The Charismatic Enigma Jeff Hardy is perhaps one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in WWE history. When it came to popularity, not many Superstars in the last decade can compete with the man himself. Whether it was the guy's personality before the match or daredevil stunts during, you could never quite take your eyes off of the now-39-year-old.
During two stints in World Wrestling Entertainment, Hardy never quite reached the pinnacle of the company. Sure he won a couple world titles, but in terms of prolonged success the former Tag Team Champion was never able to maintain his spot at the top of the mountain.
Whether this was down to politics or his personal demons is up for debate, but you can't deny his talent.
This isn't to say Jeff Hardy hasn't made some serious mistakes throughout his career because we all know that's the case. However, everyone deserves a second chance and whilst Jeff had quite a few, he made the most of the opportunities that he was awarded. Controversial or not, this matter revolves purely around talent and nothing more.
From teenage prodigy to 'what could have been', these are five of the biggest reasons why the man formerly known as Brother Nero was underrated in WWE.
#5 Fan interaction
If you were a wrestling fan in the late 90s and early 00s, the chances are that you knew someone with Hardy Boyz merch. Throughout their entire careers, Matt and Jeff were able to move a great deal of merchandise for WWE, with Jeff, in particular, taking it to a whole new level.
One of the great things about Jeff is how much he gave to the fans. Whether it was a casual house show or WrestleMania Axxess, there was no moment too big or small in which he wouldn't take time out to speak to one of his “creatures”.
Much like the celebrities of the world who also have nicknames for their fanbases, you just knew that the legion of Hardy fanatics was there to stay for life.
In a number of circumstances, there have been stories to suggest Jeff would go out of his way to donate merchandise and tickets for shows to those who were desperate to see him in action. When you put that alongside the work he did for Make A Wish throughout his entire career, you can tell what an icon and an inspiration he was.
Whilst WWE likes to promote Cena's work with the charity, Jeff was as popular because the kids knew that just like John, they were meeting someone who genuinely cared about what they had to say.
With that being said, we go from one obvious point to an entirely controversial one.
#4 Mic skills
Mic skills. Some guys have them, some guys don't and some learn them as they go through their career. Regardless of whether you want to admit it or not, Jeff Hardy could cut a promo. The proof is in the pudding and he's done it time and time again over his two-decade long career.
Just go back and look at his feud with Undertaker over the WWE Title. Jeff had no right to be in that spot on the card, yet he made it work with the impassioned delivery of his promos. Then you have his comedy work with brother Matt in the early days that included a lot of skit-based work that brought on a whole new kind of fanbase for the high-flyers.
The sky truly was the limit not just in-ring but on the microphone. Hardy was always perceived to be one dimensional, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
It was all about discovering the person behind the make-up with Jeff. For example, with the Punk feud, it took on a very real element when discussing Jeff’s drug-related demons. Hardy spoke openly about his problems and overcoming them, showing a different tone and range.
Prior to this, the personal nature of the Edge and Matt Hardy feuds that Jeff had, showed just how far he’d come since the early days of his career. One simple line sums up just how much the World Title meant to Jeff when coming up against a foe as long-winded as Edge.
“It won’t be just for me. It’s gonna be for each and every one of these people that supported me through thick and thin, always believed in what I stand for and that’s being me: Jeff Hardy.”
Speaking of which, nothing quite sums up the man himself more than this next point.
#3 Commitment
This may be considered questionable on the face of it, but not when you look a little bit deeper. Jeff Hardy consistently put his body on the line for the millions of fans around the world, which by default meant he also did it for the company.
You literally cannot buy that kind of commitment and dedication to the cause, because one wrong move could've seen Jeff be paralysed for the rest of his life. But that didn't matter to the rainbow-haired warrior, because if one Swanton Bomb meant that thousands of fans would go home happy then that is what he would do.
Critics can claim Jeff couldn't actually wrestle that well, but the purists among us know that isn't true.
If you look towards one of his first ever major stunts back at WrestleMania 2000, Hardy lands pretty much directly on his head. Now if you consider that over the next decade he continued to pour that much heart into his performances, concluding with the same bump against CM Punk at SummerSlam 2009, you’ll get an idea of how much he’s sacrificed.
The pain medication that would eventually lead to Jeff’s downfall came from committing himself to all of these events. Why? Because he wanted to do what was best for the company. So when it came to wrestling different styles, the former IC Champion had no problems whatsoever.
#2 Diversity
We as a wrestling community often hear the phrase 'one hit wonder' being used to describe the Superstars who are considered to be more death-defying. Whilst there is some merit to that, it certainly isn't the case for Jeff Hardy. In fact, throughout his WWE tenure, he was able to constantly reinvent his character.
As a heel, he was dramatically underrated. But as a tweener/loveable babyface, Hardy could do just about anything. Even when going to TNA he managed to almost perfect the heel persona, and over all that time was able to wrestle a string of matches that included numerous styles and techniques.
There's being a high flyer, but then there's being able to tell a story which Hardy did with flawless ease. Just look at his WWE Championship chase from 2008, it's remarkable.
Starting off as a kind of “I don’t care about my own health and safety” youth, matches with people like the Undertaker helped Jeff transform, and he slowly grew into a more mature competitor. Then, upon returning to the company, Jeff began painting his face and taking part in segments that resembled a mixture of Taker himself and Mankind.
It was this renewed form of insanity that pushed him towards the WWE Title, and that growth led to improved match quality also. If you go back and look at the bout with Randy Orton at the 2008 Royal Rumble, it has a much more technical feel to it as opposed to the many ladder matches in which Jeff utilised his daredevil skills.
Now onto something we all know, love, and will never forget.
Iconic moments
Because yeah, we know, he had a whole bunch of them. The image of Jeff being speared from 20 feet in the air at WrestleMania 17 is legendary. The image of Jeff nailing a Swanton Bomb from even higher up on Randy Orton is iconic. Just about every big time stunt that this guy pulled off is in the record books for one reason or another.
Professional wrestling is about making memories that last a lifetime and getting the fans invested in what you're trying to accomplish. It's debatable, but not many other Superstars have been able to achieve that more than Jeff Hardy.
If he were in WWE today, the likelihood is that the man who helped revolutionise the TLC match would have a bucket load of World Championships to his name.
But alas, he has not. It doesn’t even need to be something that takes place from high in the air to count as iconic, either. Jeff was part of one of the greatest calls in WWE history during his Undisputed Championship match against the Undertaker when Jim Ross came out with the following.
“Climb the ladder kid! Make yourself famous!”
You couldn’t keep your eyes off what Jeff was going to do next because you knew it would live on in the history books. The WrestleMania 2000 Swanton is used in package videos just as much as the stunt with Edge, with Hardy’s WWE Title victory at Armageddon 2008 being the stuff of legends.
In addition, his mid-card career also hit centre stage upon defeating Triple H for the Intercontinental Championship on SmackDown. You name the year, and there’s a dozen moments that include the former WWE Champion. Fact.
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