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Charismatic Enigma&o=10616

Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler on the SmackDown brand of World Wrestling 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 former six-time World Tag Team Champion and one-time WCW Tag Team Champion. Apart from his success as a tag team wrestler, Hardy has also had success as a singles wrestler. He is a four time Intercontinental Champion, as well as having held the Hardcore, European and Light Heavyweight Championships. He received his first major main event push towards the end of 2007, including challenging for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble in 2008.

Moreover, Hardy is involved in motocross, music, painting, and other artistic endeavors. He is currently a member of the unsigned band Peroxwhy?gen.

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 as early as age sixteen. His first WWF match was against Razor Ramon on May 24, 1994. The next day he wrestled against The 1-2-3 Kid, and the match aired on the June 25 edition of Superstars. He occasionally wrestled as a jobber as late as 1997 before beginning his first major run in 1998. Hardy, along with his brother Matt Hardy and friends, started their own federation, the TWF (Trampoline Wrestling Federation) and mimicked the moves they saw on television. Later on, the federation 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, OMEGA (Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts) with Thomas Simpson. The promotion was a more successful version of the original TWF and included such talent as both Hardy brothers, Shannon Moore, Gregory Helms, Joey Matthews, 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

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 house 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 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 Titles on two occasions. At SummerSlam the Hardy Boyz competed in the first ever Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match (TLC match), for the Tag Team Titles against the Dudley Boys 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 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 Title match and lost. After the match, the Undertaker was scripted to attack both Hardy and Lita, injuring them. On the next edition 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.

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. 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 SmackDown!. In January 2003, he had a brief heel turn that began after he attacked Van Dam and Shawn Michaels. It ended a month later when he saved Stacy Keibler from an attack by then-heel, Christian. In February, he had a brief program with Michaels, which saw the two team up. Then in storyline, Hardy hooked up with Trish Stratus after saving her from Steven Richards and Victoria in March. Hardy and Stratus had a brief kayfabe 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.

Time off and independent circuit (2003)

Hardy made his first wrestling appearance after being released from WWE at an OMEGA, 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 on June 23, 2004 at the TNA weekly pay-per-view #100, 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 his 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. 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, A.J. 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 Hector 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 seventeen feet (5.18 m). 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 house shows promoted by TNA in conjunction with Dave Hebner and the United Wrestling Federation.

World Wrestling Entertainment

Return (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 edition 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 edition 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 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 DX, 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. They competed in a 4-team Ladder match for the WWE Tag Team Championship at Armageddon, 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 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. The next night on Raw, February 19, Hardy was defeated for the Intercontinental title 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 nearly twenty feet, 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 Championships 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 but were defeated.

Singles competition (2007–present)

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 edition of Raw. He made his return on the August 27 edition 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.

Afterward, there 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 feud continued at Armageddon, when Hardy defeated Triple H to become the Number 1 Contender for the WWE Championship. In the weeks leading up to the Royal Rumble, Hardy and Orton engaged in a personal feud. It began when Orton kicked Hardy's brother, Matt in the head in the storyline. Hardy, in retaliation, Swanton Bombed 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 eventual winner Triple H.

During the March 3 edition of Raw, Hardy appeared on Chris Jericho's "Highlight Reel" segment as a special guest, but ended up delivering a Twist of Fate to 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 edition of Raw, defeating Umaga via pinfall. This reignited the feud 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 edition of the show, defeating John Morrison. Hardy participated in the WWE Championship Scramble match at Unforgiven but failed to win the 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 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 WWE 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 time in TNA. Hardy also appears on The Hardy Show, an internet web show which features the Hardys, Shannon Moore and many of their friends.

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 tinfoil 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 Jeff created a large sculpture of his brother's (Matt Hardy) hand signal "V1", as seen on "The Hardy Show" which is an internet web show which features the Hardy's, 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 two members, Hardy and JR Merrill.

Personal life

Son to Gilbert and Ruby Moore Hardy, he is the younger brother of Matt Hardy. 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 American football during high school as a fullback and linebacker. He also 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.

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 and Jason Arhndt. 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 Championships 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. Hardy is building a new home in the same area.

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.

In wrestling

  • Finishing moves

  • Signature moves

  • With Matt Hardy

  • Managers

  • Gesture

    • "The Gunz"-Thumb, Index, and Middle finger outstretched, ring and pinkie down. He has also used Matt's V.1. Sign, where is holds down his ring finger with his thumb, with his index, middle, and little fingers outstretched.
  • Nicknames

    • The Charismatic Enigma (TNA; WWE)
    • The Rainbow-Haired Warrior (WWE)
    • The Legend Thriller (WWE)

  • Entrance themes

    • "Loaded" by Zack Tempest (WWF/E)
    • "Modest" by Peroxwhy?gen (TNA)
    • "No More Words" by EndeverafteR (WWE)

    Championships and accomplishments

    Notes

    References

    External links

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    Last updated on Saturday October 11, 2008 at 16:40:57 PDT (GMT -0700)
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