The Charismatic Enigma Jeff Hardy has had quite the career in professional wrestling, with his debut coming almost 25 years ago. Now, as he approaches the age of 40, it’s interesting to sit back and reflect on the journey of a man who has had more downs than ups in this business – which is saying something when you consider his accomplishments.
We’d like to think that some of these facts will surprise you, but to be honest, there’s a chance that you won’t blink twice at them. Why? Because Jeff has always been known as a bit of a loose cannon, and there’s an argument to be made that a leopard never changes its spots. Still, it’s hard to deny that it’s great to see him back in the company after all these years.
Whatever he may have done in his personal life, Jeff Hardy has been a trailblazer for a long time now and a lot of Superstars in the present day credit him with being a big factor behind them choosing to be a pro wrestler. Has he made mistakes? Sure, but we’d be hard pressed to name a WWE superstar that hasn’t.
With that being said, here are five surprising facts about Jeff Hardy.
Also read: 7 WWE friendships that were broken beyond repair
#1 Keith Davis
Way back in 1994, the World Wrestling Federation was going through a difficult time with more hardships to come in the following few years. With dwindling ratings and a distinct lack of main event stars, the company was in search of something new and fresh – but despite what we may have led you to believe, Jeff Hardy didn’t quite fit the criteria.
At least, not at that point. At the age of 16, Hardy made his WWE debut as a jobber back in 1994 when he went up against Razor Ramon. He was called Keith Davis because that was the original name of the jobber that was supposed to face Ramon but pulled out at the last minute. Oh, and funnily enough, it was actually illegal for Hardy to be wrestling at such a young age. Shock.
What a feud...
#2 Punk feud continued
Back in 2009, CM Punk and Jeff Hardy had what can only be described as one of the best wrestling rivalries of the last decade. The two men brought their real life personalities and beliefs in the equation, with the death-defying free spirit Jeff being painted as the good guy opposite the Straight Edge Superstar CM Punk.
Weirdly enough the feud actually carried over into a real life video, which can be seen above. Jeff is shown to be quite intoxicated, and during the clip, he runs down Punk while also claiming that he ‘made’ the Voice of the Voiceless. It’s drawn out, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s something that we certainly don’t want to mention again.
Alright then...
#3 The volcano
Ever since he was a young kid, Jeff Hardy has always had a creative edge, with his musical background only being topped by his numerous artistic creations. In fact, Jeff is so into his ‘arts and crafts’ so to speak that he once made an artificial volcano that was located in his front yard.
Following this, Jeff jumped over the volcano on his motocross – aka the same vehicle that led to a few broken bones on a separate occasion. This kind of thing sums Jeff up perfectly, from the wacky nature of the stunt all the way through to his ‘live life to the fullest’ mentality. Say what you will about him, but the guy never strays away from his beliefs.
This one is rough.
#4 The house fire
Back in early 2009, Jeff and Matt Hardy were engaged in an on-screen feud that began when Matt cost Jeff the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. From that point on it was revealed that Matt had caused a series of things to go wrong in Jeff’s life in the few months prior, which included burning down his house and accidentally killing Jeff’s dog
Bizarrely enough this event actually happened, although it wasn’t done on purpose as Matt claimed. Instead, Matt was the one who discovered Jeff’s house as it was in the process of burning to the ground. Unfortunately, the part about Jeff’s dog perishing in the flames was true, with the former WWE Champion confirming the story himself.
How many?
#5 Title haul
A lot of people consider Jeff’s career to be a case of ‘what could’ve been’ due to his many indiscretions. Despite this, Hardy has actually done quite well for himself wherever he’s gone in the world of professional wrestling – and we’re talking in terms of titles.
Across all of the major promotions he has turned out for, Jeff has had 25 championship reigns, and he’s World Titles in both WWE and TNA. As well as this, he’s also a multi-time Tag Team champ (obviously) in addition to being a former Intercontinental and European Champion.
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