Intro:
Matthew Hardy was born on September 23, 1974. His younger brother Jeffrey Hardy was born on August 31, 1977. Both brothers hail from Cameron, North Carolina. The Hardy Boyz started their own wrestling promotion in North Carolina and called it OMEGA (Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts). Future WWE Superstars Shane Helms, Shannon Moore, and Joey Matthews wrestled in this promotion.
From Jobbers to Team Extreme:
The Hardy Boyz made their WWE debuts in 1994 as jobbers. For several years, they occasionally appeared on WWE programming to lose to established stars. 1999 was the breakout year for the brothers. That summer, they added Michael Hayes as their manager and won their first tag team championship. Later that year they joined up with Gangrel as part of his New Brood. They finished the year winning a tournament for the managerial services of Terri. In 2000, Lita joined up with the brothers to form Team Extreme.
TLC Doesn't Mean Tender Loving Care:
The 3-way feud between the Hardy Boys, the Dudley Boyz, and Edge and Christian revolutionized tag team wrestling. Every match between these teams became epic encounters that topped each other. Tables were the specialty of the Dudley's, ladders the specialty of the Hardy's, and chairs were the weapon of choice for Edge and Christian. This feud culminated in a series of unforgettable TLC matches that featured some of the scariest bumps ever taken inside of a wrestling ring.
Mid-Card Title Mania:
The two brothers briefly feuded at the end of 2001. They resolved their differences pretty quickly but ventured out to the singles ranks. For the next few years, both men were involved in feuds for the mid-card belts like the Intercontinental, Hardcore, Cruiserweight, and European Championships. Jeff left World Wrestling Entertainment in 2003 due to his frequent drug use and the wear and tear that his body absorbed. Matt stayed with the company but a real-life situation would cost him his job.
A Real–Life Love Triangle:
In 2004, Matt Hardy was going out with Lita. Edge and Matt were best friends. When Matt found out that Lita and Edge were having an affair, he posted that information on his website. He was fired by WWE shortly afterwards. In the ring, Lita was married to Kane and was supposed to be a good guy but the fans knowing what happened to Matt booed her unmercifully. WWE then had Lita and Edge pair up to really get the fans going. Due to overwhelming fan support, Matt got his job back in 2005 and had a feud with Edge.
Jeff Makes His Triumphant Return:
A year after leaving WWE, Jeff joined up with TNA Wrestling. He left the company after no-showing two different PPV events. In 2006, Jeff made his return to World Wrestling Entertainment. He quickly got into a feud with Johnny Nitro for the Intercontinental Championship. That feud eventually led to the reformation of the Hardy Boyz as they would eventually feud with MNM.
Jeff & Matt Hardy's WWE Title Reigns:
Hardy Boyz Tag Team Titles
World Tag Team Championship
6/29/99 SmackDown - The APA
9/24/00 Unforgiven – beat Edge & Christian in a Cage Match
10/23/00 RAW – beat Edge in a handicap match
3/5/01 RAW – The Dudley Boyz
11/12/01 RAW – Booker T & Test
4/2/07 RAW - won a 10-Team Battle Royal
WCW Tag Team Championship
10/8/01 RAW – Booker T & Test
Jeff Hardy Singles Titles
Intercontinental Championship
4/12/01 SmackDown - Triple H
10/2/06 RAW - Johnny Nitro
11/13 RAW - Johnny Nitro
Hardcore Title
7/10/01 SmackDown - Mike Awesome
8/13/01 RAW – Rob Van Dam
7/29/02 RAW – JBL
European Championship
7/8/02 RAW - William Regal
Light Heavyweight Championship
6/7/01 SmackDown - Jerry Lynn
Matt Hardy Singles Titles
Cruiserweight Title
2/23/03 No Way Out - Billy Kidman
European Championship
4/26/01 SmackDown - Eddie Guerrero
Hardcore Title
4/24/00 RAW - Crash Holly