Music[link]

• DJ Jazzy Jeff, an American DJ/turntablist record producer
• Jeff Beck, an electric guitarist
  • Jeff, an instrumental album by Jeff Beck
• Jeff Buckley, an American singer-songwriter
• Jeff Current, lead singer of American alternative rock band Against All Will
• Jeff Dandurand, an American radio DJ, comedian, musician and former child actor
• Jeff Graham, a Canadian Radio DJ
• Jeff Hanneman, guitarist for U.S. thrash metal band Slayer
• Jeff Healey, a Canadian blues-rock guitarist
• Jeff Loomis, lead guitarist for heavy metal band Nevermore
• Jeff Lynne, a British singer-songwriter and record producer
• Jeff Mangum, an American singer-songwriter and founder of Neutral Milk Hotel
• Jeff Porcaro, highly regarded session drummer and founding member of Toto
• Jeff Stinco, lead guitarist for pop-punk band Simple Plan
• Jeff Tweedy, an American singer-songwriter and founding member of Wilco
• Jazz Etno Funky Festival - JEFF, a music festival in Slovenia

Sports[link]

• Jeff Adrien, former college basketball player
• Jeff Bagwell, a baseball player
• Jeff Bes, a Canadian ice hockey player
• Jeff Burton, a NASCAR racer
• Jeff Chandler (boxer), a boxing champion
• Jeff Cirillo, a retired baseball player
• Jeff Conine, a retired baseball player
• Jeff Elliott, a British decathlete and pole vaulter
• Jeff Fenech, a boxer
• Jeff Francis, a baseball player
• Jeff Francoeur, a baseball player
• Jeff Friesen, former NHL player
• Jeff Garcia, an American football player
• Jeff George, an American football player
• Jeff Gordon, a NASCAR racer
• Jeff Guiel, a Canadian baseball player
• Jeff Halpern, American NHL hockey player
• Jeff Hardy, a professional wrestler
• Jeff Jarrett, an American professional wrestler
• Jeff Kent, a baseball player
• Jeff Newman, an American baseball player
• Jeff Norton, former National Hockey League player
• Jeff Otis, an American football player
• Jeff Pain, American-born, Canadian skeleton racer
• Jeff Parker (wrestler), a Canadian professional wrestler
• Jeff Reed, a retired baseball player
• Jeff Reed, an American football player
• Jeff Shantz, former National Hockey League player
• Jeff Simmons (driver), an American race car driver
• Jeff Speakman, American actor
• Jeff Stork, an American volleyball player
• Jeff Thomson, an Australian cricketer
• Jeff Van Gundy, a former NBA coach and current broadcaster
• Jeff Williams, pitcher for the Hanshin Tigers
• Jeff Williams, British cyclist
• Jeff Nielsen Pro hockey player

Literature[link]

• Jeff Noon, a novelist, short story writer and playwright
• Jeff VanderMeer, an American writer

Politics[link]

• Jeff Bingaman, the junior U.S. Senator from New Mexico
• Jeff Flake, a U.S. Representative from Arizona
• Jeff Kennett, former Premier of Victoria, Australia
• Jeff Seemann, a United States Democratic candidate in Ohio for Congress
• Jeff Sessions, the junior U.S. Senator from Alabama

Television and film[link]

• Jeff Anderson, an American actor who appeared as Randal Graves in Kevin Smith's Clerks series
• Jeff Bollow, an American writer/director
• Jeff Bridges, an American actor
• Jeff Chandler (actor), a 1950s American film actor
• Jeff Cohen, child actor who appeared as Chunk in the 1985 movie The Goonies
• Jeff Conaway, American actor
• Jeff Corwin, American animal and nature conservationist, host of The Jeff Corwin Experience and Corwin's Quest
• Jeff Daniels, an American actor
• Jeff B. Davis, an American actor, comedian and singer
• Jeff Dunham, an American ventriloquist
• Jeff East, American actor, appeared in Superman as the young Clark Kent
• Jeff Foxworthy, an American comedian and actor
• Jeff Garlin, an American comedic actor
• Jeff Goldblum, an American film actor
• Jeff Maxwell, American actor (Igor from M.A.S.H.)
• Jeff McCarthy, American character actor who has appeared in television, theatre and films
• Jeff Osterhage, American film and television actor
• Jeff Probst, American television personality
• Jeff Stelling, British sports journalist, sport television presenter and gameshow host
• Jeff Thisted, American game show host
• Jeff Yagher, American actor

Programming[link]

• Jeff Minter, a British computer and video game designer and programmer

Fiction[link]

• Jeff Boomhauer, fictional character from King of the Hill
• Jeff (EarthBound), a character in the video game EarthBound
• Mutt and Jeff, comic strip
• Jeff K., fictional character created by Richard Kyanka
• Jeff Colby, character on the American TV series Dynasty, and its spin-off The Colbys.
• Jeff Albertson, a character from The Simpsons, more commonly known as Comic Book Guy.
• Jeff Isaacs, a character in Degrassi: The Next Generation
• Jeff Murdock, a character in the first three seasons of the sitcom Coupling
• Jeff Reinhart, a character in the Saw movie series

Other fields[link]

• Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com
• Jeff Cooper (colonel), a former United States Marine and firearms expert
• Jeff Hawkins, founder of Palm Computing and Handspring
• Jeff Luers, an American anarchist, environmental activist, and arsonist
• Jeff Nuttall, a British 1960s counter-culture figure
• Jeph Jacques, webcomic maker, creator of Questionable Content

See also[link]

• Geoffrey
• Jeffrey (name)

Jeff Dunham
Dunham and his character "Achmed the Dead Terrorist", February 2009
Birth name	Jeffrey Dunham
Born	(1962-04-18) April 18, 1962 (age 50) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up
Nationality	American
Genres	Ventriloquism, observational comedy, black comedy
Influences	Edgar Bergen[1]
Spouse	Paige Dunham (1994-2008)
Notable works and roles	Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special The Jeff Dunham Show Jeff Dunham: Controlled Chaos
Website	jeffdunham.com

Jeff Dunham (born April 18, 1962) is an American ventriloquist and stand-up comedian who has also appeared on numerous television shows, including Late Show with David Letterman, Comedy Central Presents, The Tonight Show and Sonny With a Chance. He has four specials that run on Comedy Central: Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself, Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity, Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special, and Jeff Dunham: Controlled Chaos. Dunham also starred in The Jeff Dunham Show, a series on the network in 2009.^[1] His style has been described as "a dressed-down, more digestible version of Don Rickles with multiple personality disorder".^[2] Describing his characters, Time observes, "All of them are politically incorrect, gratuitously insulting and ill tempered."^[3] Dunham has been credited with reviving ventriloquism,^[4] and doing more to promote the art form than anyone since Edgar Bergen.^[1]

Dunham has been called "America's favorite comedian" by Slate.com, and according to the concert industry publication Pollstar, he is the top-grossing standup act in North America, and is among the most successful acts in Europe as well. As of November 2009, he has sold over four million DVDs, an additional $7 million in merchandise sales,^[5] and received more than 350 million hits on YouTube as of October 2009 (his introduction of Achmed the Dead Terrorist in Spark of Insanity was ranked as the ninth most watched YouTube video at the time).^[1] A Very Special Christmas Special was the most-watched telecast in Comedy Central history, with its DVD going quadruple platinum (selling over 400,000) in its first two weeks.^[6] Forbes.com ranked Dunham as the third highest-paid comedian in the United States behind Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock,^[5] and reported that he was one of the highest-earning comics from June 2008 to June 2009, earning approximately $30 million during that period.^[7]

Early life[link]

Dunham was born in Dallas, Texas on April 18, 1962.^[8][9][10] When he was three months old he was adopted by real estate appraiser Howard Dunham, and his homemaker wife Joyce, who raised him in a devoutly Presbyterian household^[10] in an affluent Dallas neighborhood as an only child.^[11] He began ventriloquism in 1970 at age eight, when his parents gave him a Mortimer Snerd dummy for Christmas, and an accompanying how-to album.^[9] The next day he checked out a how-to book on ventriloquism from the library,^[1][10] and explained in 2011 that he still had it, remarking that he was "a thief in the third grade". By the fourth grade, Dunham decided he not only wanted to be a professional ventriloquist, but the best one ever.^[10] Dunham began practicing for hours in front of a mirror, studying the routines of Edgar Bergen, and the how-to record Jimmy Nelson's Instant Ventriloquism,^[1] finding ventriloquism to be a learned skill, similar to juggling, that anyone with a normal speaking voice can acquire.^[12] Dunham explains that as an only child, he enjoyed being alone, likening his solitude to a "warm blanket" with which he could explore his own thoughts and ideas, which prepared him for the solitude of living alone when he later moved to Los Angeles as a struggling comedian.^[10]

When Dunham was in the sixth grade, he began attending the Vent Haven ConVENTion in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, an annual international meeting of ventriloquists that includes competitions, where he met Jimmy Nelson in person. Dunham has missed only one ConVENTion since then, in 1977. The organizers of the ConVENTion eventually declared Dunham a "retired champion", ineligible from entering any more competitions, as other attendees were too intimidated to compete against him. The Vent Haven Museum devotes a section to Dunham, alongside Señor Wences and his idol, Edgar Bergen.^[1]

Career[link]

Career beginnings and move to Los Angeles[link]

Dunham began performing for audiences as a teenager,^[9] in various venues such as school, church, and during his job at Six Flags. By his middle school years, he began to perform for banquets attended by local celebrities such as Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, having developed his style of lampooning those he performed for, using the puppets to say things too risque for him to say without them.^[1] Dunham's television debut came in 1976 when the still prepubescent performer caught the attention of Dallas reporters like Bill O'Reilly, who interviewed Dunham for a local news story.^[10] Dunham later did commercials for Datsun dealerships in Dallas and Tyler while in high school.^[1][10] While emceeing a high school talent show, he dealt with a heckler, and won over the rest of the audience.^[10] During this period he became so associated with his craft that he and one of his dummies "cowrote" a column in the school paper, and he would pose with his dummies for yearbooks^[1] as an inexpensive way to acquire professional photos of his act for promotional purposes.^[13] He was voted Most Likely to Succeed, and in 1980, after he graduated from high school, Dunham gave himself a career goal of obtaining, within ten years, an appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, which was seen as the "holy grail" for comedians.^[10]

That year Dunham began attending Baylor University, hoping to graduate with a degree in communications, while performing around campus.^[10] He would also fly around the country on weekends,^[1] doing up to 100 private shows a year,^[10] entertaining corporate customers such as General Electric, whose CEO, Jack Welch, he mocked during his routine.^[1] By his junior year in college (1983–1984), Dunham was making $70,000 a year, and as word spread of his act, he landed featured spots opening for Bob Hope and George Burns, though he still perceived his act as raw, as he did not have any knowledge of standup comedy beyond his Bill Cosby albums.^[10] He caught a break in 1985 when he was asked to join the Broadway show Sugar Babies with Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller, replacing the outgoing variety act. For the naive and devoutly-raised Dunham, Broadway was a new world filled with beautiful showgirls and crusty stagehands, and his first taste of entertainment industry egos came when Rooney called Dunham into his dressing room, and told him he was there for one reason alone: so that Rooney could change his costumes.^[10] Dunham also performed at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island. These early experiences, in which he used characters like José Jalapeño on a Stick, taught him the value of modifying his act regionally, as the jalapeño jokes that worked well in Texas were not as well received by audiences in Long Island.^[2]

After graduating from Baylor University in 1986,^[12] he continued honing his act in comedy clubs in the Southwest with new characters such as Peanut and Jose Jalapeño, but struggled against the perception he relates from fellow comedians that he was not a true a comedian because he relied on props. His experience at Catch a Rising Star in New York City served as a bitter confirmation of where ventriloquists stood in the comedic food chain, as the emcee at that club gave Dunham little respect. According to Dunham, after he arrived at the club in the evening and informed the emcee that he was a ventriloquist, the emcee reacted with derision, telling Dunham that he would be given a late time slot, and after that time slot came and passed, kept postponing Dunham's stage time until Dunham left the club.^[10] By the end of 1988, Dunham felt his career went as far as it could go in Texas, and he moved to Los Angeles, California,^[9][10] never having, as he has commented, "a real job",^[2][14] much to the concern of his parents, who assumed he would relegate his act to local venues such as church groups. When he first arrived in Los Angeles, the comedy in his act bombed. Dunham attributes to his underdeveloped comedy, explaining that while the characters' personalities were developed at that point, his jokes were not. In addition to this, the comedy world was not welcoming to ventriloquists, and his manager, Judi Brown-Marmel, did not use the word "ventriloquist" when finding bookings for him, choosing to present him as a comedy duo. After Dunham became friends with Mike Lacey, the owner of The Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, Lacey gave Dunham a steady slot at the club, where Dunham sharpened his act by observing the techniques of comedians like Jerry Seinfeld, and taking the advice of colleague Bill Engvall, moving away from his G-Rated material toward edgier, more adult themes.^[10]

[edit] The Tonight Show and beyond

At the end of 1988, Dunham was told by James McCawley, a talent booker for The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, that Dunham would be given a spot on the coveted program. Though the 26-year-old Dunham was elated that his 10-year goal was arriving two years early, McCawley later cancelled Dunham's appearance after attending, with Roseanne Barr, a public performance of Dunham's the day before Dunham's scheduled Tonight Show taping. McCawley informed Dunham on the day of the scheduled taping that he had been wrong in his initial assessment of Dunham, whom he now said was not ready for The Tonight Show. His dreams dashed, the humiliated Dunham continued to tighten his act in Los Angeles clubs, performing same six minute segment with Peanut a total of nine times for McCawley over the next few months. Finally at the Ice-House in Pasadena in April 1990, after Dunham did the same segment, McCawley informed Dunham that he would finally get his Tonight Show appearance. Dunham and Peanut appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson on April 6, 1990, alongside guests Bob Hope and B.B. King.^[10] Following his bit, he was invited to sit on Johnny Carson’s couch, a mark of approval that only three comedians had ever garnered during their first Carson appearance.^[2][10] Upon sitting down next to Carson's desk, Dunham pulled out Walter, who told Carson sidekick Ed McMahon, "Stop sending me all your damn mail." At the time, Dunham saw his Tonight Show appearance as his big break, but was frustrated at his parents' initial disapproval over Walter's use of the words "hell" and "damn",^[10] and he would toil in obscurity for another twelve years, continuing his stand up at venues such as The Improv chain, and appearing in small roles on TV.^[5] One of these was such as a 1996 episode of Ellen, in which he appeared with Walter.^[1] Dunham also appeared with Walter in a TV commercial for Hertz.^[15] Dunham would appear on The Tonight Show a total of four times, as well as similar TV venues such as Hot Country Nights, appearing in one segment on that show with singer Reba McEntire. This exposure helped make Dunham a large theater headliner, a rare accomplishment for a ventriloquist, but by the mid 1990s, his television appearances had dwindled, and with them, so did his stage audiences.^[10]

Dunham moved back to clubs, more than 200 appearances a year. To maintain a connection with his fan base, he would use question cards that he had audiences fill out for his performances to build a database, which was tailor-made for the burgeoning World Wide Web. Though he was voted Funniest Male Standup at the American Comedy Awards in 1998, his club work kept him away from his wife and daughters between two and three weeks each month, which put a strain on his marriage, and made paying bills for his expanded family difficult. By 2002, Dunham was hoping to obtain more TV work to raise his profile and ease his standup schedule. Such exposure was elusive until a successful appearance on The Best Damn Sports Show Period, where Dunham and Walter made jokes at the expense of co-hosts Tom Arnold, Michael Irvin, John Salley and John Kruk, generating laughter from them, and giving Dunham much-needed exposure. In 2003, Dunham was the frontrunner to replace Jimmy Kimmel on Fox NFL Sunday, but hosts Howie Long and Terry Bradshaw were not amenable to the idea of being upstaged by a puppet, and, as Dunham tells it, did not provide a welcoming atmosphere to Dunham, nor allow him to get a word in edgewise during his appearance.^[10]

Finding stardom: Dunham's first Comedy Central specials[link]

On July 18, 2003, Dunham appeared on Comedy Central Presents, his first solo appearance on Comedy Central. During his half hour piece, he showcased José Jalapeño on a Stick, Walter, an early version of Melvin the Superhero Guy and Peanut, whom Dunham had begun to merchandise into a line of dolls. The appearance was successful, but Comedy Central resisted giving Dunham more airtime, feeling that he was not a good fit for them.^[1] By 2005 Dunham decided to gamble on financing his own comedy DVD, Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself, which was taped in Santa Ana, California.^[10] Dunham’s manager, Judi Brown-Marmel, lobbied the network to air it, pointing to Dunham's drawing power and merchandising profits, and arguing that the network needed more diverse content. Surprised by the high ratings of the first Blue Collar Comics concert movie that same year, the network began to reconsider its brand. In late 2006, Comedy Central aired Arguing with Myself, drawing two million viewers when it aired,^[1] and selling two million DVDs.^[10]

In 2007, Dunham appeared as The Amazing Ken with José Jalapeño on a Stick in the Larry the Cable Guy feature film Delta Farce.

His second special, Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity, was taped at the Warner Theater in Washington, D.C. that same year. It served not only to cement Dunham's stardom, but to introduce his most controversial character, Achmed the Dead Terrorist, which became a viral Internet sensation. A clip of Achmed from Insanity attracted over 140 million hits on YouTube,^[10] making it the ninth most watched clip on that website as of October 2009.^[1] By 2008, Dunham's characters had crossed language barriers, with his specials dubbed for audiences in various countries such as France, and Dunham attracting requests for performances in South Africa, Australia, Norway, Denmark, China and the Middle East.^[10] Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special was taped at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that same year, and premiered on Comedy Central on November 16, 2008, watched by 6.6 million people.^[1] It became available on DVD and Blu-ray on November 18, 2008.^[16] The special's premiere was the highest rated telecast in Comedy Central's history.^[3][17]

In September 2008, Dunham's career reached new heights as he began performing in arenas filled with tens of thousands of people. Dunham was somewhat wary of such large venues, but adapted by adjusting the timing of his often rapid exchanges with the puppets so that audience members farthest from the stage could have time to react.^[10]

In addition to his comedy specials, Dunham also released his first music album, Don't Come Home for Christmas, on November 4, 2008.^[18] It contains original Christmas songs as well as a parody of "Jingle Bells" by Achmed entitled "Jingle Bombs". All the songs, with the exception of "Jingle Bombs", were written and accompanied by Brian Haner, who joined Dunham's act as "Guitar Guy". His first onscreen appearance was in Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special.

2009 – present[link]

In March 2009, Dunham signed a multi-platform deal with Comedy Central. It included a fourth stand-up special to air in 2010, DVDs, a consumer products partnership, a 60-city tour beginning in September 2010, and an order for a television series called The Jeff Dunham Show that premiered on October 22, 2009.^[6][19] Despite having the most-watched premiere in Comedy Central history, and higher average ratings than other shows on that network initially, the show was canceled after only one season, amid poor reviews, dwindling ratings and higher production costs than other Comedy Central shows.^{[20] [21]}

Dunham appeared in a guest role with Bubba J on NBC's sictom 30 Rock, playing a ventriloquist named Rick Wayne and his dummy Pumpkin from Stone Mountain, Georgia.^[22] In November 2009 Dunham also appeared with Walter in "Hart to Hart", an episode of the Disney Channel series Sonny With a Chance, as two security guards.

Dunham appeared in the 2010 Steve Carell/Paul Rudd comedy, Dinner for Schmucks, as Lewis, with a new puppet named Diane.^[23]

His fourth special, Jeff Dunham: Controlled Chaos, premiered on September 25, 2011 on Comedy Central.

Critical praise and controversy[link]

In January 2008, Dunham was voted by fans the Top Comic in Comedy Central's “Stand-Up Showdown.” He is the only person ever to win the "Ventriloquist of the Year" Award twice, was nominated "Comedian of the Year" by the TNN Music City News Country Awards,^[14] and has drawn praise from the Dallas Morning News for his technique and timing.^[14]

Some have accused Dunham's characters of being racist caricatures, sexist, and homophobic.^[5][24] In 2008, a TV commercial for a ringtone featuring Dunham's character Achmed the Dead Terrorist (see Characters below) was banned by the South African Advertising Standards Authority after a complaint was filed by a citizen stating that the ad was offensive to Muslims, and portrayed all Muslims as terrorists. Dunham responded that "Achmed makes it clear in my act that he is not Muslim." However, the Advertising Standards Authority noted that the name Achmed was of Arab origin and was one of the names of Muhammad. Dunham responded, "I've skewered whites, blacks, Hispanics, Christians, Jews, Muslims, gays, straights, rednecks, addicts, the elderly, and my wife. As a standup comic, it is my job to make the majority of people laugh, and I believe that comedy is the last true form of free speech." He further commented, "I'm considering renaming Achmed, 'Bill.'"^[25][26] Dunham has conceded that he does exhibit particular sensitivity to the "conservative country crowd," or those characterized by "basic Christian values," as they are one of his largest constituencies, and part of his upbringing.^[1]

Dunham was heckled and criticized for mocking TV critics during a July 2009 press tour to promote his then-upcoming Comedy Central TV series, The Jeff Dunham Show, as well as Comedy Central programming chief Lauren Correo.^[1][27] In October 2009 The Jeff Dunham Show enjoyed good initial ratings, but was not well liked by critics,^[28] who did not find it funny, and either questioned the wisdom of translating his act into a series, or conceded a prejudice against Dunham, his previous specials, or ventriloquism itself.^{[29][30][31][32]}

J.P. Williams, the producer of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, has opined that Dunham's act is not funny on its own merits, and that his material gets a greater reaction because of the puppet characters that it would otherwise not garner by itself.^[1] Blue Collar veteran Bill Engvall, a friend of Dunham's insists otherwise, saying that Dunham is inherently funny with or without the puppets.^[10]

Books[link]

In 2003, BRASMA Publications released Dear Walter, a collection of questions asked of Dunham's fictional curmudgeon at live performances, authored by Dunham, and Walter Cummings.^[33]

Dunham's autobiography, All By My Selves: Walter, Peanut, Achmed and Me, was published by Dutton in November 2010.^[13]

Characters[link]

Walter[link]

Dunham with Walter, in a shot from a 2007 performance.

Walter is a retired, grumpy old man with arms always crossed in discontent. Dunham was inspired to create Walter when he watched Bette Davis' final appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, giving her honest, unfiltered candor to Walter, and patterning Walter's frown on Dunham's own.^[10] He has a brash, negative and often sarcastic view on today's world. He is a Vietnam War veteran and a former welder, and "doesn't give a damn" about anyone, especially his own wife and certain audience members. Walter has appeared in all four Comedy Central specials. He's been married for several decades, and when Dunham asks him if he remembers the happiest moment of his life after Walter tells him he has been married for forty-six years, Walter responds, "Forty-seven years ago!" Dunham created the Walter puppet himself, including both the initial sculpture and the silicon mold, though he eventually began using professional effects companies for the latter stages with his subsequent puppets.^[34]

Peanut[link]

Peanut is a hyperactive,^[1] purple-skinned "woozle"^[35] with white fur covering most of his body, a tuft of green hair on the top of his head, and one sneaker on his left foot. Dunham explains in Arguing with Myself that Peanut is from a small Micronesian island, and that they met in Florida. Peanut's humor is not based on a particular motif or stereotype, as those of the other characters, and has been described as "the bad kid".^[3] He often makes fun of Dunham, and torments and mocks José Jalapeño on a Stick. Touching upon his unusual appearance and personality, he asks Dunham in Arguing with Myself, after Dunham denies ever having done drugs, "Then how the hell did you come up with me?"

José Jalapeño on a Stick[link]

José is a talking jalapeño pepper on a stick who wears a small sombrero. José, who speaks with a thick Spanish accent, is typically paired with Peanut, who often makes fun of José, uses appeals to Latino stereotypes when doing so, and makes fun of his being on a stick.^[36] Although José was not Dunham's first puppet, it was the first that Dunham made himself.^[37]

Bubba J[link]

Bubba J is a beer-drinking redneck that Dunham describes in Arguing with Myself and A Very Special Christmas Special as "white trash trailer park", and whom Dunham uses for humor centered on such stereotypes. To this end, he frequently does jokes involving Bubba J's love of drinking beer and NASCAR, and his low intelligence. Touching upon such stereotypes, Bubba mentions in Arguing with Myself that he met his wife at a family reunion, and remembers seeing her with a corn dog in one hand, a beer in another, and leaning against a ferris wheel, "making it tilt".^[36] Although he does not appear onstage, Bubba has a prominent role as the backstage security guard in Controlled Chaos.

Sweet Daddy Dee[link]

Dunham introduces Sweet Daddy Dee in Arguing with Myself as his "new manager". He calls himself a "pimp", which he says stands for "Player In the Management Profession." According to Sweet Daddy, because he is a pimp, that makes Jeff the "ho". When Dunham objects, Daddy Dee points out that Dunham makes people laugh and feel good for a living. When Dunham agrees that this is the case, Daddy Dee says, "You a ho." When Dunham asks what he would say if he told him that he was a comedian only because he enjoyed it, Daddy Dee responds, "You a dumb ho."^[36]

Melvin the Superhero Guy[link]

Melvin wears a blue superhero costume, and is used to poke fun at superheroes. When asked about his superhuman powers, he indicates that he has X-ray vision, adding, "I love looking at boobies!" He appears to have no other powers, however: When Dunham asks how far he can fly, he responds, "How far can you throw me?", and when asked if he can stop a bullet like Superman, he responds, "Yeah. Once." Dunham portrays Melvin as unimpressed with other superheroes: When told Superman can leap tall buildings in a single bound, Melvin dismisses him as a "showoff," arguing that he can simply walk around them, observes that Aquaman has the same powers as SpongeBob SquarePants, asserts that the Flash's super speed is derived from methamphetamine, that the Hulk's vaunted ability to get stronger as he gets angrier merely mirrors "every white trash guy on COPS," and makes innuendo about the questionable relationship between Batman and the underage Robin. Melvin's first onscreen appearance was in the July 2003 Comedy Central Presents episode, in which he had small, black, beady eyes. By his next appearance, in Spark of Insanity, he had been modified to have large, blue, crossed eyes. He also has an enormous nose, which he claims is his symbol, and whose similarity in shape to that of a penis is alluded to in the act. Dunham sculpted the current version of Melvin's head himself, and hired an effects company called Renegade Effects Groups to create the rubber mold and complete the puppet, before then installing the mechanics himself.^[34]

Achmed the Dead Terrorist[link]

Achmed is the skeletal corpse of an incompetent suicide bomber, whom Dunham uses to satirize the contemporary issue of terrorism. He is known for yelling, "Silence! I kill you!" to Dunham and people laughing in the audience. Achmed first appeared in Spark of Insanity, and later made an appearance in the Very Special Christmas Special, singing a song called "Jingle Bombs". He also dubs the so-called Guitar Guy "You racist bastard"! for warming up with typical Arab chords. Most of the humor Dunham expresses with Achmed centers on this motif. When mentioning that Achmed appears to be dead because he's a skeleton, Achmed responds, "It's a flesh wound." When Dunham inquires as to how he died, Achmed explains his incompetence with explosives, while also casting aspersions on Dunham's sexual prowess, by saying that they both suffer from "premature detonation." Although he frequently mentions working for Osama Bin Laden, Achmed claims he does not think he's a Muslim ("look at my ass! It says 'Made in China'"). As of June 2009, the sketch in which Dunham introduced Achmed is the fourth most watched online video ever, having amassed nearly 200 million views.^[3][38] The large, round, articulated eyes of puppets such as Achmed and Achmed Junior are constructed by the same effects artist who created the dinosaur eyes for the Jurassic Park films.^[10]

Diane[link]

Diane first appeared with Dunham in the 2010 film Dinner for Schmucks as "Debbie", his character's "wife". She made her stand-up debut in Dunham's Identity Crisis Tour 2010.^[39]

Achmed Junior[link]

Achmed Junior is the estranged son of Achmed. He first appeared during the Identity Crisis Tour 2010, and makes his first onscreen appearance in Dunham's fourth special, Jeff Dunham: Controlled Chaos. Like his father, Achmed Junior is the victim of a bomb, which resulted in the destruction of the half of his face and body. He speaks with a British accent, and does not wish to be a suicide bomber.

Others[link]

Other characters that Dunham has voiced include a miniature puppet of Peanut's, which turns out to be a small version of Dunham himself, and an unseen worm inside a bottle of tequila, both of which he has used, for example, in his appearance on A&E's An Evening at The Improv.^[40] The miniature Dunham puppet was also used in Dunham's 2011 Comedy Central special, Controlled Chaos.

Personal life[link]

Dunham met his first wife, Paige Brown, at the Comedy Corner in West Palm Beach, Florida. They began dating in December 1992. In May 1994, Dunham married Brown and adopted her one and a half year-old daughter, Bree. Their daughters Ashlyn and Kenna were born in 1995 and 1997, respectively. Dunham's time away while performing proved a strain on the marriage,^[10] and in November 2008 he filed for divorce.^{[1][3][10][13]} By mid-2009, Dunham was in a relationship with fellow Texan Audrey Murdick, a certified nutritionist, personal trainer and competition bodybuilder,^[10][13] and on December 25, 2011 they became engaged.^[41]

In addition to building the dummies he uses in his act, Dunham also restores antique ones as a hobby, such as The Umpire, a 6-foot-tall (1.8 m) mechanized dummy built in 1941 to work the plate at a girl's softball game, but which went unused and packed away for 50 years, before Dunham acquired it in early 2008.^[1]

Dunham has harbored a love of helicopters since childhood and is fond of building and flying his own kit helicopters from Rotorway helicopter kits. At the time he finished writing his autobiography in June 2010, he was beginning to build his fourth kit.^[10][11][13] He is also an aficionado of muscle cars and Apple Computer products.^[13]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jeff Dunham

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jeff Dunham

• Jeff Dunham's official website
• Jeff Dunham at Comedy Central
• Jeff Dunham at the Internet Movie Database

Jeff Hardy
Ring name(s)	Galaxion[1] Gladiator[1] The Iceman[1] Jeff Hardy[2] Mean Jimmy Jack[1] Willow the Whisp[3] Wolverine[1]
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[4]
Weight	215 lb (98 kg)[4]
Billed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[5]
Billed weight	215 lb (98 kg)[5]
Born	(1977-08-31) August 31, 1977 (age 34)[6] Cameron, North Carolina[5]
Resides	Raleigh, North Carolina
Billed from	Cameron, North Carolina[2]
Trained by	Dory Funk, Jr.[2] Michael Hayes[2]
Debut	October 15, 1993

Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy^[6] (born August 31, 1977)^[3] is an American professional wrestler, painter, poet, singer-songwriter and musician who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).^[7] He is also known for his stint with the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWE).

Before gaining prominence in WWE, Hardy performed for the Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA), a promotion he ran with his brother Matt.^[3] After being signed by WWE, the brothers worked as jobbers,^[8] before gaining notoriety in the tag team division, partly due to their participation in Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches.^[9] With the addition of Lita, the team became known as Team Xtreme and continued to rise in popularity.^[2] As a tag team wrestler, Hardy is a six-time World Tag Team Champion and a one-time WCW Tag Team Champion.^[2][10] Noted for his seemingly fearless airborne moves, Hardy's offensive toolbox more resembles a stunt man's than a pro wrestler's.^[11]

Hardy has also experienced success as a singles wrestler and is a five-time world champion, having held the WWE Championship once, the World Heavyweight Championship twice and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship twice, a four-time Intercontinental Champion, and has held the Light Heavyweight, and European Championships once each. He is also a former Hardcore Champion, having held the championship on three occasions. Between WWE and TNA, Hardy has won 21 total championships.^[10] He received his first major main event push in WWE towards the end of 2007, including challenging for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble in 2008, and eventually won the WWE Championship at the Armageddon pay-per-view in December 2008.^[12][13] Hardy went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship twice, before he left WWE in mid-2009. He returned to TNA in January 2010, and in October of that year, he won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time. Moreover, Hardy is involved in motocross, music, painting, and other artistic endeavors.^[14] He is currently a member of the band Peroxwhy?gen.^[15]

Early life[link]

Hardy is the son of Gilbert and Ruby Moore Hardy, and the younger brother of Matt.^[2][8][16] Their mother died of brain cancer in 1986, when Hardy was nine.^[8][17][18] He developed an interest in motocross aged 12 and got his first bike, a Yamaha YZ-80, at age 13.^[19] He had his first race when he was in ninth grade.^[20] Hardy played baseball as a child, but had to stop after he crashed during a motocross race, injuring his arm.^[20] He also played football during high school as a fullback and linebacker.^[19] He briefly competed in amateur wrestling in high school.^[21] He had to stop playing sports in high school, after he was ordered to pick between professional wrestling and playing sports, and he chose wrestling.^[22] Hardy's favorite subjects in school were U.S. history and art, which he did for extra credit.^[23]

Professional wrestling career[link]

Early career[link]

Hardy cites Sting, The Ultimate Warrior, and Shawn Michaels as his childhood inspirations to wrestle.^[24] Hardy had been on World Wrestling Federation (WWF) television as a jobber—a wrestler who consistently loses to make his opponents look stronger—as early as age sixteen. His first WWF match was against Razor Ramon on May 24, 1994 in Youngstown, Ohio, with "Macho Man" Randy Savage mentioning on-air in a commentary role "Welcome to the big leagues".^[25] The next day he wrestled against The 1-2-3 Kid, and the match aired on the June 25 episode of Superstars.^[26] He occasionally wrestled as a jobber as late as 1997 (including a match against Rob Van Dam during the ECW "invasion" storyline that had Hardy billed as being from Virginia instead of Cameron, North Carolina)^[27] before beginning his first major run in 1998.^[8] Hardy, along with his brother Matt and friends, started their own federation, the Trampoline Wrestling Federation (TWF) and mimicked the moves they saw on television.^[8] Later on, the TWF went under several different names, eventually being integrated into a county fair in North Carolina. The brothers and their friends then began to work for other independent companies. They drove all over the East Coast of the United States, working for companies such as ACW and other small promotions.^[6]

Before arriving in the WWF, Matt formed his own wrestling promotion, the Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA) with Thomas Simpson.^[3] The promotion was a more successful version of the original TWF and included talent such as both Hardy brothers, Shannon Moore, Gregory Helms, Joey Matthews, and Steve Corino, among others.^[28] In OMEGA, each of the brothers portrayed several different characters; Hardy portrayed such characters as Willow the Wisp, Iceman, Mean Jimmy Jack Tomkins, and The Masked Mountain.^[3] While there, Hardy held the New Frontier Championship as a singles competitor and the Tag Team Championship with Matt.^[3][29][30] The promotion folded in April 1998 when they signed contracts with the WWF.^[31]

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment[link]

The Hardy Boyz (1998–2002)[link]

Team Xtreme at King of the Ring in 2000.

The Hardy brothers eventually caught the eyes of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). After being signed to a contract in 1998,^[8][32] they were trained by Dory Funk, Jr. in his Funkin' Dojo with other notable wrestlers such as Kurt Angle, Christian, Test, and A-Train.^[6] When the team was finally brought up to WWF television, after months of 'jobbing' and live events, they formed the acrobatic tag team called the Hardy Boyz.^[3] While feuding with The Brood in mid-1999, they added Michael Hayes as their manager.^[3] On July 5, they won their first WWF Tag Team Championship by defeating the Acolytes, but lost it back to them a month later.^[33] After the dissolution of the Brood, the Hardys joined forces with Gangrel as The New Brood and feuded with Edge and Christian.^[3][34] This stable did not last long, however, and on October 17, 1999 at No Mercy, the Hardy Boyz won the managerial services of Terri Runnels in the finals of the Terri Invitational Tournament in the WWF's first ever tag team ladder match against Edge and Christian.^[8][35]

In 2000, the Hardy Boyz found a new manager in their real-life friend Lita.^[2] Together, the three became known as "Team Xtreme".^[2] They continued their feud with Edge and Christian throughout 2000, defeating them for the WWF Tag Team Championship on two occasions.^[36][37] At SummerSlam the Hardy Boyz competed in the first ever Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match (TLC match), for the Tag Team Championship against the Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian, but were unsuccessful.^[9]

Hardy gained attention for his high risk stunts in the TLC matches in the year 2000,^[9] 2001,^[38] and 2002.^[39] He made a name for himself as one of the most seemingly reckless and unorthodox WWF performers of his time.^[40] In 2001, Hardy received a push as a singles competitor, and he held the WWF Intercontinental (defeating Triple H),^[41] Light Heavyweight (defeating Jerry Lynn)^[42] and Hardcore Championships (defeating Mike Awesome and Van Dam on two separate occasions).^[43] At the end of 2001, the Hardys began a storyline in which they began to fight, which led to Matt demanding a match at Vengeance, with Lita as the special guest referee.^[44] After Hardy beat Matt at Vengeance, while Matt's foot was on the ropes, Hardy and Lita began feuding against Matt.^[45] In the middle of the feud, however, Hardy faced The Undertaker in a Hardcore Championship match and lost.^[46] After the match, the Undertaker was scripted to attack both Hardy and Lita, injuring them.^[46] On the next episode of SmackDown!, the Undertaker also attacked Matt, also injuring him, in storyline.^[47] The Hardys and Lita were not seen again until the Royal Rumble, because WWE did not have another storyline for their characters.^[48] The Hardys later came back as a team, and there was never any mention of their previous storyline split.^[48]

Jeff Hardy during an autograph signing session

In early April 2002, the Hardy Boyz began a feud with Brock Lesnar after Lesnar gave Matt an F-5 on the steel entrance ramp, which led to an angered Hardy seeking revenge on Lesnar.^[49] At Backlash, Hardy faced-off against Lesnar in his first televised match.^[50] Lesnar dominated Hardy and won the match by knockout.^[51] Lesnar and the Hardys continued to feud over the next few weeks, with the Hardys coming out victorious only once by disqualification.^[52] At Judgment Day, Lesnar gained the upper hand on the Hardy Boyz before tagging his partner, Paul Heyman, in to claim the win for the team.^[53] In July 2002, Hardy won his third Hardcore Championship by defeating Bradshaw.^[10][43]

Singles competition (2002–2003)[link]

After years in the tag team division, Hardy took on The Undertaker in a ladder match for the Undisputed Championship.^[3][54] Hardy came up short, but earned the Undertaker's respect.^[3] Hardy competed for singles titles on several occasions and defeated William Regal for the WWE European Championship.^[55] Hardy was defeated a few weeks later by Rob Van Dam in a match to unify the European Championship and the Intercontinental Championship, and the European Championship was dropped.^[55] Finally, the Hardy Boyz split apart, as Hardy continued to pursue his singles ambitions on Raw and his brother, Matt was drafted to the SmackDown! brand.^[56]

In January 2003, he briefly turned into a heel (villain) after he attacked Van Dam and Shawn Michaels.^[6][57][58] It ended a month later when he saved Stacy Keibler from an attack by then-villain, Christian.^[59] In February, he had a brief program with Michaels, which saw the two team up.^[54][60] Then, in storyline, Hardy began dating Trish Stratus after saving her from Steven Richards and Victoria in March.^[61] Hardy and Stratus had a brief on-screen relationship that saw the duo talking backstage, kissing, and teaming together in matches.^[6][62] Hardy, however, was released from WWE on April 22, 2003.^[6][63] The reasons given for the release were Hardy's erratic behavior, drug use, refusal to go to rehab, deteriorating ring performance, as well as constant tardiness and no-showing events.^[2][63] Hardy also cites "burn out" and the need for time off as reasons for leaving WWE.^[24]

Independent circuit (2003)[link]

Hardy made his first wrestling appearance after being released from WWE at an OMEGA show, on May 24.^[3] Using his old gimmick, "Willow the Wisp", Hardy challenged Krazy K for the OMEGA Cruiserweight Championship, but lost the match.^[3] Hardy performed with the Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion on one occasion.^[64] Hardy appeared at ROH's 2003 show, Death Before Dishonor, under his "Willow the Wisp" gimmick, wearing a mask and trench coat.^[64] Hardy was quickly unmasked and lost his jacket, wearing attire similar to that he wore in WWE.^[64] Hardy was booed and heckled before, during, and after the match by the ROH audience, who chanted "We want Matt!" and "You were fired!" during his match with Joey Matthews and Krazy K, which Hardy won.^[64] Hardy then took a whole year off of wrestling to concentrate on motocross and finish his motocross track.^[14]

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2004–2006)[link]

Hardy in TNA in 2005

Hardy debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) on June 23, 2004, at the Second Anniversary Show, in a match against TNA X Division Champion A.J. Styles, for the title.^[65] He also debuted his new entrance theme "Modest", a song performed by Hardy himself,^[66] and a new nickname, "The Charismatic Enigma".^[3] The match ended in a no contest when Kid Kash and Dallas interfered.^[65] Hardy returned to TNA on July 21 and was awarded a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.^[67] Hardy challenged for the title on September 8, losing to NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett.^[68] In October 2004, he won a tournament,^[69] earning a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on November 7 at Victory Road, TNA's first monthly pay-per-view.^[70] Hardy was defeated by Jarrett once again in a ladder match at Victory Road following interference from Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.^[70] One month later at Turning Point, Hardy, Styles and Randy Savage defeated Jarrett, Hall and Nash (collectively known as the Kings of Wrestling).^[71] Hardy went on to defeat Hall in a singles match, substituting for Héctor Garza at Final Resolution on January 16, 2005.^[72]

At Against All Odds in February 2005, Hardy lost to Abyss in a "Full Metal Mayhem" match for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.^[73] Hardy returned the favor by defeating Abyss in a Falls Count Anywhere match at Destination X in March.^[74] Hardy then went on to feud with Raven,^[75][76] with Hardy booked to defeat Raven in a steel cage match at Lockdown in April.^[77] Hardy was suspended from TNA after no-showing his "Clockwork Orange House of Fun" rematch with Raven at Hard Justice on May 15, allegedly due to travel difficulties.^[3][78][79] Hardy's suspension was lifted on August 5, and he returned at Sacrifice approximately a week later, attacking Jeff Jarrett.^[80] He wrestled his first TNA match in four months at Unbreakable on September 11, losing to Bobby Roode following interference from Jarrett.^[81] Throughout October 2005, Hardy became embroiled in a feud with Abyss, Rhino and Sabu.^[82][83] The four way feud culminated in a Monster's Ball match at Bound for Glory on October 23, which Rhino won after delivering a second rope Rhino Driver to Hardy.^[6][84] In the course of the match, Hardy delivered a Swanton Bomb to Abyss from a height of approximately 17 ft 0 in (5.18 m).^[84] Later that night, Hardy competed in a ten-man battle royal for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, which Rhino also won.^[84] At Genesis in November, Hardy lost to Monty Brown in another number one contender match.^[85]

Hardy was scheduled to wrestle on the pre-show of Turning Point in December 2005, but once again no-showed the event, again citing traveling problems.^[3][6] Hardy was suspended as a result and did not appear on TNA television again.^[3] In March, April, and May 2006, Hardy appeared on several live events promoted by TNA in conjunction with Dave Hebner and the United Wrestling Federation.^[3][6]

Return to World Wrestling Entertainment[link]

Raw (2006)[link]

Jeff Hardy performing a low dropkick on Umaga in a tag-team match during 2007

On August 4, 2006, WWE announced that Hardy had re-signed with the company.^[63] In the following weeks, vignettes aired hyping his return on the August 21 episode of Raw.^[86] On the day of his return, Hardy received a push and defeated then-WWE Champion Edge by disqualification when Lita pulled Edge out of the ring.^[87] After failing to capture the Intercontinental Championship from Johnny Nitro over the next few weeks, including at Unforgiven,^[88] Hardy finally defeated Nitro to win his second Intercontinental Championship on the October 2 episode of Raw.^[89] On the November 6 episode of Raw, Hardy lost the Intercontinental Championship back to Nitro, after Nitro hit him with the Intercontinental Championship title belt.^[90] One week later, Hardy regained it on the November 13 episode of Raw, with a crucifix pin.^[91] This marked Hardy's third reign as Intercontinental Champion.^[41]

The Hardys reunion (2006–2007)[link]

On the November 21 episode of ECW on Sci Fi Hardy teamed with his brother, Matt, for the first time in almost five years to defeat the Full Blooded Italians.^[92] At Survivor Series, they both were a part of Team D-Generation X, which gained the victory over Team Rated-RKO with a clean sweep.^[93] The brothers then received their first opportunity since Hardy's return to win a tag team championship at Armageddon.^[94] They competed in a four-team ladder match for the WWE Tag Team Championship, but they came up short in their attempt.^[94] In the course of the match, however, they inadvertently legitimately injured Joey Mercury's face.^[95]

The Hardy Boyz, Jeff (far left) and Matt (far right).

With Hardy still feuding with Johnny Nitro and the other members of MNM into 2007, he was challenged once again by Nitro at New Year's Revolution in a steel cage match for the Intercontinental Championship.^[96] Hardy once again defeated Nitro.^[96] Hardy then teamed with Matt to defeat MNM at both the Royal Rumble and No Way Out pay-per-views.^[97][98] The next night on Raw, February 19, Hardy was defeated for the Intercontinental Championship by Umaga.^[99] In April 2007, Hardy competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 23.^[100] During the match, Matt threw Edge onto a ladder and encouraged Hardy, who was close to the winning briefcase, to finish him off.^[100] Hardy then leaped off the 20-foot-high (6.1 m) ladder, drove Edge through the ladder with a leg drop, seemingly injuring both Edge and himself.^[100] The two were unable to continue the match and were removed from ringside on stretchers.^[100]

The next night on Raw, April 2, the Hardys competed in a 10-team battle royal for the World Tag Team Championship.^[101] They won the titles after eliminating Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch.^[101] They then began a feud with Cade and Murdoch, with the Hardys retaining the Championship in their first title defense against them at Backlash and again at Judgment Day.^[102][103] The Hardys, however, dropped the titles to Cade and Murdoch on June 4 on Raw.^[104] The Hardys earned a rematch at Vengeance: Night of Champions but were defeated.^[105]

Main event status and departure (2007–2009)[link]

Jeff Hardy worked closely with Triple H during late 2007, and again in late 2008.

In the midst of feuding with Umaga, who defeated Hardy at The Great American Bash to retain the Intercontinental Championship in late July,^[106] Hardy was abruptly taken off WWE programming.^[3] He posted on his own website and in the forums of TheHardyShow.com that it was time off to heal, stemming from a bad fall taken in a match against Mr. Kennedy on the July 23 episode of Raw.^[3] He made his return on the August 27 episode of Raw beating Kennedy by disqualification after Umaga interfered.^[107] The following week, on September 3, Hardy successfully captured his fourth Intercontinental Championship by defeating Umaga for the title.^[108]

This was the start of a push for Hardy, and at Survivor Series, Hardy and Triple H were the last two standing to win the traditional elimination match.^[109] Hardy began an on and off tag team with Triple H,^[110][111] which eventually led to a respectful feud between the two.^[111] The scripted rivalry continued at Armageddon, when Hardy defeated Triple H to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship.^[112] In the weeks leading up to the Royal Rumble, Hardy and Randy Orton engaged in a personal feud, which began when Orton kicked Hardy's brother, Matt, in the head in the storyline.^[113] Hardy, in retaliation, performed a Swanton Bomb on Orton from the top of the Raw set and seemed to have all the momentum after coming out on top in their encounters.^{[13][114][115]} Hardy, however, lost the title match at the Royal Rumble,^[13] but was named as one of six men to compete in an Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out, where he survived to the final two before being eliminated by the eventual winner, Triple H.^[116]

During the March 3 episode of Raw, Hardy appeared on Chris Jericho's "Highlight Reel" segment as a special guest, but ended up attacking Jericho.^[117] This led to an Intercontinental title match on the following Raw where Hardy dropped the title to Jericho.^[118] Off-screen, Hardy dropped the title after he was suspended for sixty days, as of March 11, for his second violation of the company's Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy.^[119] Hardy was also removed from the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXIV after the suspension was announced.^[119][120] Hardy returned on the May 12 episode of Raw, defeating Umaga.^[121] This reignited the rivalry between the two, and they met in a Falls Count Anywhere match at One Night Stand, which Hardy won.^[122]

Hardy as WWE Champion at the start of 2009.

On June 23, 2008, Hardy was drafted from the Raw brand to the SmackDown brand, as a part of the 2008 WWE Draft.^[123] Hardy made his SmackDown debut on the July 4 episode, defeating John Morrison.^[124] Hardy participated in the WWE Championship Scramble match at Unforgiven and also challenged for the Championship at No Mercy and Cyber Sunday, but failed to win each time.^{[125][126][127]} He was originally scheduled to be in the WWE Championship match at Survivor Series, but, in storyline, was found unconscious in his hotel, allowing the returning Edge to replace him in the match and win the title.^[128][129] At Armageddon in December 2008, Hardy defeated the defending champion Edge and Triple H in a triple threat match to capture the WWE Championship, his first world heavyweight championship.^[12][130]

In January 2009, Hardy's next storyline led to his involvement in scripted accidents, including a hit-and-run automobile accident and an accident involving his ring entrance pyrotechnics.^[131][132] At the 2009 Royal Rumble, Hardy lost his WWE Championship to Edge after Hardy's brother, Matt, interfered on Edge's behalf and hit Hardy with a steel chair.^[133] The buildup to this feud involved Matt implying that he was responsible for all of Hardy's accidents over the past few months, and at WrestleMania XXV, Hardy was defeated by Matt in an Extreme Rules match.^[134][135] In a rematch at Backlash, however, Hardy defeated Matt in an "I Quit" match.^[136]

At Extreme Rules, Hardy defeated Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship in a ladder match. Immediately after the match, however, CM Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase, which gave him a guaranteed world championship match at any time he wanted, and defeated Hardy to win the championship.^[137] Hardy received his rematch at The Bash, and won the match via disqualification, with Punk still retaining the title.^[138] At Night of Champions, however, Hardy won the championship for the second time, by defeating Punk.^[139][140] At the SummerSlam pay-per-view in August, Hardy lost the title back to Punk in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.^[141] On the August 28 episode of SmackDown, Punk defeated Hardy in a steel cage rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship, resulting in Hardy being forced to leave WWE, in storyline, per the pre-match stipulation.^[142] This storyline was put in place to allow Hardy to leave WWE to heal his injuries, including a neck injury.^[143][144] Hardy also had two herniated discs in his lower back and was suffering from Restless legs syndrome.^[143][144]

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling return[link]

Early storylines (2010)[link]

Hardy during his return to TNA at the live Impact! on January 4.

On TNA's first live Monday episode of Impact! on January 4, 2010, Hardy made his return to TNA, along with Shannon Moore.^[145] He was attacked by Homicide after emerging from the crowd, but hit Homicide with a steel chair and performed the Twist of Fate on the Impact! Zone ramp.^[145] He later appeared in backstage segments throughout the evening.^[146] The following day, it was reported that Hardy had signed a new contract with TNA.^[7] Hardy would make his next appearance for the company on the March 8 episode of Impact!, saving D'Angelo Dinero, Abyss and Hulk Hogan from A.J. Styles, Ric Flair and Desmond Wolfe.^[147] The following week Hardy defeated the TNA World Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles in a non-title match.^[148] On the April 5 episode of Impact! Hardy was introduced as a member of Team Hogan for the annual Lethal Lockdown match, where they would face Team Flair.^[149] At Lockdown Team Hogan (Hardy, Abyss, Jeff Jarrett and Rob Van Dam) defeated Team Flair (Sting, Desmond Wolfe, Robert Roode and James Storm).^[150] At Sacrifice Hardy defeated Mr. Anderson.^[151] After the event, Anderson turned face and eventually managed to convince the skeptical Hardy that he really had changed, after which the two went on to form a tag team.^[152][153] At Slammiversary VIII Hardy and Anderson, now known as Enigmatic Assholes, defeated Beer Money, Inc. (Robert Roode and James Storm) in a tag team match.^[154]