Five Great Jeff Hardy Moments to Help Forget About That 24/7 Title Nonsense

It’s been a couple weeks since we saw Jeff Hardy run down the ramp during an episode of Monday Night Raw to try and grab the 24/7 Championship from Reggie. It was a bummer for fans of Hardy as he’s one of the most decorated wrestlers in WWE, so it was bizarre seeing him chase the 24/7 Title as it’s often used for joke segments and comedy storylines. Though he later received a United States Championship match against Damian Priest, it felt like the damage had already been done.

While that may have been a huge blunder of a move on the part of WWE, fans know what Hardy’s capable of. He’s held the WWE Championship, he’s had countless classic matches, and he’s a pillar of WWE’s tag team history. So with that, we’ve put together a list of great Jeff Hardy moments to help forget about that 24/7 Championship nonsense. These aren’t necessarily Hardy’s greatest hits (though you could argue some are), but rather a list of five moments we definitely appreciate!

WrestleMania X7 TLC Match (2001)

WrestleMania X7 is considered one of the greatest wrestling pay-per-views of all time. It featured a stacked card that included an exciting Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship. The three teams in that match were Edge and Christian, the Dudley Boyz, and the Hardy Boyz, and everyone involved put on a stellar performance.

One of the most iconic moments in that match was when Edge did a jumping spear off the top of a ladder to Jeff Hardy, who was hanging in mid-air as he held on to the titles that were suspended above the ring. It was an intense moment for sure — one of many! At one point, Jeff was gored by Edge and Christian’s buddy Rhyno through a table, resulting in a sickening crunch as Hardy was broken in half.

Of course, Jeff also dealt some serious damage during the match. One moment saw him perform the Swanton Bomb off the top of a ladder onto Rhyno and Spike Dudley, who were knocked out on a couple tables at ringside. Jeff truly put his body on the line in that match, which is something fans are still thanking him for to this day.

Jeff Hardy vs. Undertaker Ladder Match on Raw (2002)

One of the greatest matches in Monday Night Raw history saw Jeff Hardy in the fight of his life against the Undertaker. The Deadman put the WWE Undisputed Championship on the line against the daredevil Hardy, who challenged Taker to a ladder match. The match was mostly a heel Undertaker beating the living daylights out of Hardy, but it told an excellent underdog story. Every time Hardy dished out some desperation offense of his own, the crowd went absolutely bonkers.

There were a few moments when it seemed like Jeff Hardy was about to pull off the win of his career. While that didn’t happen, Hardy won something just as important as the Undisputed Title: Taker’s respect. Following the match, Undertaker returned to the ring and was about to put a beating on the younger competitor, but he ended up raising Hardy’s hand instead — the ultimate show of respect from Big Evil.

Aside from the excellent story Jeff Hardy and Undertaker told in the ring, props go out to Jerry Lawler for his hilarious commentary, as well as Good Ol’ Jim Ross, who was cheering Hardy on the entire time.

Jeff Hardy Wins the WWE Championship (2008)

While Jeff Hardy may not have picked up the win against Undertaker in that iconic ladder match on Raw, he would go to win the WWE Title six years later at the Armageddon pay-per-view. The bout was a triple threat match that also featured WWE Champion Edge and Triple H.

It was an exciting clash that really propelled Jeff Hardy into the main event picture. He was, after all, sharing the ring with Edge and Triple H, two of WWE’s top names. Jeff fit right in, too, holding his own against his rivals and ultimately hitting a Swanton Bomb on both opponents that resulted in the one-two-three.

For fans, it was amazing to witness Jeff Hardy finally winning the big one. And for Hardy, that first WWE Championship victory was the culmination of years of hard work and dedication to professional wrestling.

CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy at SummerSlam (2009)

By SummerSlam 2009, Jeff Hardy was a bona fide main eventer. Hardy headlined the show (one of WWE’s biggest of the year) going up against CM Punk, who was after the World Heavyweight Championship.

The two had traded victories in the months leading up to SummerSlam. Aside from the World Title implications, things got personal when the Straight-Edge CM Punk brought Jeff Hardy’s personal issues with substance abuse into the fold. Punk’s gradual heel turn coupled with Hardy’s real-life struggles created a highly intense scenario where the majority of fans empathized and sided with Hardy.

This rivalry came to a head in an exciting ladder match at SummerSlam. Here, Hardy performed a death-defying leap from the top of a ladder down onto CM Punk, who was positioned across the commentator’s table. It was a spectacle to witness, and having been in attendance for that show, it’s one of my all-time favorite live wrestling moments. Though Punk won the battle and the World Heavyweight Championship, Jeff Hardy put on a hell of a fight, and both men came out of it looking like megastars.

Jeff Hardy’s TNA Debut (2004)

Before AEW became the place where anything could happen, a scrappy independent promotion known as TNA (Impact Wrestling today) was making some waves in the world of professional wrestling. After abruptly leaving WWE in 2003, Hardy showed up at TNA’s Second Anniversary Show to take on AJ Styles for the X Division Championship.

It was a fun surprise for those in attendance, and it showed that TNA could be a home to wrestlers outside of WWE. Hearing the crowd go nuts and chant “Hardy! Hardy! Hardy! Hardy!” during his entrance showed that people gave a damn about Hardy and TNA. The match itself is decent despite ending in no contest. At that time, Hardy had already cultivated an exciting career, becoming a big name in the process, so when he debuted in TNA, you can bet people were watching.

Honorable Mention: Jeff Hardy’s Return to WWE (2006)

By 2006, Edge had built his main event status and was one of the best things going as WWE Champion on Monday Night Raw. That same summer, vignettes began airing to promote the return of Jeff Hardy to WWE following his time in TNA. (This was clearly before the modern era of pro wrestling, where awesome surprises seem to occur all the time.) As he was advertised for the show, fans waited in excited anticipation for the big return.

Jeff Hardy showed up to confront Edge in what felt like main event push. While we would have to wait a couple more years for Hardy to finally win the WWE Championship, the way he got in Edge’s face just felt like a huge, special moment. This led to Hardy capturing the Intercontinental Championship a couple times, as well as reclaiming tag gold with his brother Matt. That said, this run felt different for Hardy, and it seemed like it was finally his time to shine as a singles star.