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The Charismatic Enigma is back! As announced by WWE during the latest episode of Monday Night RAW, Jeff Hardy will be making his long-awaited return to SmackDown this Friday. Last week, Hardy made an appearance on WWE Backstage where he confirmed that he was cleared to wrestle.
The former WWE Champion last competed on SmackDown almost a year ago in April 2019 where the Hardy Boyz won the SmackDown Tag Team Championships but had to relinquish later due to Jeff's injury.
With Matt Hardy leaving the company recently, it will be interesting to see how the company uses his brother. From what we know, Jeff still has some time left in his contract due to him missing out most of the last year due to injury.
With that said, the question of the hour is what could Jeff Hardy do upon his return to SmackDown this week? Well, you've stumbled upon the right article as we'll take a look at the five possibilities for the same in the next few minutes.
#5 A segment with King Corbin
One thing is certain, Jeff Hardy will receive a great babyface reaction from the WWE Universe on his return due to the immense love fans have for the high-flying Superstar. Hardy has put his body on the line on countless occasions for the entertainment of his fans, and for that, we all love and respect him a lot.
But who could crash the party here? Won't he get loud boos and jeers from the crowd? Well, who better than King Corbin to do the job! Being one of the most hated heels on the roster, he would make for a perfect first opponent for Jeff Hardy upon his return. It would also be a fresh match-up rather than having something repeated.
#4 Join forces with Braun Strowman
Another straightforward rivalry in which Jeff Hardy can insert himself easily into is Braun Strowman's battle with the Artist Collective, aka, Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro, and Sami Zayn. With Elias involved in the mix previously as well, the trio can form a solid alliance to go against the heels.
As seen at the recently concluded Elimination Chamber, even the Monster Among Men was unable to take out all three of them on his own and ended up losing his Intercontinental Title to Sami Zayn. His reaction after the match made one thing clear, he is not done with them and the trio might get those hands as soon as the upcoming SmackDown.
Strowman picking up a fight with the trio only to be outnumbered again would make for a perfect opportunity for Jeff Hardy to return and even the odds. Strowman's inhuman strength combined with the high-flying ability of Jeff Hardy would make for a deadly combination inside the ring. Elias can join in as well to make it a classic 3-on-3 tag team match to main-event the show!
#3 Challenge Sami Zayn for his Intercontinental Title
While joining forces with Braun Strowman could be a good short-term storyline, another better alternative would be Jeff Hardy appearing to announce his intentions to go after the Intercontinental Championship, which was recently won by Sami Zayn at Elimination Chamber 2020.
Because the trio of Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Cesaro successfully took out Strowman to take the title from him, many fans were surprised to see them not arguing over who among them would take the title. They happily let Zayn pin the Monster Among Men and become the new Intercontinental Champion.
But how long will they be able to co-exist, especially with the kind of attitude this new Sami has? Surely, I can see him bragging about how he beat Strowman, not giving much credit to his fellow Superstars, resulting in tension between the three of them. Maybe they'll turn on him.
With Jeff Hardy wanting a shot at the title as well, this could set up an amazing multi-men match for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 36! Sami Zayn vs Jeff Hardy vs Braun Strowman vs Cesaro vs Shinsuke Nakamura for the IC Title in a ladder match at WrestleMania? Just take my money and book it WWE!
#2 Get attacked by The Fiend
WrestleMania 36 is shaping up to have an amazing card, and one of the marquee matches booked for the show is the clash between John Cena and "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt. With the rich amount of history between the two Superstars, WWE can progress the rivalry in numerous ways.
But one problem with that could be the limited appearance of the Leader of Cenation on The Road to WrestleMania. John Cena is now a proper part-timer who might not be appearing on SmackDown every week. But Wyatt would need something to gain momentum before his match with the 16-time World Champion at 'Mania.
This is where Jeff Hardy could step-in. It was not long ago when The Fiend was attacking numerous legends appearing on RAW, so Hardy could be a perfect victim of the sadistic alter ego of Bray Wyatt. While Jeff hasn't particularly had a feud with Bray previously, it was his brother Matt Hardy who was responsible for the last nail in Wyatt's former avatar's coffin.
This could end up being the basis of a feud between Jeff Hardy's alter ego Willow and The Fiend somewhere down the line!
#1 Issue an open challenge, face a newcomer
While many of us might not realize this, Jeff Hardy is one of the most senior and experienced Superstars on the current WWE roster. Having been with the company since 1994, Hardy has wrestled for many other promotions in the last three decades before making his way back to WWE in 2017.
At this point, there are many young Superstars backstage who look up to him as an idol and could hugely benefit from a match against him. A great way to utilize the Charismatic Enigma would be to have him appear on SmackDown, cut a promo about his journey as a WWE Superstar, and somewhat tease a retirement. Just when fans start buying into it, he can throw a swerve, saying that he still has a few years left in him.
This could lead to him issuing an open challenge to the roster, much like John Cena did during his 2015 US-Title reign. WWE could use this opportunity to have someone like Ali answer Hardy's challenge and have an amazing match with him.
Win or lose, a high-intensity match against one of the best high-flyers of all time is sure to benefit the former Cruiserweight Champion.
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