Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an
American professional wrestler,
painter,
poet,
singer-songwriter and
musician who is currently signed to
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). 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. After being signed by WWE, the brothers worked as jobbers, before gaining notoriety in the tag team division, partly due to their participation in Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches. With the addition of Lita, the team became known as Team Xtreme and continued to rise in popularity. As a tag team wrestler, Hardy is a six-time World Tag Team Champion and a one-time WCW Tag Team Champion. Noted for his seemingly fearless airborne moves, Hardy's offensive toolbox more resembles a stunt man's than a pro wrestler's.
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. 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. 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. He is currently a member of the band Peroxwhy?gen.
Early life
Hardy is the son of Gilbert and Ruby Moore Hardy, and the younger brother of Matt. Their mother died of
brain cancer in 1986, when Hardy was nine. He developed an interest in motocross aged 12 and got his first bike, a
Yamaha YZ-80, at age 13. He had his first race when he was in
ninth grade. Hardy played baseball as a child, but had to stop after he crashed during a motocross race, injuring his arm. He also played
football during high school as a
fullback and
linebacker. He briefly competed in
amateur wrestling in high school. 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. Hardy's favorite subjects in school were U.S. history and art, which he did for extra credit.
Professional wrestling career
Early career
Hardy cites
Sting,
The Ultimate Warrior, and
Shawn Michaels as his childhood inspirations to wrestle. 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". The next day he wrestled against
The 1-2-3 Kid, and the match aired on the June 25 episode of ''
Superstars''. 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) before beginning his first major run in 1998. 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. 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.
Before arriving in the WWF, Matt formed his own wrestling promotion, the Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA) with Thomas Simpson. 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. 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. While there, Hardy held the New Frontier Championship as a singles competitor and the Tag Team Championship with Matt. The promotion folded in April 1998 when they signed contracts with the WWF.
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment
The Hardy Boyz (1998–2002)
The Hardy brothers eventually caught the eyes of the
World Wrestling Federation (WWF). After being signed to a contract in 1998, they were trained by
Dory Funk, Jr. in his Funkin' Dojo with other notable wrestlers such as
Kurt Angle,
Christian,
Test, and
A-Train. 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. While feuding with
The Brood in mid-1999, they added
Michael Hayes as their
manager. On July 5, they won their first
WWF Tag Team Championship by defeating
the Acolytes, but lost it back to them a month later. After the dissolution of the Brood, the Hardys joined forces with
Gangrel as
The New Brood and feuded with
Edge and Christian. 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.
In 2000, the Hardy Boyz found a new manager in their real-life friend Lita. Together, the three became known as "Team Xtreme". They continued their feud with Edge and Christian throughout 2000, defeating them for the WWF Tag Team Championship on two occasions. 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.
Hardy gained attention for his high risk stunts in the TLC matches in the year 2000, 2001, and 2002. He made a name for himself as one of the most seemingly reckless and unorthodox WWF performers of his time. In 2001, Hardy received a push as a singles competitor, and he held the WWF Intercontinental (defeating Triple H), Light Heavyweight (defeating Jerry Lynn) and Hardcore Championships (defeating Mike Awesome and Van Dam on two separate occasions). 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. After Hardy beat Matt at Vengeance, while Matt's foot was on the ropes, Hardy and Lita began feuding against Matt. In the middle of the feud, however, Hardy faced The Undertaker in a Hardcore Championship match and lost. After the match, the Undertaker was scripted to attack both Hardy and Lita, injuring them. On the next episode of ''SmackDown!'', the Undertaker also attacked Matt, also injuring him, in storyline. The Hardys and Lita were not seen again until the Royal Rumble, because WWE did not have another storyline for their characters. The Hardys later came back as a team, and there was never any mention of their previous storyline split. At Backlash, Hardy faced-off against Lesnar in his first televised match. Lesnar dominated Hardy and won the match by knockout. Lesnar and the Hardys continued to feud over the next few weeks, with the Hardys coming out victorious only once by disqualification. 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. In July 2002, Hardy won his third Hardcore Championship by defeating Bradshaw.
Singles competition (2002–2003)
After years in the tag team division, Hardy took on
The Undertaker in a ladder match for the
Undisputed Championship. Hardy came up short, but earned the Undertaker's respect. Hardy competed for singles titles on several occasions and defeated
William Regal for the
WWE European Championship. 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. 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.
In January 2003, he briefly turned into a heel (villain) after he attacked Van Dam and Shawn Michaels. It ended a month later when he saved Stacy Keibler from an attack by then-villain, Christian. In February, he had a brief program with Michaels, which saw the two team up. Then, in storyline, Hardy began dating Trish Stratus after saving her from Steven Richards and Victoria in March. Hardy and Stratus had a brief on-screen relationship that saw the duo talking backstage, kissing, and teaming together in matches. Hardy, however, was released from WWE on April 22, 2003. 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. Hardy also cites "burn out" and the need for time off as reasons for leaving WWE.
Independent circuit (2003)
Hardy made his first wrestling appearance after being released from WWE at an OMEGA show, on May 24. Using his old
gimmick, "Willow the Wisp", Hardy challenged
Krazy K for the OMEGA Cruiserweight Championship, but lost the match. Hardy performed with the
Ring of Honor (ROH) promotion on one occasion. Hardy appeared at ROH's 2003 show, ''Death Before Dishonor'', under his "Willow the Wisp" gimmick, wearing a mask and trench coat. Hardy was quickly unmasked and lost his jacket, wearing attire similar to that he wore in WWE. 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. Hardy then took a whole year off of wrestling to concentrate on
motocross and finish his motocross track.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2004–2006)
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. He also debuted his new entrance theme "Modest", a song performed by Hardy himself, and a new nickname, "The Charismatic Enigma". The match ended in a no contest when
Kid Kash and
Dallas interfered. Hardy returned to TNA on July 21 and was awarded a shot at the
NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Hardy challenged for the title on September 8, losing to NWA World Heavyweight Champion
Jeff Jarrett. In October 2004, he won a tournament, earning a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on November 7 at
Victory Road, TNA's first monthly pay-per-view. Hardy was defeated by Jarrett once again in a ladder match at Victory Road following interference from
Kevin Nash and
Scott Hall. One month later at
Turning Point, Hardy, Styles and
Randy Savage defeated Jarrett, Hall and Nash (collectively known as the
Kings of Wrestling). Hardy went on to defeat Hall in a singles match, substituting for
Héctor Garza at
Final Resolution on January 16, 2005.
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. Hardy returned the favor by defeating Abyss in a Falls Count Anywhere match at Destination X in March. Hardy then went on to feud with Raven, with Hardy booked to defeat Raven in a steel cage match at Lockdown in April. 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. Hardy's suspension was lifted on August 5, and he returned at Sacrifice approximately a week later, attacking Jeff Jarrett. He wrestled his first TNA match in four months at Unbreakable on September 11, losing to Bobby Roode following interference from Jarrett. Throughout October 2005, Hardy became embroiled in a feud with Abyss, Rhino and Sabu. 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. In the course of the match, Hardy delivered a Swanton Bomb to Abyss from a height of approximately . 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. At Genesis in November, Hardy lost to Monty Brown in another number one contender match.
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. Hardy was suspended as a result and did not appear on TNA television again. 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.
Return to World Wrestling Entertainment
Raw (2006)
On August 4, 2006, WWE announced that Hardy had re-signed with the company. In the following weeks,
vignettes aired hyping his return on the August 21 episode of ''Raw''. 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. After failing to capture the Intercontinental Championship from
Johnny Nitro over the next few weeks, including at
Unforgiven, Hardy finally defeated Nitro to win his second Intercontinental Championship on the October 2 episode of ''Raw''. 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. One week later, Hardy regained it on the November 13 episode of ''Raw'', with a
crucifix pin. This marked Hardy's third reign as Intercontinental Champion.
The Hardys reunion (2006–2007)
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. 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. The brothers then received their first opportunity since Hardy's return to win a tag team championship at
Armageddon. They competed in a four-team ladder match for the
WWE Tag Team Championship, but they came up short in their attempt. In the course of the match, however, they inadvertently
legitimately injured
Joey Mercury's face.
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. Hardy once again defeated Nitro. Hardy then teamed with Matt to defeat MNM at both the Royal Rumble and No Way Out pay-per-views. The next night on ''Raw'', February 19, Hardy was defeated for the Intercontinental Championship by Umaga. In April 2007, Hardy competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 23. During the match, Matt threw Edge onto a ladder and encouraged Hardy, who was close to the winning briefcase, to finish him off. Hardy then leaped off the ladder, drove Edge through the ladder with a leg drop, seemingly injuring both Edge and himself. The two were unable to continue the match and were removed from ringside on stretchers.
The next night on ''Raw'', April 2, the Hardys competed in a 10-team battle royal for the World Tag Team Championship. They won the titles after eliminating Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. 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. The Hardys, however, dropped the titles to Cade and Murdoch on June 4 on ''Raw''. The Hardys earned a rematch at Vengeance: Night of Champions but were defeated.
Main event status and departure (2007–2009)
In the midst of feuding with Umaga, who defeated Hardy at
The Great American Bash to retain the Intercontinental Championship in late July, Hardy was abruptly taken off WWE programming. 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''. He made his return on the August 27 episode of ''Raw'' beating Kennedy by disqualification after Umaga interfered. The following week, on September 3, Hardy successfully captured his fourth Intercontinental Championship by defeating Umaga for the title.
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. Hardy began an on and off tag team with Triple H, which eventually led to a respectful feud between the two. The scripted rivalry continued at Armageddon, when Hardy defeated Triple H to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship. 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. 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. Hardy, however, lost the title match at the Royal Rumble, 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.
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. This led to an Intercontinental title match on the following ''Raw'' where Hardy dropped the title to Jericho. 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. Hardy was also removed from the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXIV after the suspension was announced. Hardy returned on the May 12 episode of ''Raw'', defeating Umaga. This reignited the rivalry between the two, and they met in a Falls Count Anywhere match at One Night Stand, which Hardy won.
On June 23, 2008, Hardy was drafted from the Raw brand to the SmackDown brand, as a part of the 2008 WWE Draft. Hardy made his ''SmackDown'' debut on the July 4 episode, defeating John Morrison. 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. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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. In a rematch at Backlash, however, Hardy defeated Matt in an "I Quit" match.
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. Hardy received his rematch at The Bash, and won the match via disqualification, with Punk still retaining the title. At Night of Champions, however, Hardy won the championship for the second time, by defeating Punk. At the SummerSlam pay-per-view in August, Hardy lost the title back to Punk in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. 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. This storyline was put in place to allow Hardy to leave WWE to heal his injuries, including a neck injury. Hardy also had two herniated discs in his lower back and was suffering from Restless legs syndrome.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling return
Early storylines (2010)
On TNA's first live Monday episode of ''
Impact!'' on January 4, 2010, Hardy made his return to TNA, along with Shannon Moore. 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. He later appeared in backstage segments throughout the evening. The following day, it was reported that Hardy had signed a new contract with TNA. 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. The following week Hardy defeated the
TNA World Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles in a non-title match. 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. At
Lockdown Team Hogan (Hardy, Abyss,
Jeff Jarrett and Rob Van Dam) defeated Team Flair (
Sting,
Desmond Wolfe,
Robert Roode and
James Storm). At
Sacrifice Hardy defeated
Mr. Anderson. 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. 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.
Immortal and World Heavyweight Champion (2010–2011)
On the August 19 episode of ''Impact!'' the TNA World Heavyweight Championship was vacated and Hardy was entered into an eight man tournament for the championship, defeating
Rob Terry in his first round match. At the semifinals at
No Surrender Hardy first wrestled Kurt Angle to a twenty minute time-limit draw, after which
Eric Bischoff ordered a five minute period of extra time. After that and a second five minute extra time period also ended in draws, it was ruled that Angle was unable to continue and the match ended in a no contest. After wrestling a draw on the September 16 episode of ''Impact!'', it was announced that both Hardy and Angle would advance to the finals at
Bound for Glory, where they would compete with Mr. Anderson in a three–way match.
At Bound for Glory, Hardy turned heel with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff and with their help defeated Angle and Anderson to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time. They were then joined by Jeff Jarrett and Abyss, revealing the group that Abyss had been referring to as "they" for several months. On the following episode of ''Impact!'' the stable was named Immortal, as it formed an alliance with Ric Flair's Fortune. Meanwhile, Hardy debuted a new dark character, using cryptic messages as he explained the reasons behind his turn. At Turning Point Hardy retained his title in a defense against Matt Morgan, a replacement for Mr. Anderson, who was sidelined after suffering a concussion during an attack by Hardy. On the following episode of ''Impact!'' Hogan presented Hardy with a new design of the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, which he dubbed the TNA Immortal Championship. At Final Resolution in December, Hardy successfully defended the championship in a rematch against Morgan after incapacitating the special guest referee Mr. Anderson and having a replacement referee count the pinfall. On January 4, 2011, Hardy made his debut for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) at ''Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome'', where he successfully defended the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Tetsuya Naitō.
On January 9 at Genesis, Hardy's brother, Matt, made his TNA debut as a surprise member of Immortal and defeated Rob Van Dam to prevent him from receiving a match at Hardy's championship. That same night Hardy gave Anderson a match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, immediately following Anderson's victory in a number one contender's match. Despite Matt, Flair, and Bischoff interfering in an attempt to help Hardy, Anderson defeated Hardy for the championship. On the January 13 episode of ''Impact!'' the Hardy Boyz reunited and defeated Anderson and Van Dam in a tag team match, following interference from Beer Money, Inc. On the February 3 episode of ''Impact!'', Hardy received his rematch for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. The rest of Immortal interfered in the match, but were stopped by Fortune, which led to Anderson retaining the championship. On February 13 at Against All Odds Hardy defeated Anderson in a ladder match to regain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Hardy held the championship for less than two weeks, defending it once against Rob Van Dam, before losing it to Sting on February 24, at the tapings of the March 3 episode of ''Impact!''. On March 13 at Victory Road, Hardy received a rematch for the title under No Disqualification rules, but was defeated in ninety seconds. TNA had made the decision to cut the match short after deeming that Hardy was in no condition to wrestle. The following day it was reported that TNA had sent Hardy home from the week's ''Impact!'' tapings. On the March 17 episode of ''Impact!'', Immortal severed their ties with Hardy.
Return (2011–present)
On August 23, 2011, TNA announced that Hardy would be making his return to the promotion at the ''Impact Wrestling'' tapings on August 25 in
Huntsville, Alabama. The return would take place only five days after Matt Hardy was released from his TNA contract. In his return, which was taped for the September 8 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy spoke to the audience as a
face, acknowledging that he had hit rock bottom at Victory Road in March, before asking the fans for "one more shot". Hardy wrestled his first match in six months on September 15 at a live event in
York, Pennsylvania, defeating Jeff Jarrett. Hardy then began feuding with his former stable Immortal, attacking Eric Bischoff on the October 6 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'' and engaging in brawls with Jeff Jarrett at
Bound for Glory and on the October 20 episode of ''Impact Wrestling''. Hardy wrestled his first televised match since his return on the October 27 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', defeating Immortal member
Bully Ray. On November 13 at
Turning Point, Hardy defeated Jeff Jarrett three times, first in six seconds, the second in six minutes, and the third in ten seconds. On December 11 at
Final Resolution, Hardy defeated Jarrett in a steel cage match to become the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On January 8, 2012, at
Genesis, Hardy defeated TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode via disqualification; as a result, the title remained with Roode. On the following episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', a rematch between Hardy and Roode ended in a no contest, following interference from Bully Ray. The following week, Hardy was entered into a number one contender's match against
James Storm, which ended in a no contest following interference from Ray and Roode. On February 12 at
Against All Odds, Hardy was unable to capture the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Roode in a four-way match, which also included Bully Ray and James Storm. On the following episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy lost his shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, following interference from the returning Kurt Angle. On March 18 at
Victory Road, Hardy was defeated by Angle in a singles match. On April 15 at
Lockdown, Hardy defeated Angle in a rematch, contested inside a steel cage. On the following episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Hardy and Mr. Anderson were defeated by Rob Van Dam in a triple threat number one contenders match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. During the first "Open Fight Night" the following week, Hardy teamed up with Anderson to unsuccessfully challenge
Samoa Joe and
Magnus for the TNA World Tag Team Championship.
Other media
Hardy appeared on the February 7, 1999 episode of ''
That '70s Show'' entitled "
That Wrestling Show", along with Matt, as an uncredited wrestler. Hardy and Matt also appeared on ''
Tough Enough'' in early 2001, talking to and wrestling the contestants. He appeared on the February 25, 2002 episode of ''
Fear Factor'' competing against five other World Wrestling Federation wrestlers. He was eliminated in the first round. In September 2009, Hardy signed a deal with Fox 21 studios to appear in a
reality television show.
In 2001, Hardy, Matt and Lita appeared in ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's 2001 Sports Hall of Fame issue. In 2003, Hardy and Matt, with the help of Michael Krugman, wrote and published their autobiography ''The Hardy Boyz: Exist 2 Inspire''.
As part of WWE, Hardy has appeared in several of their DVDs, including ''The Hardy Boyz: Leap of Faith'' (2001) and ''The Ladder Match'' (2007). He is also featured in the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling release ''Enigma: The Best of Jeff Hardy'' (2005) and ''Pro Wrestling's Ultimate Insiders: Hardy Boys – From the Backyard to the Big Time'' (2005). On April 29, 2008, WWE released ''"Twist of Fate: The Matt and Jeff Hardy Story"''. The DVD features footage of the brothers in OMEGA and WWE, and also briefly mentions Hardy's first run with TNA. In December 2009, WWE released a DVD about Hardy entitled ''Jeff Hardy: My Life, My Rules''.
Artistic pursuits
Hardy has an
eclectic set of interests outside of wrestling. He calls his artistic side "The Imag-I-Nation". At one stage, Hardy constructed a statue of an "aluminummy" named "Neroameee" out of
tin foil outside of his
recording studio (a
spray painted trailer). On another occasion, he created an artificial
volcano in his front yard, which he then jumped over on his
motocross dirtbike. On another occasion Hardy created a large sculpture of his brother Matt's hand signal "V1", which was seen on "The Hardy Show", an Internet web show which features both the Hardys,
Shannon Moore and many of their friends. Hardy is also an
artist and
poet.
Hardy taught himself how to play guitar and later bought a drum kit. In 2003, Hardy formed a band, Peroxwhy?gen, with members of the band Burnside 6, and Moore, who later left. He also converted a trailer into a recording studio. The band recorded two songs; One song was "September Day", a song Jeff wrote in reaction to the September 11, 2001 attacks. Rumors arose that Peroxwhy?gen split up in 2004 shortly after recording the second song, "Modest", which Hardy later used as his entrance music in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. On the official Peroxwhy?gen MySpace, however, the rumors were denounced. Currently, Peroxwhy?gen only has three members, Hardy, Shannon Moore and JR Merrill.
Personal life
He has a
tattoo of roots that starts on his head, behind his ear, and finishes at his hand. He also has a few other signature designed tattoos, one of which, a dragon, he hid from his father. It was also the first tattoo he got in 1998. He later got tattoos of the Chinese symbols for "Peace" and "Health", as well as tattoos of fire and a wave. Hardy regards his tattoos as his "artistic impulses". Hardy is very good friends with
Shannon Moore, who he has known since around 1987. He is also good friends with
Marty Garner,
Jason Arhndt and
John Morrison . He regards
Vanilla Ice as a big influence on him, and he was even nicknamed "Ice" by
Scott Hall.
Hardy met his girlfriend Beth Britt in 1999, shortly after the Hardy Boyz had won the WWF Tag Team Championship for the first time. Hardy and his brother Matt went to a club in Southern Pines, North Carolina, where Hardy met her. On March 15, 2008, it was reported that Hardy's house had burned to the ground in a fire. Hardy and his girlfriend were not home at the time, but his dog, Jack, was killed in the fire. It is believed that the fire was started by faulty electrical wiring. In October 2008, Hardy was building a new home in the same area, which was expected to be completed by early 2009. In August 2010, Hardy announced that Britt was pregnant with the couple's first child, a daughter, who was born on October 28, 2010. Hardy married Britt on March 9, 2011.
On September 17, 2008, Hardy was involved in an incident at the Nashville International Airport's Southwest gate. A Southwest Airline employee reported that Hardy appeared to be intoxicated and therefore, he was not allowed to board the flight. He was not, however, arrested as he was said to be "calm" and "co-operative", and he made other arrangements to get home.
On September 11, 2009 Hardy was arrested on charges of trafficking in controlled prescription pills and possession of anabolic steroids, after a search of his house yielded 262 Vicodin prescription pills, 180 Soma prescription pills, 555 milliliters of anabolic steroids, a residual amount of powder cocaine, and drug paraphernalia. Over a year later, the district attorney announced that Hardy would plead guilty to the charges. On September 8, 2011, Hardy was sentenced to ten days in jail, 30 months of probation and a fine of $100,000. Hardy served his jail sentence from October 3 to October 13, 2011.
In wrestling
Finishing moves
''Reverse of Fate'' (Inverted facelock neckbreaker slam)
''Spine Line'' (Armlock cloverleaf) – OMEGA; used as a regular move in TNA
''Swanton Bomb'' / ''The Swanton'' (High-angle swan dive senton bomb)
''Twist of Fate'' (Front facelock dropped either into a cutter – WWF/E / TNA or a stunner – TNA) / ''Twist of Hate'' (TNA; 2010–2011)
Signature moves
Baseball slide
Diving clothesline from off a barricade
Double leg drop to an opponent's midsection
''Hardyac Arrest'' (Rope-aided corner dropkick)
Mule kick
Plancha
Positioned at the top rope or on another ladder, Hardy performs a diving leg drop or a splash after leapfrogging over a ladder
Sitout inverted suplex slam
Sitout jawbreaker
''Whisper in the Wind'' (Turnbuckle climb into a rebounded corkscrew senton to a standing opponent)
Managers
Gangrel
Michael Hayes
Lita
*Trish Stratus
Terri
Nicknames
"The Charismatic Enigma" (TNA / WWE)
"The Legend Thriller" (WWE)
"The Rainbow–Haired Warrior" (WWE)
"The anti-Christ of professional wrestling" (TNA)
Entrance themes
"Loaded" by Zack Tempest (WWF / WWE; 1999–2003, 2006–2008)
"Tourniquet" by Marilyn Manson (ROH; 2003)
"Modest" by Peroxwhy?gen (TNA; 2004–2006, 2010, 2011)
"No More Words" by EndeverafteR (WWE; 2008–2009)
"Another Me" by Jeff Hardy and Dale Oliver (TNA; 2010–2011)
"Immortal Theme" by Dale Oliver (TNA; 2010–2011)
"Resurrected" by Jeff Hardy and Dale Oliver (TNA; 2011–present)
Championships and accomplishments
National Championship Wrestling
NCW Light Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
New Dimension Wrestling
NDW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
NDW Tag Team Championship (1 time)1 – with Matt Hardy
New Frontier Wrestling Association
NFWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
North East Wrestling
NEW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
NWA 2000
NWA 2000 Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Matt Hardy
Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts
OMEGA New Frontiers Championship (1 time)
OMEGA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Matt Hardy
Pro Wrestling Illustrated
PWI Comeback of the Year (2007)
PWI Match of the Year (2000) with Matt Hardy vs. The Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian in a Triangle Ladder match at WrestleMania 2000
PWI Match of the Year (2001) with Matt Hardy vs. The Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match at WrestleMania X-Seven
PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (2008, 2009)
PWI Tag Team of the Year (2000) with Matt Hardy
PWI ranked him #13 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2009
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
TNA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
Universal Wrestling Association
UWA World Middleweight Championship (1 time)
World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
WWE Championship (1 time)
WWE European Championship (1 time)
WWF Hardcore Championship (3 times)
WCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Matt Hardy
WWF/E Intercontinental Championship (4 times)
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
WWF/E World Tag Team Championship (6 times) – with Matt Hardy
Terri Invitational Tournament – with Matt Hardy
*Ninth Grand Slam Champion
*Eighteenth Triple Crown Champion
Slammy Award for Extreme Moment of the Year (2008) Swanton Bomb to Randy Orton from the top of the Raw set (Raw, January 14)
*Slammy Award for Extreme Moment of the Year (2009) Jumping from ladder onto CM Punk at SummerSlam
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Best Flying Wrestler (2000)
*Feud of the Year (2009) vs. CM Punk
Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic (2008) Hardy attacked in stairwell before Survivor Series
Worst Worked Match of the Year (2011) vs. Sting at Victory Road
1The titles have been vacant since 1999 due to the Hardy Boys signing contracts with the WWF and have been declared inactive until they defend the titles again.
Notes
References
External links
TNA Wrestling profile
Professional wrestling record for Jeff Hardy from The Internet Wrestling Database
The Hardy Show
Slam! Sports bio and story archive
Online World of Wrestling profile
Category:1977 births
Category:American musicians
Category:American poets
Category:American professional wrestlers
Category:American sculptors
Category:Artists from North Carolina
Category:Living people
Category:People from Raleigh, North Carolina
ar:جيف هاردي
bg:Джеф Харди
bar:Jeff Hardy
ca:Jeff Hardy
cs:Jeff Hardy
da:Jeff Hardy
de:Jeff Hardy
el:Τζεφ Χάρντι
es:Jeff Hardy
eu:Jeff Hardy
fa:جف هاردی
fr:Jeff Hardy
gl:Jeff Hardy
ko:제프 하디
hy:Ջեֆ Հարդի
hi:जेफ़ हार्डी
it:Jeff Hardy
he:ג'ף הארדי
kn:ಜೆಫ್ ಹಾರ್ಡಿ
ku:Jeff Hardy
lt:Jeff Hardy
hu:Jeff Hardy
nl:Jeff Hardy
ja:ジェフ・ハーディー
no:Jeff Hardy
pl:Jeff Hardy
pt:Jeff Hardy
ro:Jeff Hardy
ru:Харди, Джефф
simple:Jeff Hardy
sk:Jeff Hardy
fi:Jeff Hardy
sv:Jeff Hardy
ta:ஜெஃப் ஹார்டி
th:เจฟฟ์ ฮาร์ดี
tr:Jeff Hardy
uk:Джефф Харді
vi:Jeff Hardy
zh:傑夫·哈迪
![Amber-Selena-Gomez-with-Make-A-Wish[www.savevid.com].mp4](http://web.archive.org./web/20120531024037im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/CKrfvEaL44g/0.jpg "Amber-Selena-Gomez-with-Make-A-Wish[www.savevid.com].mp4")
