Jeff Hardy's 5 greatest spots of all time

Jeff Hardy has long since been known as The Charismatic Enigma by the WWE Universe, and in many ways, he’s lived up to that nickname in more ways than one. Over the course of his two-decade career, Jeff has put together one of the most bizarre and captivating tenures we’ve ever seen in professional wrestling.

His body of work is as entertaining as his problems are sad, but regardless of that, the thing we want to focus on above everything else is his daredevil nature. From jumping off ladders to flipping around like a madman, you could argue that nobody has ‘risked it all’ quite like Hardy over the years.

Still, while there are many highlight reel moments to choose from, we’ve decided to narrow it down to just five. That was easier said than done as you can imagine, but we guarantee that every entry will still take you on a nice trip down nostalgia lane.

With that being said, here are Jeff Hardy’s five greatest spots of all time.

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#5) Raw 2008

The first of the five entries on this list is one that some of you may not even be familiar with. It took place in the early stages of 2008 on an episode of Monday Night Raw, and the reason it gets the nod here is that it was the first sign of Jeff Hardy being able to hold his own in a high profile world title feud.

Orton was the perfect adversary for him, as Jeff attempted to prove that he was more than capable of taking that last step required to become a world champion. Of course, he didn’t wind up capturing the world title until the end of that year, but this was a big sign of intent from him as he officially made the jump from being an upper midcarder to becoming a fully-fledged main eventer.

#4) WrestleMania 33

You could argue that we’ve included this solely because it took place less than a year ago, but come on, don’t pretend like you didn’t pop hard. Most of the fans in attendance and watching back at home were still coming to terms with the fact that The Hardy Boyz had returned at all, and all of a sudden, Jeff was climbing that ladder once again.

His Swanton Bomb onto Sheamus & Cesaro was picture perfect, and it led to the finish of Matt pulling the titles down. It was really refreshing to see one of these big spots actually pay off for him for once, as opposed to it causing him to crash and burn.

That’s the definition of progressive storytelling, and we certainly won’t forget this one in a hurry.

#3) SummerSlam 2009

The greatest feud in Jeff Hardy’s career came in 2009 when he went one on one with his polar opposite CM Punk. Not only did these two men have fantastic chemistry in the ring together, but the dynamic of their two characters made for truly fascinating television. It truly did make you question who was the heel, and who was the babyface – both in the moral sense and in your heart.

One of the best moments of the entire feud is quite an underrated one, as Jeff climbed to the top of a huge ladder next to the commentary table before nailing a delightful Swanton Bomb on the Straight Edge Superstar. Unfortunately, he didn’t retain his World Heavyweight Championship, but he certainly earned the respect of the fans.

#2) WrestleMania 23

The runner-up spot goes to WrestleMania 23, in a spot that wasn’t just jaw-dropping but was also a great continuation of a storyline from six years prior. As Jeff climbed to the top of a ladder once again in Detroit, he had two choices – attempt to jump for the briefcase, or risk it all and send himself crashing to the floor where Edge was awaiting him.

He chose the latter, and it was a decision that pretty much ruled both men out of the match entirely. The commentary, the actual move and the urgency from brother Matt are three of the many reasons why this is such a sensational moment.

Oh, and as we alluded to earlier in the post, he was also able to give Edge a receipt for Houston.

#1) WrestleMania 17

It was always going to be this.

Bizarrely enough this spot wasn’t even initiated by Jeff, and yet, it’s still one of his finest moments. The timing of the spear from Edge combined with the perfect rotation from Hardy ensured that we wound up with one hell of a spectacle, in what was a career-defining performance from both men.

Jeff has always been the kind of guy who is willing to put his body on the line for the sake of sending the fans home happy, and on this night, he did the one thing that we all know and love him for – he lived in the moment.

So as we look forward to the future, we’ll see whether or not he can add to his collection of moments.