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Jeff Hardy had the deck stacked against him tonight. AJ Styles took the opportunity to blindside him when he went out to help Braun Strowman fend off RETRIBUTION. Throughout the night, we were shown what kind of condition Hardy's knee was in, and it didn't look like we'd be getting a match.
Cut to his entrance, and Jeff Hardy was, at best, limping to the ring. Throughout the bout, AJ Styles focused on that injured right leg, even going so far as to tear away at Hardy's pants so he could wear away at the brace, forcing Hardy to lose the ability to run.
Despite all that, a lucky shot with the brace allowed him to hit a Swanton Bomb and capture the Intercontinental Championship for the fifth time. With a new champion on the board, who will step up to dethrone Jeff Hardy? We'll start off the list with an easy one, but one that we don't mind seeing again.
#5 AJ Styles gets one opportunity to take his title back from Jeff Hardy
Alright, yeah, it's kind of obvious that we're getting a rematch between Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles soon, which is why this one is so low on the list. We're just going to get it out of the way.
Look, AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy, together, are very good. They're both big flyboys, they both have immaculate hair, they're both incredibly impressive performers even at their age.
These two have fought several times in their careers, mostly in TNA/IMPACT. However, this match isn't played out like WWE tends to do with most "iconic never before seen dream rivalries." How many times do we see the company miraculously find themselves with a special matchup, something that wrestling fans have rarely had the chance to see, only to show it six times in the next two months?
We've already got a great little side story for this one, too. It's this "stats" deal that AJ has going with Joseph Park. Use that. Bleed it dry over the next month. Don't have AJ get a rematch at SummerSlam or Payback. This need to milk this a bit.
Let's get Styles and Park in some interesting storylines. Moneyball parodies and all. Joseph Park is incredibly entertaining, as is AJ. A month's worth of skits could liven up the Blue brand, and send Styles in a completely new direction.
#4 John Morrison reignites his feud with Jeff Hardy
For those of you who weren't watching WWE around 2006-2007, you missed out on an all-important feud for John Morrison. Then known as Johnny Nitro, the parkour-enthusiast faced Jeff Hardy multiple times, both for the Intercontinental Championship and tag team gold, with Team Xtreme facing off against MNM on several occasions.
With both Morrison and Hardy back in WWE, now is the perfect chance to relive that classic rivalry. We're talking tables, ladders, and chairs. There's a lot that can be done with two athletes as impressive as Jeff Hardy and John Morrison. They've got an incredible chemistry with one another.
Plus, with WWE bringing in Thunderdome, we've got the environment for car crashes and death defying stunts that these two love to pull off. The WWE Universe is back in a pretty interesting way. Let's give them something that they'll be dying to be a part of with another chapter in John Morrison's feud with Jeff Hardy. Not to mention that it's for the Intercontinental Championship again?
A vastly improved John Morrison against a veteran Jeff Hardy is something that could really bring SmackDown to life this year.
#3 Big E earns an opportunity against Jeff Hardy
While Big E is always about big men slapping meat, on his way to his dream match with Goldberg we can put him in line for an Intercontinental Championship shot. Daniel Bryan always said that AJ Styles wasn't a real fighting champion. Jeff Hardy absolutely will be and if Big E looks to have earned an opportunity, we can bet that the Charismatic Enigma will give it to him.
This also plays into the issue with Jeff Hardy's knee. That is, if WWE wants to keep going with that injury, Big E has the perfect submission move to take advantage of that now. He debuted the Stretch Muffler a month back, adding the move to his ever-growing arsenal and making him a well-rounded performer at that.
Not one to back down from a challenge, Jeff Hardy would most certainly be game to take on Big E, even if he knows he's going in with a severe disadvantage. We get a lot out of this match, including a possible return to the IC Championship for Big E.
Even if he fails, a great match with a legend like Jeff Hardy is still valued, and would be a big step in his run as a singles competitor.
#2 RETRIBUTION sets their sights on Jeff Hardy's IC Title
RETRIBUTION had the guts to go after The Fiend and Braun Strowman tonight. They may not be smart, but they've got a lot of guts. Now, eventually, they'll need to take off the masks and show us what they can do inside a ring. Considering they're looking at a hostile takeover, it's safe to assume that one of them would look to dethrone Jeff Hardy.
The group managed to take out Braun Strowman tonight, albeit momentarily before they were sent packing by the SmackDown locker room. One of the men that aimed to put a stop to them was, of course, Jeff Hardy, who injured his knee when AJ Styles attacked him from behind.
It's pretty obvious that they're the kind of group that holds a grudge, and will more than likely be targetting those who tried to ruin their shot at redemption in WWE. What better way to get revenge on a champion than to take the title that they so preciously hold dear?
Who could be in the group that dethrones Jeff Hardy?
#1 Abyss debuts and mauls Jeff Hardy
Let's do it. Let's put Abyss in WWE. It was supposed to happen way back in 2006, but he decided to re-sign with TNA instead. Prior to that, though, and before the return of Jeff Hardy to WWE, the duo had one of the most gruesome and hardcore feuds in TNA history.
Early Abyss was an absolute monster. Giant, intimidating, virtually unstoppable, the only way you could really put a dent in him was if you were willing to sacrifice yourself to make it happen. So, of course, the perfect opponent for him would be Jeff Hardy.
With Joseph Park now in WWE, and as of late, an on-screen performer for SmackDown, it would be a stunning callback to have Jeff Hardy take on one of his best opponents in his TNA career inside of a WWE ring.
(Oh, yeah, spoiler alert. Joseph Park is a masochistic shard of glass loving psychopath underneath that suit)
Now, the odds are slim that we'll ever get to see Abyss inside of a WWE ring for...well...several reasons. Still, Joseph Park is available, and even without the mask, he's proven to be a pretty formidable opponent in the past.
Who would you like to see challenge Jeff Hardy for the Intercontinental Championship? Let us know in the comments below.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
