WWE's Jeff Hardy at 40
Sunday 3 September 2017 18:40, UK
Jeff Hardy is a future WWE Hall of Famer but has he lived up to his potential as a solo competitor?
The man known as the 'charismatic enigma' turned 40 on Thursday and has his first WWE singles title shot in more than seven years when he takes on The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship on RAW.
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If successful it'll be the fifth time Hardy has won the belt, making him tied for fifth place on the honours board behind Chris Jericho, Jeff Jarrett, Rob Van Dam and the man he faces on Monday night, The Miz.
The first time he won the championship stunned fans back in 2001 when he pinned Triple H at the age of just 23.
By that point, however, Hardy had been competing in WWE for seven years after making his debut as a hired fall guy when he was just 16.
He found fame as a tag team specialist with his brother Matt four years later, going on to become the pioneers of extreme matches such as the infamous Tables, Ladders & Chairs classics of the early 2000s.
Crucially, Hardy's popularity with the fans was finally rewarded in the latter part of that decade as he won the various WWE World Championships on three occasions.
The problem is though, as much his supporters loved seeing Jeff with a singles belt around his waist, he will still be remembered more fondly for his time as a tag specialist.
The Hardy Boyz's first run coincided with the Attitude Era, so their youthful, grungy look and daredevil moods set the tone for the company's new ethos.
His second stint in WWE from 2006-9 was entertaining, especially as it established Jeff as more of a star than his brother at the time, hence the reward with the Intercontinental & World titles.
But Matt arguably shone in their recent spell away on TNA, with the 'broken' character setting the tone for Jeff to become edgy again too.
'Broken' Matt and 'Brother Nero' Jeff showed the pair could modernise, something they haven't done since returning to WWE in April.
The Hardyz' time together has appeared stale at times in recent months, so let's hope this singles push will give Jeff the space he needs to show he can be just as relevant in WWE in his 40s as he was in his early 20s.
