Jeff Hardy is still hoping to accomplish more things in WWE during his current stint as a veteran. The past few decades have featured Jeff becoming a fixture in the upper echelon of wrestling. Fans fell in love with Jeff teaming with his brother Matt in the Hardy Boyz tag team. However, the singles success proved Jeff was a bigger star on his own.
WWE, TNA and Ring of Honor have each witnessed the best and worst of Jeff in the industry. Even though he was among the most popular and innovative talents, Jeff had his share of negative moments. The embarrassment from some will linger when looking back at Jeff’s career, but he did overcome them all for greater success.
10 Rico Calling Spots To Him At Survivor Series 2002
WWE wanted Jeff Hardy to break out as a singles star following the 2002 brand split. Matt Hardy surprised them by being the better singles act of the two. Jeff was struggling when placed in a team with Bubba Ray and Spike Dudley against 3-Minute Warning and Rico at Survivor Series.
The stipulation of a table match made it chaotic with six men having to be on the same page. Jeff lost track of his spot and was visibly yelled at by Rico to do his move. The embarrassing moment showed just how far Jeff was falling down the WWE totem pole.
9 No Showing TNA PPV Match Vs. Raven
TNA took a chance on Jeff Hardy in the early 2000s after his surprising release from WWE. Hardy joined Jeff Jarrett and Raven as the biggest names in the promotion. The feud between Jeff and Raven created interest, as TNA started their monthly PPV model.
Unfortunately, the big blowoff match was meant to take place under Raven’s Clockwork Orange House of Fun rules. Hardy no-showed the match and TNA was forced to have X-Pac replace him. It was another negative story associated with Jeff at the time.
8 Losing To Jaxson Ryker In Under A Minute
The use of Jeff Hardy for most of the past year has seen him struggling to get any momentum. There was a low point for Hardy during a series of matches against failing Raw face Jaxson Ryker, that lasted under a minute.
Jeff was used specifically to put him over and look foolish while doing so. There was fan speculation of WWE trying to bury him since he may leave for AEW to join his brother Matt when his contract expires. Regardless of the context, it is an embarrassing loss for the legend.
7 Forgotten Heel Turn In WWE
WWE tried a few different things with Jeff Hardy following the 2002 brand split with the hopes of him having a bigger role. There was a short-term heel turn when Jeff attacked Rob Van Dam and Shawn Michaels as the two top faces on the Raw brand.
The move felt like bigger things were coming his way, but it just didn’t come off well. Jeff has always struggled to play a heel and it showed here. The embarrassment came when WWE turned him back face without any big explanation and it hurt his character’s consistency.
6 Accidentally Injuring Joey Mercury
Joey Mercury suffered one of the worst injuries in WWE history when a ladder botch broke his nose and severely impacted his face. The Hardy Boyz and MNM were two of the teams involved in the four-team ladder match.
It wasn’t an intentional move, but Jeff was the one who leaped off the top rope with the ladder under the face of Mercury. The timing led to the ladder snapping back right on Mercury’s face, leading to an injury that still makes fans cringe today.
5 CM Punk Impersonating Him
The feud between Jeff Hardy and CM Punk may have been the best of Hardy’s career, but there was some bitterness towards the end. Jeff was shown in a video with Matt under the influence and mocking Punk’s straight edge lifestyle.
The two didn’t get along as well as most would have hoped, despite having classics together. Jeff leaving after Punk won a match to banish him from WWE saw Punk impersonating him the following week. Many believe that was the tipping point that led to Jeff being upset enough to rant about Punk.
4 Heckled During First ROH Appearance
The end of Jeff Hardy’s first WWE run featured his reputation taking a huge hit. Things got worse when Jeff agreed to appear for Ring of Honor in the very early days when the company was starting to develop an identity for great pure wrestling.
Hardy appeared as Willow the Whisp and received huge boos from the crowd. Negative chants like “you got fired” and “we want Matt” grew worse when Jeff botched a few times for the embarrassing match. Jeff returned many years later teaming with Matt to form a stronger ROH legacy than this one.
3 Losing Intercontinental Championship Due To Suspension
Jeff Hardy returning to WWE in the late 2000s featured him getting pushed more than he did in his first run. WWE trusted Jeff to challenge for the WWE Championship against Randy Orton and then to move into a title reign as the Intercontinental Champion.
Unfortunately, the personal demons of Jeff continued to haunt him when he violated the wellness policy for failing a drug test. WWE was forced to have him drop the title quickly into his reign to Chris Jericho, with fans becoming aware of the reason due to the early rise of social media.
2 Getting Arrested For Car Accident With Elias
The personal issues continued to haunt Jeff Hardy throughout his career as he has battled his addiction. Jeff was arrested in 2019 for driving impaired to make many fans worry about him. Things seemed to straighten out until WWE referenced this in a storyline.
Sheamus framed Jeff for a car accident that injured Elias with the implication that Hardy was under the influence. Jeff eventually returned to get revenge, but it was a horrible look, knowing that it was tied to his personal issues.
1 Infamous Match Vs. Sting
The low point of Jeff Hardy’s career came when facing off with Sting for the TNA World Championship. Jeff revealed that Sting was his favorite wrestler growing up and his face paint was somewhat inspired from the legend.
That made it even more heartbreaking when Hardy dropped the ball against his wrestling hero. Jeff appeared under the influence, stumbling to the ring and Sting was forced to pin him in a few minutes. TNA letting Hardy wrestle in that condition will always sadly be one of the most embarrassing memories of his career.