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WWE recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of Jeff Hardy's career in the WWE. From starting as an enhancement talent during the late '90s to being one of the most decorated Superstars of all time, Jeff Hardy's WWE career has been an absolute rollercoaster.
The Charismatic Enigma has consistently been one of the most popular Superstars in the entire company and enthralled and mesmerized millions of fans with his daredevil attitude and charming personality.
Even at 40 years of age, Hardy still hasn't lost a step and is as reckless and extreme as he was 20 years ago. He is one of the purest babyfaces in the business. The Younger Hardy could've been a top star in the company for a long time, had it not been for his numerous substance abuse issues and run-ins with the law.
But despite his issues, the Carolina-native has never shied away from owning up to the mistakes he has made in the past and has been making amends for the same.
In his 20 year career as a WWE Superstar, Jeff has been a part of some of the biggest moments in WWE history. From being speared from a 20-ft ladder to jumping off every possible object imaginable, the younger Hardy has never shied away from taking risks, thereby earning the nicknames of "Risk Taker" and "Thrillseeker".
With such a huge body of work over the past two decades, it was always going to be hard to compile such a list. But, nonetheless, here are our Top 5 Greatest Moments in Jeff Hardy's WWE career:
#5 Winning the IC Title for the first time
This was considered to be one of the biggest upsets in WWE history, as an up and coming Hardy went toe-to-toe with an established name like Triple H, who was one of the top stars of the company at that time. This was Hardy's first singles' titles and the Charismatic Enigma would go on to win the Light Heavyweight, European and United States Championship in the future.
The win over the seasoned veteran like Triple H were the first signs which proved that the company was interested in pushing Hardy as a singles star. While The Hardy Boyz were a great tag team and helped revolutionize the division, the general consensus backstage was that Jeff was going to the breakout star of the two, and this win was certainly the starting point of that.
With this win, Hardy also put his name in the history books as the youngest person to ever win the Intercontinental Championship at the age of 23, albeit with a little help from his elder brother, Matt. Jeff's first IC Title win was the start of one of the most decorated careers in the WWE.
#4 Returning at WrestleMania 33
After leaving the company in 2010 after his loss to CM Punk, Jeff Hardy would have a stellar run in TNA/ Impact Wrestling, winning the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on multiple occasions and the TNA Tag Team Championship alongside his brother, Matt.
Hardy injured himself while motor crossing while he was a champion which led to him taking some time off. Upon returning, Jeff would feud with his elder brother, Matt, who had developed one of the most intriguing and over-the-top characters in all of wrestling, called "Broken" Matt Hardy.
And the rest is history. After having a series of matches in the Hardy compound, The Hardy's had reinvented themselves once again and slowly became one of the most popular acts in the business and with all the buzz that the duo was generating, WWE had to take notice.
After signing a short-term deal with Ring of Honor and shooting down rumors of a WWE return, Matt and Jeff Hardy returned to the company as surprise entrants in the Ladder match for the RAW Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 33.
The Crowd went berserk as the music of the Hardy Boyz hit and it was one of the most surreal moments in WrestleMania history. Matt and Jeff won the match to capture the tag team titles for the seventh time.
#3 The Ladder Match against The Undertaker on RAW
Widely considered to be one of the best matches in the history of Monday Night RAW, this Ladder Match took place on the July 1, 2002, episode of RAW. Undertaker was the Undisputed Champion at that time, and his pairing with Hardy was really quite odd because Hardy was just starting out as a singles performers at that time and he was going up against one of the Greatest Of All Time.
This was a star-making match for the Charismatic Enigma as he went toe-to-toe with the Deadman for over 15 minutes in a match that was as exciting and nail-biting as it gets. From Hardy attacking Taker with a ladder before the bell even rang to the Deadman beating Hardy blue and black, this match defied expectations in a big way.
The match saw Hardy coming within inches of winning the Undisputed Championship, and the finish of the match saw Hardy get choke slammed by Taker from the top of the ladder. While many thought that this will be a one-way mauling, the fight put up Hardy was nothing short of phenomenal.
Even The Undertaker had to acknowledge Hardy's heroics after the match. This match put Hardy on the map as a singles star as he proved that he can go toe-to-toe with the best in the business.
Another aspect that made this match even more special is the immaculate commentary by Jim Ross with the line "Climb the ladder, kid. Make yourself famous!" becoming one of the memorable lines in WWE history.
#2 Winning the World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules 2009
After losing the WWE Championship to Edge due to interference from his brother Matt Hardy at Royal Rumble 2009, The Charismatic Enigma went on a collision course with Matt, having a series of matches against his elder sibling.
After getting the better of Matt in an "I Quit Match", the Charismatic Enigma turned his attention to the World Heavyweight Champion and his arch nemesis at that time, Edge.
After a screwy finish at Judgement Day, Edge and Hardy faced off against each other in a Ladder Match for the World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules 2009. This match was filled with an array of high spot including a Twist of Fate from atop a ladder by Hardy on Edge.
The finish of the match saw Hardy trap Edge's body in the Ladder by pulling him down as he climbed up to grab the World Heavyweight Championship and become the World Champion for the very first time.
However, this victory was short-lived, as CM Punk would cash in his Money in the Bank contract on Hardy minutes later to walk out as the World Heavyweight Champion, thus starting a feud between himself and Hardy over the world title.
Hardy won back the world title from Punk at Night of Champions before dropping it back to the Straight Edge Superstar at SummerSlam before leaving the company. The sight of seeing Hardy holding the World Title while Edge is trapped in a Ladder is a visual the WWE Universe will never forget.
#1 Winning the WWE Championship at Armageddon 2008
After being in the company for over a decade, Jeff Hardy had already established himself as a big star in the company. But, the only nagging question in everyone's mind was "will he ever win the big one?"
After being drafted to SmackDown in the 2008 WWE Draft, Jeff would start his quest for the WWE Championship, which held by Triple H at that time. After being screwed out of a title win at Unforgiven due to referral mistake, Hardy would face off against the Game in a WWE Championship Match at No Mercy 2008 but came up short as Hunter rolled him up via a crucifix.
Hardy would once again lose a Championship match against the Game at Cyber Sunday before he laid off before his scheduled WWE Championship against Triple and Vladimir Kozlov at Survivor Series 2008. Hardy would get replaced by Edge at the last minute and the Rated-R Superstar would win the match and capture the WWE Championship.
This would set up a Triple Threat Match between Edge, Hardy and Triple H at Armageddon 2008 for the WWE Championship. This match had everything from false finishes to outside interference by Vladimir Kozlov and Matt Hardy.
Triple H hit the pedigree on Edge and went for a cover before Hardy out of nowhere hit a Swanton Bomb to pin Edge and capture the WWE Championship. The crowd erupted at the sight of seeing one of their most beloved Superstars finally capture the big one. Hardy was at the peak of his popularity at that time, and up to now this remains the most memorable moment in Jeff Hardy's 20-year career as a full-time WWE Superstar.
