5 Possible storylines for Jeff Hardy's return to WWE

After Matt Hardy’s apparent departure from WWE, his brother Jeff Hardy will make a grand return post a long hiatus. Jeff’s contract was also supposed to expire on 1st March, however the time taken off by Hardy has been added to his contract duration.

The rumor mill had earlier hinted that he will make his return soon while the company confirmed a few days ago that Jeff will be the special guest on this week’s edition of WWE Backstage.

In case you forgot, Jeff Hardy’s last televised match in WWE was way back in April 2019. He had teamed up with his brother to dethrone the Usos as the SmackDown tag team champions on the SmackDown after WrestleMania 35.

However, because of Jeff’s injury, the duo had to vacate the titles. Lars Sullivan later attacked them on that episode. With Matt apparently no longer with the company, it is unlikely that WWE would insert Jeff in the tag team division once again.

So, here are the five ways WWE can book Jeff Hardy’s returns.

#5 Plays a role in the Edge vs Randy Orton storyline

Will Jeff Hardy avenge his brother's beatdown?

Given that Jeff Hardy was away from the ring for a long, long time, WWE may not want to book him in a big feud instantly. Although he has the caliber of pulling off a great match on any day, it would be good if he is allowed to shrug off his ring rust by playing a role in a blockbuster feud.

The company is currently focusing on the grand return of Edge on RAW with his rumored WrestleMania opponent, Randy Orton, destroying the ones coming in his way. Since Jeff has a lot of history with Edge, it is likely that he may return to RAW standing up against Randy Orton.

There is still four weeks time until WrestleMania 36 so bringing Jeff back and having him lock horns with Orton would be a good option. His return could also happen this week where Beth Phoenix could announce his comeback. Besides, introducing Jeff in this rivalry makes sense because The Viper had destroyed his brother with a steel chair, writing him off TV.

WWE also needs to fill up the Elimination Chamber match card thus, it is possible that Orton and Hardy would take each other to their limits only for Edge to come back and spear his rival out of nowhere.

#4 Joins Braun Strowman and Elias on SmackDown

WWE surprised the fans by announcing a 3-on-1 Handicap Match for the Intercontinental Championship at Elimination Chamber. The champ, Braun Strowman, will put his title on the line against the trio of Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro and Sami Zayn.

It is not known why the company took this decision, however, one can assume that the Creative team has big plans for the Intercontinental title.

Earlier, the reports suggested that Strowman would defend his championship against Sheamus at WrestleMania 36. However, the chances that he keeps his title until then are very low. The Celtic Warrior may get a new WrestleMania match, and WWE would likely extend the rivalry between the factions of Nakamura and Strowman.

The reason behind this is that The Monster Among Men bulldozing three extremely talented men could draw the ire of the fans. Thus, in case WWE pulls this feud further, they will have to introduce a new character to balance the odds. Strowman has the back of Elias already, but still the numbers game is in the heels’ favor.

Also Read - 5 Superstars who can join Braun Strowman and Elias to counter Sami Zayn’s stable on SmackDown

Hence, Jeff Hardy can join The Monster Among Men and The Drifter to level the odds against the heel trio. Through this, WWE can add more star power to this rivalry and having Hardy face off against Nakamura, Zayn and Cesaro will entertain the fans a lot.

#3 Enters the United States title picture on RAW

Andrade made his return at WWE Super Showdown

The current United States Champion, Andrade, came back to WWE after serving a Wellness Policy violation ban at WWE Super Showdown. El Idolo was a part of the prestigious Tuwaiq Trophy Gauntlet Match where he was eliminated by R-Truth. This week, he is set to team up with Angel Garza to take on the team of Rey Mysterio and Humberto Carrillo on RAW.

The Creative team perplexed the fans by having Andrade lose to R-Truth at Super Showdown, but it seems like they gave us a hint about the things to come. With the WrestleMania pay-per-view approaching, WWE will look to book a multi-man match for the US title at the grand event.

The Red brand’s mid-card championship deserves a credible place on the WrestleMania match card because the title had been off TV for a month. WWE should try to restore its prestige by having a seven-man ladder match for the championship. With four Superstars already involved in the mix, R-Truth can enter the feud claiming that he pinned the champ in Saudi Arabia.

WWE can pick Aleister Black, Bobby Lashley or Erick Rowan as the sixth Superstar while the final participant of this match could be Jeff Hardy. This would be a great way to book Hardy’s return because he is an expert of ladder matches and can elevate the young stars in this contest.

#2 King Corbin's next opponent

Winning one WWE match against Roman Reigns is considered to be a big thing, King Corbin achieved this feat twice during the feud between SmackDown’s two polarizing figures. This shows that the backstage staff is very high on Corbin and they would want him to have a singles match at WrestleMania 36.

The match card is already stacked up, but demoting Corbin to the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale match will be a bad move. Instead, WWE can book him in a match against the returning Jeff Hardy. The former United States Champion needs a big win after his consecutive losses against Roman Reigns.

Although he would not enter the Universal Championship picture immediately after WrestleMania 36, Corbin needs a win at the Showcase of Immortals to stay relevant on WWE TV. Because of the Superstar Shakeup, Corbin can find himself on RAW where he could be the first opponent of Drew McIntyre, who is rumored to win the WWE title at WrestleMania.

Besides, a pre-show appearance at WrestleMania would devalue the victories that he achieved against The Big Dog. A feud with Jeff Hardy will allow Corbin to add new elements to his character and also, a match against a legend will draw more eyes towards the former Constable of RAW.

#1 Unites forces with Kevin Owens and co. on RAW

It was recently learned that WWE has suspended former United States Champion, Samoa Joe for a Wellness Policy Violation. Joe will probably miss WrestleMania 36 because the writers will not have much time to build up a match for him. The best WWE can do is book his comeback on the fallout episodes of WrestleMania.

So, Joe’s ally, Kevin Owens, will need a new partner to fight against The Monday Night Messiah. Seth Rollins and Murphy will put their titles on the line in a ‘Now or Never’ match against The Street Profits this week. It is possible that Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins will win the titles and AOP will step up to fight for the titles, leaving Rollins and Murphy to continue their battle versus Owens.

Another option is that WWE allows the heel duo to keep its titles later setting up a big championship match for WrestleMania. Either way, the Prizefighter will need a partner and Jeff Hardy seems to be the perfect fit for this role. The in-ring technician can bring out the best of Rollins and Murphy thus, the fans will get a solid tag team bout at the Showcase of Immortals.

Joining forces with Hardy will take Owens to the next level besides, given that Jeff has always done what the fans want, it would be a sensible decision to bring him back when the fans are waiting for the end of Monday Night Messiah’s dominance.

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