Is the WWE's Jeff Hardy a Wrestler Or Just a Spot Monkey?

For a while now, many people have come out and said negative things about Jeff Hardy. While chasing the WWE Title dream, they had no problem.  Now that he has won the WWE Title, these same people have chosen to lash out.

We all know the ariel and high-flying charismatic enigma that is Hardy, but is he an actual wrestler or a spot monkey?

A spot monkey is a person who specializes in awe-inspiring feats regardless of whether or not they succeed or fail.  Does that fit Hardy to a tee? Well, maybe not.

Hardy has improved since his debut against Owen Hart in 1993. Roughly five years ago, he left for the TNA, against the best wishes of his brother, Matt.  In the long run, it was a good career move for Jeff.

In the WWE he was known as a member of the Hardy Boys. He would always be attached to his brother Matt no matter what he did, while associated with the WWE.  So, he chose to move on to the TNA with a clean slate to make himself and not be just one of the Hardy boys.

And who can blame him? I certainly couldn't. But while in TNA, he missed the WWE and saw that his quest for a World Title would not happen in TNA. He was just another wrestler getting left behind in the mid-cards at best.

But, he did learn a good bit of wrestling from TNA's best while there. But, he still went back to the WWE and was quickly given the superstar reaction he deserved. The fans wanted him back in the WWE and so did the WWE.

But, then he comes out and actually competes well as a singles' competitor. He could hold his own with guys like The Undertaker, Edge, Triple H, and John Cena.

He could actually make a match worth watching as a wrestling match, rather than just the few awe-inspiring moves like the Swanton. Of course, he kept his trademark moves like the Swanton and the Whisper in the Wind.

But, he added some new moves that we probably began to see in late 2007. He added a turnbuckle dropkick that we see him do in every match and we also saw a face-first suplex.

Not only that, we saw technical moves we really had never seen from Hardy like headlocks and ground moves. He was not the Hardy-of-old with just the ariel moves. He was actually wrestling.

He is the only man to start a year as the No. 1 contender for a World Title and end it as the No. 1 contender for a different World Title—so, he has history at least. However, we have never seen what we have wanted to see—a World Title run.

Could you blame the WWE? I mean you had a guy who was good with the crowd. A great in-ring psychologist who could get fans to watch but never could deliver the fabulous WWE wrestling match that you wanted to see.

However, he finally could provide that type of match, and at the end of 2007, he was finally getting the much deserved push. Sure, we remember him for his high-flying Swanton or Whisper in the Wind, but we forget what he does in between.

He is no Shawn Michaels or Bret Hart—that is for sure. Who is he really? As I have mentioned with Cena, if we keep comparing every wrestler we see to guys like Flair, Hart, and Angle, we will never see a great wrestler.

So much negativity is wrong, when we watch a match from two years ago and then form our opinions based on his current wrestling performances, how is that right? Over the last year and a half, Hardy has added new moves, while keeping his old ones.

Sure, like I mentioned, we remember those trademark moves but forget everything else we have seen in a match. Did anyone notice that HBK added a cross face to his move-set? Probably not, because we remember him for what?

Sweet Chin Music and the Elbow Drop from the top rope. But of course, you noticed that right? I bet most fans didn't.

It is called a signature move. All big superstars have them. Cena has the STFU and F-U. Batista has the Batista Bomb and Spine buster. And Chris Jericho has the Walls of Jericho—the Code breaker and a Lionsault every now and again.

But we don't judge them too often on being just there doing what they do? Sure, we talk about how they are not great wrestlers, but at least we call them a "Wrestler." Despite how much you hate Cena, you have to say he is a wrestler right?

Despite not being the best, he is one. It's the same with Hardy. Pretend his Swanton is an RKO and his Whisper in the Wind is the Pedigree. Is it a wrestling move now?

I am so sick of seeing people call him just a spot monkey when he is a wrestler. Despite what he does in the ring, he is a wrestler just like Triple H, Randy Orton, and Cena.

He may not be at their level, but he is just the same.