WWE Monday Night RAW 25th anniversary: Ranking the 25 biggest stars

24. Jeff Hardy

Off all the competitors to come out of the amazing trio of tag teams (The Hardy Boyz, The Dudley Boyz, Edge & Christian) that wowed the WWE Universe for years with crazy matches involving tables, ladders, chairs or any combination of the three, Jeff Hardy may not have had the most successful career (that honor goes to the No. 12 entry on this list), but he was arguably the most popular of the six.

Jeff and his brother Matt came into WWE at just the right time. The Attitude Era was in full swing and their high-flying, risk-taking style fit right into what the company was trying to do at the time. Their matches were must-see television and they had the perfect look for the late ’90s and early 2000s. They got some of the loudest pops from live crowds, and wondering what they were going to do next to top themselves was always a big topic of conversation among wrestling fans.

With the majority of tag teams, there’s usually going to be one that stands out. For The Hardy Boyz, that was Jeff. It’s not that Matt wasn’t entertaining. He would go on to a nice singles career in WWE with the “Version 1 character”, which was very funny, and would later go on to big success elsewhere with the “Broken Matt” gimmick, something they’re trying to get over currently in WWE that just seems out of place. Throw in that he was also featured heavily on SmackDown and that’s why he’s not on this list. The fact is that Jeff was just more energetic and would take more risks, especially in those TLC matches. I don’t care how many Swanton Bombs onto tables off of an enormous ladder I see, it still impresses.

Jeff also spent a good amount of time on SmackDown as a singles competitor, but it was Monday Night RAW where he really made a name for himself and had some title wins and impressive bouts, one in particular that stands out from the rest. The great part is that it was a loss. The thing is, however, was that it was a loss to one of the biggest stars in WWE history. On the July 1, 2002 episode of RAW, Jeff Hardy battled The Undertaker for the WWE Championship in a Ladder Match that vaulted Jeff to the next level and beyond. Nobody ever really thought he was going to win, but there were times where it really looked like Hardy was going to pull off the upset. The handshake and show of respect from ‘Taker following the match may be the reason why you see Jeff Hardy in this top 25.