5 booking ideas for Jeff Hardy’s return

The Charismatic Enigma Jeff Hardy has been on the shelf since September, and his presence on the main roster has been sorely missed. Throughout his entire career, Jeff has always been one of the most popular superstars in whichever company he’s been a part of, and it’s scary to think how much of a star he could’ve become if he hadn’t slipped up so many times.

But as we approach WWE WrestleMania season it’s time to start thinking about Jeff’s return, and we’ve already heard some rumours that he could be on the verge of coming back in the next few weeks.

If that’s the case, then we’ve got some ideas regarding how he could be booked moving forward. Some are a little bit farfetched, but when you consider just how much potential Jeff still has an in-ring performer, we think they could work.

With that being said, here are five booking ideas for Jeff Hardy’s return.

#1 A magnificent return on the Raw after WrestleMania

The Raw After Mania is the perfect setting for Jeff's return

The Raw after WrestleMania is one of the biggest nights of the year for WWE, as it’s the equivalent of a season premiere. The storylines are rebooted from scratch and we get to see new superstars make their debut on the main roster, and sometimes, we even get to see legends from years gone by making their long-awaited return.

Jeff Hardy falls somewhere in the middle of that, and you just know that he’d get a monstrous pop from the crowd. Everyone loves to see someone like Jeff made a triumphant return, and when you consider just how lively they’re going to be in New Orleans, it makes sense for him to have his own big moment.

#2 Brother vs. brother

We’ve seen it before, but it’s time to see it again – Matt vs Jeff. We’ve already touched on this idea a bit in the past, but that’s because it’s something that’s worth doing. We’d like to see the younger Hardy return and question why Matt has become broken once again, only for Matt to lash out and turn heel on Jeff on Monday Night Raw.

The two could then begin a short feud against one another, which could either culminate in Matt putting Jeff back on the shelf or Jeff beginning a push towards another title run. Either way, you’ve got to admit it would be a lot of fun, and even if they dragged it out a bit in TNA, there were some good moments in there that WWE could replicate.

#3 Brother Nero

We’ve heard a great deal about Brother Nero, but now it’s time to actually see him in the flesh. If there’s one thing that Jeff Hardy can do which people don’t give him credit for, it's makes an unusual character work, and Nero is just that. While he may be seen as nothing more than a sidekick to Woken Matt, it’d be interesting to see how WWE would handle their dynamic.

We wouldn’t want him to retire like that, and we’re even open to seeing him re-debut as Willow, but this is definitely something that should be considered. There’s so much potential in these guys if you just let them do their own crazy thing for a few months, and let’s face it, there’s a reason why the WrestleMania crowd were chanting for Brother Nero in Orlando.

#4 Why couldn't he be an effective manager?

This one seems like the least likely option, but if Jeff still isn’t 100% cleared to go in the ring, it could be the smart way to go. After all, Matt is the guy WWE seems intent on pushing right now, and perhaps they believe Jeff will just get in the way of their eventual end goal. We don’t know what that is, but hey, you never know sometimes with this company.

Jeff as a manager may not work out great in a babyface capacity, but perhaps you could have him assist Matt as Brother Nero if the duo were to turn heel. It’d obviously be a huge risk and his popularity may not end up recovering with the casual audience, but it’s better than him sitting on the shelf for a few more months.

#5 A title challenge

Jeff would be a great Intercontinental Champion

We don’t care which championship it is – we just want to see Jeff Hardy climb the ladder once again.

He’s done it before and it’s been an incredibly successful story to tell, and we want to see what would happen if they revitalise it. Jeff Hardy is the ultimate underdog and even if it’s just an IC title chase, we know that people would get invested in it.

He doesn't have to rise to the level of world champion, and he doesn’t even need to challenge for the strap, but pushing Jeff to the level of being in a title feud is the right way to go.

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