The extreme highs and lows of Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy has a legitimate claim to be one of wrestling’s most iconic and influential wrestlers of all time. Not only did Hardy put together some of the most groundbreaking and entertaining matches of WWE’s Attitude era and beyond, but his highly technical style is also a big part of WWE’s current DNA.

While Jeff Hardy’s career has been filled with the highest highs, he’s also found himself struggling with some very serious professional and personal low points. Let’s take a look back on Hardy’s unparalleled career and what he’s up to today.

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Jeff Hardy was born in Cameron, North Carolina in August 31, 1977, and from an early age, Hardy showed immense athletic promise and ambition, competing in a range of sports, including motocross, baseball and American football from around the age of 12.

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At the same time, Hardy started his career as a youth performing in the Trampoline Wrestling Federation, which he started alongside his brother Matt Hardy. This would go on to become the more serious Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA) as both brothers became more dedicated to their wrestling careers.

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Though he showed immense promise as a fullback, Hardy decided to dedicate his time wholly to professional wrestling after his high school made him choose between football and wrestling. Now entirely focused on pro wrestling, Hardy started driving around over the east coast of the US as a teenager trying to break into the independent circuit, landing spots with ACW among others.

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Inspired by the likes of  Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Sting, and Shawn Michaels – Hardy always had his sights on the big time, and got his foot in the door at WWE (then WWF) and ECW at the age of 16, after lying about his age to the organization. Starting out as a ‘jobber’ – a wrestler who is meant to be dominated by a big-name talent to help make them look more convincing – in 1994 Hardy found himself wrestling against the likes of Razor Ramon, King Kong Bundy, Triple H and Owen Hart.

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In 1998, he was offered a formal contract with the WWE alongside his brother Matt, with the two forming the acrobatic and dynamic tag team, The Hardy Boyz. Over the next couple of years, The Hardy Boyz would reignite interest in the Tag Team titles after iconic matches against Edge and Christian and The Dudley Boyz, including the first ever tag team ladder match – something the Hardy’s would become known for. 

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He and Matt also looked very different to wrestlers of the time, with the brothers distinct 'alternative' style that made them look more like rock stars than the usual spandex clad wrestlers, helping them appeal to a new type of audience.

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Things went up another level in 2000, when the Hardy’s were joined by Matt’s real-life girlfriend Lita to form Team Xtreme. The stable would be known for their hardcore and acrobatic, luchador-inspired matches – especially with their signature tables, ladders and chairs matches. The trio would be mainstays of the tag team championships, while individually each would have success in the Intercontinental, Hardcore, European and Women’s championships.

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Jeff Hardy himself was often the standout performer of these renowned matches, going to greater extremes to wow audiences, including performing his signature ‘Swanton Bomb’ swan dive from all manner of heights – once from over 30ft (9.1m) from arena scaffolding – as well as a range of turnbuckle maneuvers and creative use of the outside ring and weapons.

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These performances saw him skyrocket in popularity to the point he earned his biggest break in the WWE in 2002, when he faced The Undertaker in a ladder match for the Undisputed Championship. Despite losing the match, Hardy earned The Undertaker’s respect in a now iconic Raw moment, and had set himself up nicely for contention of the top title in the future.

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But even though things were going well on-screen for Hardy, things behind the scenes were less than ideal. He was released from his contract in 2003, with the WWE.com revealing the company had done so as Hardy had failed drug tests, and his behavior had become more erratic, which included completely missing events and refusing to seek treatment for his drug addiction.

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“That was the first time I denied rehab," Hardy told Steve Austin on The Broken Skull Sessions show, reflecting on this dismissal in 2021. "I was like, 'Nah! I got this.' But I was in denial about my issue, my problem."

"I didn't do drugs until I was 21 or 22 years old,", he told Austin. "We were on the road, naturally, and Matt and I were against it. It was our invincibility. In high school, we didn't go to parties. We didn't drink. We didn't do none of that because we didn't like it. But it all changed."

The drug issues would continue to plague Hardy for his next major contract too. Hardy performed with TNA between 2004-2006, before his no-shows and erratic behaviour led to his axing from the company in June 2006.

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Spurned on by the firing, Hardy got on top of his addiction and was immediately fielding offers again, including from WWE. Singing once to WWE in August 2006, Hardy would embark on his most successful run to date. Immediately reuniting with his brother Matt, the pair would go on to hold the Tag Team titles later that year, while Jeff would go on to hold the Intercontinental Championship in 2007, and the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships in 2008 – the absolute heights of professional wrestling.  

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Despite having the run of his life in WWE, and with his popularity at an all time high, the wheels were once again falling off for Hardy behind the scenes. During this run, Hardy had failed a drug test and was sidelined while he dealt with his addiction issues once again. He ultimately took himself out of the equation in 2009, aksing for time off from WWE while he recovered from two herniated discs, restless leg syndrome, and burnout.

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Despite this, it didn’t take long for Hardy to be back in the ring – signing a deal with TNA again in 2010. Working alongside the likes Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Rob Van Dam and  Kurt Angle again, Hardy was in good company but, by all accounts, bad shape. This run would last less than a year, and see Hardy hit rock bottom in a very public manner.

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Facing off against Sting, his childhood hero, for the TNA Heavyweight Title at Victory Road in March 2011, Hardy showed up to the match too intoxicated to perform. Hardy, by his own account, had taken muscle relaxers prior to the match over fears of injuring his neck during one of the maneuvers. Audiences were left stunned when Hardy found himself barely able to stand up in the ring, prompting Sting to end the match early by pinning Hardy in just seconds, citing safety risks.

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Hardy credits this moment as his saving grace, and helping him finally address his issues with substance abuse in a serious manner. 

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“To screw up like I did that night, it was just insane, but one positive asset that I have by looking back at that footage is just – so embarrassing. So – oh my God – just shameful, you know?” he told Steve Austin in 2021. “Out there with my hero in the main event. All these people are watching. But then to do that? After that is when I really got it together.

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After being axed from TNA following the match, Hardy returned to the company six months later sober and pleaded with the fans for forgiveness, citing Victory Road as his rock bottom and asked for ‘one more shot’. The now-healthy Hardy would return with passion and vigor not seen in the wrestling icon for years.

The next few years at TNA would prove fruitful for Hardy, who would go on to win the TNA World Heavyweight title a number of times, cementing his place as a main drawcard for the franchise. It would also see him bring back his OMEGA character, Willow, and reunite with brother Matt for the first time in years, for both singles and tag team-focused storylines.

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This reunion would prove fruitful and led the way for the ‘Broken’ Matt Hardy gimmick, where Matt had supposedly suffered a head injury at the hands of Jeff which had completely changed his personality, including his accent. The storyline featured a number of twists and proved immensely popular with TNA fans over the years.

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Their popularity was too much for WWE to ignore, and the Hardy’s once again found themselves back at WWE in 2018. Though he would hold several mid-level titles, this third run for Hardy would not be as fruitful as the previous one with WWE, as he would find himself off and on the sidelines battling injury issues – both from his in-ring work and motocross events.

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It also seemed that his substance issues started to creep in again, according to WWE.com, as he would face legal issues after being found driving under the influence in 2019 and was ultimately let go by the company in 2022 after Hardy walked out of a tag team match at a non-televised event in December that year. WWE issued a statement about his departure but did not elaborate any further.

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Hardy would go on to join brother Matt at AEW wrestling in 2022, but by June of that year he had been caught driving under the influence once again – this time on a suspended license – and only narrowly avoided jail time. AEW sidelined him until he could show he had completed steps towards sobriety once again. He made his official return to AEW in April 2023.

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While it’s clear Hardy’s issues with substance abuse have derailed his career on more than one occasion, it’s fair to suggest that a lot of these issues have stemmed from self-medication to deal with injury issues spurned on by his extreme wrestling style. Hardy for his part, is acutely aware of the toll his injuries have taken on his body and has been trying to change his style since 2018 in the hopes of extending his career.

For all his ups and downs and ongoing issues, Hardy is optimistic he can keep wrestling and told YouTube channel Muscle Man Malcolm in July 2023 that he hoped to have another five years in the business, despite his ongoing injury issues.

“I’m a big believer that something could happen before I get home tonight that would end my career. It’s the little things that kill sometimes. I can’t put a number on it, but I feel like I’m going to be rocking until I’m 50. I’m 45 now. Between now and 50, I think I’m going to create many more moments.” he said.