'' (2012) * ''Spawn of Me'' (2016) * ''Individuals'' (2019) * ''Human Forms'' (2020) * ''The Omega Sessions'' (2022)


Singles

* ''Vaccine'' (2020)


Personal life

Hardy met his girlfriend Beth Britt in 1999, shortly after the Hardy Boyz won the
WWF Tag Team Championship The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the promotion's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then- ...
for the first time. Hardy, Hardy, and Krugman: p. 102. The couple met at a club in Southern Pines, North Carolina. On March 15, 2008, it was reported that Hardy's home burned to the ground in a fire. Hardy and his girlfriend Beth were not home at the time, but his dog, Jack was killed in the fire. In August 2010, Hardy announced that Britt was pregnant with the couple's first child, a daughter named Ruby Claire Hardy, who was born on October 19, 2010. Hardy and Britt got married on March 9, 2011. The pair's second child, a daughter, Nera Quinn Hardy, was born on December 31, 2015. Hardy has a tattoo of roots that starts on his head, behind his ear, and finishes at his hand. He also has a few other signature designed tattoos, one of which, a dragon, he hid from his father at a young age. It was also the first tattoo he got in 1998. Hardy, Hardy, and Krugman: p. 130. He later got tattoos of the Chinese symbols for "Peace" and "Health", as well as tattoos of fire and a wave. On March 13, 2020, Hardy revealed a new tattoo on his back. Hardy regards his tattoos as his "artistic impulses".


Legal issues

On September 11, 2009, Hardy was arrested on charges of drug trafficking in controlled prescription pills and possession of anabolic steroids, after a search of his house yielded 262 Vicodin prescription pills, 180 Carisoprodol, Soma prescription pills, 555 milliliters of anabolic steroids, a residual amount of powder cocaine, and drug paraphernalia. On September 8, 2011, Hardy was sentenced to ten days in jail, 30 months of probation, and a fine of $100,000. Hardy served his jail sentence from October 3 to 13, 2011. On July 13, 2019, Hardy was arrested in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for public intoxication. On October 3 of the same year, Hardy was arrested and charged with driving while impaired in Moore County, North Carolina. On June 13, 2022, Hardy was arrested by Florida Highway Patrol officers in Volusia County, Florida on charges of driving with a suspended license, violating restrictions placed on his license which required him to keep an Ignition Interlock Device — a handheld breathalyzer that prevents users from starting their vehicle after drinking alcohol — in his car, and felony DUI. According to Florida highway patrol officers, they observed a white vehicle "swerving" and "running off the road" at approximately 12:30 P.M. eastern time. They stated that once they got Hardy to pull over and they approached, he seemed confused, belligerent, and smelled of alcohol. The arrest report states that Hardy could not complete any portion of the field sobriety tests the officers had him do, and that he blew a blood alcohol level of 0.291, well above Florida's legal limit of 0.08. In a press release sent out on June 14, AEW president Tony Khan announced that Hardy was indefinitely suspended without pay, and that he would only be invited back to AEW on the condition he would complete alcohol rehabilitation treatment and "maintain his sobriety".


Championships and accomplishments

* All Star Wrestling (West Virginia) ** ASW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Matt Hardy, Broken Matt * ''The Baltimore Sun'' ** Feud of the Year (2009) * The Crash (professional wrestling), The Crash ** The Crash Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Broken Matt * House of Glory ** House of Glory#Tag Team Championship, HOG Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with
Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team ...
* International Wrestling Cartel ** IWC Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) - with Matt Hardy * MCW Pro Wrestling ** MCW Tag Team Championship (MCW Tag Team Championship#Title history, 1 time) – with Matt Hardy * NWA Wildside, National Championship Wrestling ** NCW Light Heavyweight Championship (4 times) * New Dimension Wrestling ** NDW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time) ** NDW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Matt Hardy * New Frontier Wrestling Association ** NFWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * North East Wrestling ** NEW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * National Wrestling Alliance, NWA 2000 ** NWA 2000 Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Matt Hardy * OMEGA Championship Wrestling **OMEGA Heavyweight Championship (OMEGA Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) ** OMEGA New Frontiers Championship (OMEGA New Frontiers Championship#Title history, 1 time) ** OMEGA Tag Team Championship (OMEGA Tag Team Championship#Title history, 2 times) – with Broken Matt/Matt Hardy ** OMEGA Heavyweight Championship Tournament (2015) * ''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...
'' ** List of Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards#Comeback of the Year, Comeback of the Year (2007, 2012, 2017) ** List of Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards#Match of the Year, Match of the Year (2000) with Matt Hardy vs.
The Dudley Boyz The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team that consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley (Mark LoMonaco) and D-Von Dudley (Devon Hughes). The team was also joined by various Dudley family me ...
and
Edge and Christian Edge & Christian (E&C) were a Canadian professional wrestling tag team. They are best known for their time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), later renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where they won the WWF Tag Team Championship on ...
in a Professional wrestling match types#Basic non-elimination matches, triangle Ladder match at
WrestleMania 2000 WrestleMania 2000 (sequentially known as WrestleMania 16) was the 16th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on April 2, 2000, at the Arrowh ...
** Match of the Year (2001) with Matt Hardy vs. The Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, Tables, Ladders and Chairs match at WrestleMania X-Seven ** Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (2008, 2009) ** List of Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards#Tag Team of the Year, Tag Team of the Year (2000) with Matt Hardy ** Ranked No. 7 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated#PWI 500, PWI 500'' in 2013 ** Ranked No. 418 of the top 500 greatest wrestlers in the ''PWI Years'' in 2003 *
Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...
**
ROH World Tag Team Championship The ROH World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, i ...
(List of ROH World Tag Team Champions, 1 time) – with Matt Hardy ** Holy S*** Moment of the Decade (2010s) – – with Matt Hardy * Impact Wrestling, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ** Impact World Heavyweight Championship, TNA World Heavyweight Championship (List of Impact World Champions, 3 times) ** Impact World Tag Team Championship, TNA World Tag Team Championship (List of Impact World Tag Team Champions, 2 times) – with Matt Hardy **List of Impact Wrestling tournaments#NWA World Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender Tournament (2004), NWA World Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender Tournament (2004) **List of Impact Wrestling tournaments#TNA World Heavyweight Championship Tournament (2010), TNA World Heavyweight Championship Tournament (2010) ** List of Impact Wrestling tournaments#TNA World Tag Team Championship Tournament (2015), TNA World Tag Team Championship Tournament (2015) – with Matt Hardy **List of Impact Wrestling tournaments#TNA World Tag Team Championship #1 Contender Tournament (2014), TNA World Tag Team Championship #1 Contender Tournament (2014) – with Matt Hardy ** Bound for Glory Series#2012, Bound for Glory Series (2012) ** Total Nonstop Action Wrestling tournaments#Race for the Case, Race for the Case (2017 – Green Case) ** TNA One Night Only#World Cup 2015, TNA World Cup (2015) – with Gunner (wrestler), Gunner, Davey Richards,
Rockstar Spud James Michael Curtin (born 30 January 1983) is an English former professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE as a writer on Raw. During his time as an on screen performer in the company, he worked under the ring name Drake Maverick. ...
,
Crazzy Steve Steven Scott (born March 4, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler, currently signed with Impact Wrestling, under the ring name Crazzy Steve, where he is a former Impact World Tag Team Champion. He also wrestles on the independent circuit fo ...
and Gail Kim ** TNA One Night Only#World Cup 2016, TNA World Cup (2016) – with Eddie Edwards,
Jessie Godderz Jessie Godderz (born April 23, 1986), also known as Mr. PEC-Tacular, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He currently competes for Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) where he is a former one-time OVW National Heavyweight Champion, one-time ...
, Robbie E and Jade (wrestler), Jade ** TNA Wrestler of the Year (2012) * Universal Wrestling Association ** UWA World Middleweight Championship (UWA World Middleweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) * WWE, World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE **
WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...
(List of WWE Champions, 1 time) ** World Heavyweight Championship (List of World Heavyweight Champions (WWE), 2 times) ** WWE Intercontinental Championship, WWF/E Intercontinental Championship (List of WWE Intercontinental Champions, 5 times) ** WWE European Championship (List of WWE European Champions, 1 time) ** WWE United States Championship (List of WWE United States Champions, 1 time) ** WWE Hardcore Championship, WWF/E Hardcore Championship (List of WWE Hardcore Champions, 3 times) ** WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (List of WWF Light Heavyweight Champions, 1 time) ** WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (List of WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions, 1 time) – with Matt Hardy ** WWE Raw Tag Team Championship (List of WWE Raw Tag Team Champions, 1 time) – with Matt Hardy ** World Tag Team Championship (WWE), WWF/World Tag Team Championship (List of World Tag Team Champions (WWE), 6 times) – with Matt Hardy ** WCW World Tag Team Championship, WCW Tag Team Championship (List of WCW World Tag Team Champions, 1 time) – with Matt Hardy ** Triple Crown (professional wrestling)#List of WWE Men's Triple Crown winners, Eighteenth Triple Crown Champion ** Grand Slam (professional wrestling)#WWE, Ninth Grand Slam Champion (Grand Slam (professional wrestling)#Original format (established 1997), under original format; Grand Slam (professional wrestling)#Guide, Ninth overall) ** Terri Runnels#Various storylines (1999–2001), Terri Invitational Tournament (No Mercy (1999), 1999) – with Matt Hardy ** Slammy Award (2 times) *** Extreme Moment of the Year (Slammy Award#2008, 2008) giving Randy Orton a ''Swanton Bomb'' from the top of the ''WWE Raw, Raw'' set *** Extreme Moment of the Year (Slammy Award#2009, 2009) jumping from a ladder onto CM Punk through the Spanish announce table at
SummerSlam SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
* ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' ** Best Flying Wrestler (2000) ** List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Feud of the Year, Feud of the Year (2009) vs. CM Punk ** List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic, Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (2008) WWE teasing a drug overdose to remove him from a
Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...
title match
** List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards#Worst Worked Match of the Year, Worst Worked Match of the Year (2011) vs. Sting at Victory Road (owing to Hardy's inebriation) * Wrestling Superstar ** Wrestling Superstar Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Matt Hardy


References


Further reading

* *


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardy, Jeff 1977 births 21st-century American singers 21st-century American poets 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American male writers All Elite Wrestling personnel American male poets American male professional wrestlers American people convicted of drug offenses American rock singers American rock songwriters American sportspeople convicted of crimes Living people Masked wrestlers Musicians from Raleigh, North Carolina NWA/WCW/WWE United States Heavyweight Champions People from Moore County, North Carolina Professional wrestlers from North Carolina Sculptors from North Carolina Singer-songwriters from North Carolina Sportspeople from Raleigh, North Carolina TNA World Heavyweight/Impact World Champions TNA/Impact World Tag Team Champions World Heavyweight Champions (WWE) WWE Champions WWE Grand Slam champions WWF European Champions WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions WWF/WWE Hardcore Champions Wrestling Observer Newsletter award winners 20th-century professional wrestlers 21st-century professional wrestlers ROH World Tag Team Champions UWA World Middleweight Champions WCW World Tag Team Champions