Hardy Boyz
The Hardys, also known as the Hardy Boyz, are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy. They are currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where they are the current TNA World Tag Team Champions in their fourth reign. They also appear for partner promotion WWE on its NXT brand, where they are former one-time NXT Tag Team Champions. They are widely regarded as one of the greatest tag teams of all time.
The Hardy brothers began teaming together in 1995 on the independent circuit, where they won the NWA 2000 Tag Team Championship and founded OMEGA Championship Wrestling, capturing the promotion’s tag titles. In 1997, they signed with the World Wrestling Federation. In 2000, they were joined by Lita to form the popular trio known as Team Xtreme. They are the only tag team in history to have held the WWE World Tag Team Championship, WCW Tag Team Championship, TNA World Tag Team Championship, ROH World Tag Team Championship, and the Raw, SmackDown, and NXT Tag Team Championships. After disbanding in 2002, the brothers reunited in 2006 and teamed intermittently thereafter. They had a brief reunion in 2011 in Impact Wrestling as part of Immortal, and resumed regular tag team activity between 2014 and 2017. Following their departure from Impact in 2017, they returned to WWE, capturing the Raw Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 33. They later won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship the night after WrestleMania 35 in 2019. Matt’s WWE contract expired in March 2020, marking the end of that run, and he subsequently signed with All Elite Wrestling. Jeff would also depart WWE in 2021 and joined Matt in AEW in 2022, before both brothers returned to TNA in 2024, and later returned to WWE on the NXT brand in 2025.
Recognized as one of the greatest and most decorated tag teams in professional wrestling, both brothers have also found success in singles competition, with each becoming a multi-time world champion. In 2017, they held seven different tag team titles from seven companies simultaneously—including the ROH World Tag Team Championship and Impact World Tag Team Championship—a feat unmatched in wrestling history. The Hardy Boyz are especially noted for their high-risk, innovative performances in ladder matches and Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches. They are widely credited with helping to revitalize tag team wrestling during the Attitude Era. In 2012, WWE ranked them number two in its list of the greatest tag teams in history. Collectively, they are 14-time world tag team champions between WWE, TNA, and ROH.
History
Early years (1995–1998)
The brothers formed a tag team in 1995 after Jeff's debut in the Trampoline Wrestling Federation. The promotion went by several names, and it was modernized in 1997 as the Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts. The duo worked in several independent promotions throughout North Carolina, holding the OMEGA Tag Team Championship and NWA 2000 Tag Team Championship. They had their first record tag team for Smoky Mountain Wrestling in July 1995.Their first match as a team in the WWF was against The New Rockers on May 28, 1996 for the June 15 episode of WWF Superstars. Later on they wrestled against Smoking Gunns, Harris Twins, The Headbangers, and Kurrgan in a handicap match.
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1998–2009)
Rise to popularity (1998–1999)
After being signed to a contract in 1998, they were trained by Dory Funk, Jr. in his Funkin' Dojo.File:Jeff, and Matt Hardy, and Lita - King of the Ring 2000.jpg|thumb|The Hardys with Lita at King of the Ring in June 2000|leftThe Hardy Boyz started their run as a popular tag team with a win over Kaientai on the September 27 episode of Sunday Night Heat. Soon after their Sunday Night Heat win, they built up a fan base following through their high-flying tag team tactics. They started to become serious contenders for the Tag Team Championship after they became managed by Michael Hayes, formerly a member of The Fabulous Freebirds. On the July 5, 1999 episode of Raw Is War, they defeated The Acolytes to win their first WWF Tag Team Championship, but they re-lost the title to The Acolytes a little less than a month later at Fully Loaded on July 25.They eventually dumped Hayes as their manager in August, becoming villains and briefly associating themselves with Gangrel as part of The New Brood. After winning a series of matches against the team of Edge and Christian—dubbed the Terri Invitational Tournament—they won the services of Terri Runnels as their manager by winning the first ever tag team ladder match at No Mercy on October 17, and then dumped Gangrel the next night becoming faces. The fans also gave both teams a standing ovation the next night on Raw Is War. This began an over two year rivalry between the Hardy Boyz and the team of Edge and Christian. During this time, they also gained notoriety as a faction with Lita.
Team Xtreme (2000–2002)
With the addition of Lita, Matt and Jeff comprised the trio dubbed Team Xtreme, their name serving as a reflection of their "extreme" high-flying moves. In 2000, they were involved in feuds with Edge and Christian and The Dudley Boyz in many ladder matches and TLC matches.They faced Edge and Christian and the Dudley Boyz at WrestleMania 2000 on April 2 in a triple threat tag team ladder match. The Dudley Boyz started the match as the champions and Edge and Christian won the title. The Hardyz faced Edge and Christian for the titles at Insurrextion on May 6 and defeated them by disqualification, which meant that Edge and Christian retained the title. At King of the Ring on June 25, the Hardy Boyz squared off in a Four Corners Elimination match for the Tag Team Championship which included the champions Too Cool, T & A and Edge and Christian. The Hardyz were able to eliminate T & A before getting eliminated themselves by Edge and Christian.
At SummerSlam on August 27, the Hardy Boyz were defeated in the first ever TLC match for the titles, which Edge and Christian won, and in which the Dudley Boyz also competed. At Unforgiven on September 24, the Hardy Boyz defeated Edge and Christian in a steel cage match to win the titles for a second time. They re-lost the titles to Edge and Christian at No Mercy on October 22, but they won them back the next night on Raw Is War for a third time. During the match, the Hardy Boyz were dressed as Los Conquistadores, but tore off their masks after the match, revealing themselves. The team lost the titles less than a month later to Right to Censor on the November 6 episode of Raw Is War, when Edge and Christian came out and assaulted the Hardyz, allowing Right to Censor to pick up the win and the title.
The Hardyz became involved in a feud with both Edge and Christian and Right to Censor. At Survivor Series on November 19, the Hardyz along with the Dudleyz defeated Edge and Christian and Right to Censor in a Survivor Series elimination match. At Rebellion on December 2, the Hardy Boyz faced Right to Censor in a rematch for the titles but were unable to win the titles when Val Venis interfered. On the December 4 episode of Raw Is War, Dean Malenko defeated the Hardy Boyz' valet Lita to retain the Light Heavyweight Championship and earn himself a date with her three days later on SmackDown!, when Malenko took Lita on a date and received a beating from the Hardyz. The Hardyz began feuding with Malenko and his friends, The Radicalz. The two teams faced each other in several tag team and singles matches on Raw Is War and SmackDown!. The two teams also squared off against each other at Armageddon on December 10 with Guerrero, Malenko and Saturn taking on the Hardyz and Lita. The Radicalz won the match.
On the March 5, 2001 episode of Raw Is War, the Hardy Boyz captured their fourth WWF Tag Team Championship when they defeated The Dudley Boyz, after interference from Christian, only to lose the title to Edge and Christian two weeks later on Raw. The next month at WrestleMania X-Seven on April 1, the Hardy Boyz competed in another TLC match against Edge and Christian and the Dudley Boyz. Just as in the first TLC match, Edge and Christian were victorious thanks to help from Rhyno.
On the October 8 episode of Raw, the Hardy Boyz won the WCW Tag Team Championship from Booker T and Test. They lost the title to the Dudley Boyz two weeks later on SmackDown!. On the November 12 episode of Raw, they beat Booker T and Test again, but this time for the WWF Tag Team Championship. At Survivor Series on November 18, they lost the title to the Dudley Boyz in a steel cage title unification match. This defeat led to a break up storyline that resulted in a match between the brothers at Vengeance on December 9. Jeff would emerge victorious after Lita, who was the special referee, failed to see Matt's foot on the rope. The storyline was dropped in January 2002 and they reunited.
At No Way Out on February 17, the Hardy Boyz participated in a tag team turmoil match which was won by the APA. At WrestleMania X8 on March 17, along with the APA and the Dudley Boyz, the Hardyz challenged Billy and Chuck for the WWF Tag Team Championship in a four corners elimination match. The APA were eliminated by the Dudleyz, whom the Hardy Boyz managed to eliminate. In the end, they were pinned by the champions, therefore losing the opportunity. They then began a feud with the newcomer Brock Lesnar and his manager Paul Heyman. At Judgment Day on May 19, the Hardy Boyz lost to Lesnar and Heyman in a tag team match.
Split and departure (2002–2005)
The duo split up afterward as Jeff began a storyline with The Undertaker, while Matt was relegated to working on Heat. In the storyline, Matt then attacked Jeff due to jealousy of Jeff getting opportunities, including a match for the Intercontinental Championship. Matt was then moved to the SmackDown! brand, where he dubbed himself "Matt Hardy Version 1" and the "Sensei of Mattitude" and picked up real-life friend Shannon Moore and briefly Crash Holly as followers. He later won the Cruiserweight Championship from Billy Kidman at No Way Out on February 23, 2003. Jeff was released from WWE on April 22 for erratic behavior, drug use, refusal to go to rehab and deteriorating ring performance as well as constant tardiness and no-showing events.Following his release from WWE, Jeff debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in mid-2004. After no-showing several events, he was suspended in 2006 before leaving the company soon afterward. Meanwhile, in April 2005, Matt was released from WWE due to unprofessional conduct with social media after discovering Lita had a real-life affair with Edge. He was rehired just a few months later, feuded with Edge, and was eventually sent to the SmackDown! brand.