Expectations were high when the Hardy Boyz returned to WWE at WrestleMania 33 following a lengthy absence from the company in which they cut their teeth. As you might recall, that evening's scheduled Raw Tag Team Championship Ladder Match turned into a Fatal 4-Way when Matt and Jeff were revealed as surprise entrants mere seconds before the bell rang.

Thanks to his memorable "Broken Matt Hardy" gimmick, Matt was in the midst of a huge career resurgence at the time. And Jeff was riding that wave too. Understandably, the crowd inside Orlando's Camping World Stadium went absolutely bonkers, and produced easily one of the loudest pops in wrestling history. The Hardy Boyz went on to win the match and capture the Raw Tag Team Championship.

Less than 24 hours prior to their dramatic return to WWE programming, The Hardy Boyz had lost the Ring Of Honor World Tag Team Championship to The Young Bucks at Supercard of Honor XI in, you guessed it, a ladder match.

Every wrestling fan is aware that the tag team ladder match is the specialty of The Hardy Boyz. Even still, for them to have two ladder matches in as many days at that stage of their careers was impressive. The ROH match lasted 25 minutes, and featured your typical Matt and Jeff ladder match shenanigans. They were up against one of the hottest young tag teams in the world, and proved that they were still capable of hanging with the best. Then they showed up at WrestleMania the following night and did the exact same thing, albeit in a much shorter match.

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The Hardy Boyz Can Still Go

All of this is to say that when the brother returned to WWE, their stock was as high as the hopes of every fan who had been following their journey as professional wrestlers since No Mercy 1999 when they defeated Edge and Christian in a thrilling ladder match that foreshadowed what was to come.

After winning the Raw Tag Team Championship in their first WWE match as a team in more than seven years, fans assumed that Matt and Jeff were going to recapture some of the energy that made their glory years so special. But, alas, it didn't quite pan out that way.

Thanks to a combination of bad luck and bad booking, their run was spotty at best. They had some decent matches as a team, but it didn't take long for the powers that be to split them up ... again. Splitting the Hardy Boyz up isn't a kiss of death for either brother as they have both proven themselves capable singles stars numerous times. But, ultimately, it didn't work out for them this time around.

Following an injury to Jeff's leg that resulted in the brothers relinquishing the SmackDown tag titles, Matt's TV time decreased significantly. The WWE booking committee's inability to trust his ability to get gimmicks over forced the older Hardy brother to once again part ways with the company, and he jumped ship to AEW early in 2020.

The injured Jeff stayed put in WWE, but the company couldn't figure out what to do with him. A conundrum they have yet to solve (assuming they want to).

It's not remotely harsh to say that Jeff Hardy's talents during his current WWE singles run have been wasted.  Since Matt's departure, The Charismatic Enigma has been involved in some high-profile matches and a few main events, but he's mostly utilized as fodder for younger talent. He had a forgettable feud with Elias that outstayed its welcome, and his most recent Intercontinental Championship reign lasted just 37 days. Depressingly, the former WWE Champion did not feature at WrestleMania 37 in any capacity.

Jeff Hardy Deserves Better

Jeff Hardy may be 43 with his best days behind him, but there's still a little bit of gas left in that tank. He deserves better. Even as a glorified jobber his skills can be utilized in a meaningful way. Elias gained absolutely nothing from his feud with Jeff, but fans were never given any reason to care about their feud. If booked well, Jeff could be used to put over up-and-coming talent in a way that actually matters. Jeff Hardy is a former WWE Champion and a future Hall Of Famer -- getting a win over him should mean something!

What's more, it seems unlikely that his situation will improve anytime soon. Despite some speculation that Jeff might follow Matt to AEW, PWInsider's Mike Johnson says he still has "good chunk of time left on his deal" with WWE.

If the reports are accurate and Jeff does indeed have a couple of years left on his WWE contract, here's hoping the company wakes up and realizes that he's still an asset. As awesome as it would be to see him reunite with his brother in Jacksonville, Jeff Hardy has given so much to this industry, and he deserves one more memorable run in the company where he made a name for himself. Before it's too late.

NEXT: 5 Best Hardy Boyz Matches In WWE (& 5 They Had Elsewhere)