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Profile: Jeff Hardy
After working as jobbers on and off for the World Wrestling Federation in the mid-1990s, Matt and Jeff Hardy became regular performers in 1998. Trained from fairground and small indy workers up to WWF standard by Dory Funk Jr, they eventually debuted with Michael Hayes as their manager before joining Gangrel as The New Brood, feuding with former Brood members Edge and Christian. At No Mercy '99, they briefly replaced Gangrel with Terri Runnels by winning a ladder match against their rivals, turning many heads in the process.
Joined by Lita in 2000 to form Team Xtreme, Matt and Jeff enjoyed a highly successful period in the tandem division over the next two years, popularizing the TLC (Tables, Ladders and Chairs) match with The Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian, and winning the WWF (WWE World) Tag Team Titles five times during their initial run.
Jeff in particular - who had reigns with both the Intercontinental and Hardcore Titles during 2001 - would become known for his high-risk stunts, and in November that year his penchant for pleasing the crowd cost his team a title unification cage match at Survivor Series. With the Hardyz defending their recently won WWF Tag Team Titles against WCW World Tag Team Champions and Alliance representatives The Dudleyz, Jeff decided to leap back into the cage instead of climbing down to victory, only to crash and burn when he missed his opponent. This briefly caused friction between the Hardyz, leading to a singles match between the two that was poorly received by fans, partly due to its mat-based style and partly because they were far more popular as a team.
They soon reunited, but began spending more time in pursuit of singles success. After refusing to go to rehab to deal with drug issues, Jeff was fired by WWE, also saying he was burned out and required time off. He then spent some time over the next few years working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, feuding with Jeff Jarrett, Raven, Abyss and others. However, he gained a reputation for no-showing events and was suspended, making only a few house show appearances in early 2006 before eventually returning to WWE in August, joining the Raw brand while his brother Matt remained on SmackDown.
After defeating WWE Champion and old foe Edge by disqualification on his first night back, Jeff began focusing on the Intercontinental Title scene, trading the championship back and forth with Johnny Nitro over the following months. This feud would extend into a tag team rivalry, with SmackDown stars Matt Hardy and Joey Mercury joining forces with their respective partners for an interbrand feud between The Hardyz and MNM.
The night after strong individual performances in WrestleMania 23's eight-man Money in the Bank ladder match, which saw Jeff leap onto Edge from a ladder in the ring to break him through another laid between the apron and security wall, The Hardyz emerged victorious in a ten-team battle royal to win their sixth WWE World Tag Team Titles, previously held by fellow participants Shawn Michaels and John Cena.
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