WWE Classic of the Week: Jeff Hardy vs. Triple H vs. Edge from Armageddon 2008

The year 2008 saw the evolution of Jeff Hardy from an entertaining midcard star to one of the elite babyfaces in all of sports entertainment. There were a few bumps in the road, but he came back better than ever and immediately set out to regain the faith and trust of both fans and management alike.

To do so, he worked like never before and turned in some of his finest performances to date. As one of the faces of the SmackDown brand, he was heavily relied upon to carry that brand following its move from the CW to MyNetwork TV.

In the process, he became even more popular than he previously was, likely selling as much merchandise, if not more, than the company's top star, John Cena. He was receiving the loudest pops of his career and was clearly the people's champion, for lack of a better word.

But things did not come easy for Hardy.

To achieve his lifelong dream of capturing the WWE Championship, he would have to overcome a number of professional heartbreaks and two of the most iconic Superstars of all time in a Triple Threat match at December 2008's Armageddon pay-per-view.

But first, a little background.

Background

The 2008 Royal Rumble was the setting of Jeff Hardy's first heavyweight championship opportunity in nearly six years. His opponent? A Randy Orton finally gaining traction as a main event heel. Together, they would craft a very good title bout won by Orton following a reversal of the Twist of Fate into the RKO.

It was a disappointing outcome for fans expecting to see the popular Hardy capture his first heavyweight title and perhaps headline WrestleMania XXIV.

But Hardy would recover nicely, and by the time he was sent packing to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2008 WWE draft, he suddenly found himself as one of the top stars on the brand. There was no longer a John Cena or Shawn Michaels to stop him from climbing the ladder.

Instead, his one major rival would be the man who reigned over the SmackDown brand as WWE champion: Triple H.

At Unforgiven, in the very first WWE Championship Scramble match, Hardy came within seconds of capturing the title. Unfortunately, the clock ran out on Hardy, and his Cinderella story had seemingly reached an unhappy ending.

Then he received another title opportunity, this time in a singles match against Triple H. The two were no strangers to each other, their issues dating all the way back to 2001 and Hardy's shocking Intercontinental Championship victory over The Game.

But this was seven years later, and The King of Kings was not ready to loosen his grasp on the WWE title.

Hardy looked to have the championship won following a Swanton Bomb, but Triple H rolled the unsuspecting youngster up, scoring a quick pinfall victory.

When fans voted Hardy into the WWE Championship match at Cyber Sunday, Triple H must have realized that he would have to reach deep down and pull out another extraordinary performance if he was to defeat his determined No. 1 contender. He did, ending Hardy's night with a Pedigree and creating serious doubts as to whether Hardy would ever capture the championship.

Hardy's journey took a detour at the Survivor Series in November when he was found unconscious in his hotel, a storyline criticized by Paul Heyman in The Sun (via WrestlingInc.com). That twist knocked him out of the Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship at the show, allowing Edge to return and win the title for himself.

Hardy and Triple H, both looking to win the title, entered a Beat the Clock challenge. Again proving to be as evenly matched as possible, they tied, leading to the announcement by the WWE Board of Directors that both Hardy and Triple H would challenge Edge for the WWE Championship at December's Armageddon.

The Match

Analysis

The match was excellent, as one would expect given the three Superstars involved.

The dramatic near-falls fueled the match, but it was the fans in Buffalo and their intense and passionate response to Hardy's championship victory that made the contest as memorable and satisfying as it was.

After years of watching the former tag team specialist work his way up the ranks from jobbing to Razor Ramon on Raw in 1995 to capturing numerous tag titles with brother Matt, seeing him ascend to the top of the industry was one of those rare feel-good moments that really make fans of the sport happy.

Hardy, in particular, was outstanding. He and Triple H had such a chemistry together that they turned in a phenomenal match any time they shared the ring. Whether it was counter wrestling or placing the near-falls in exactly the right place to elicit the desired reaction, they did it to perfection.

The only unfortunate aspect of the match is that Edge had not quite knocked off the ring rust that plagued him shortly after his return to the ring at Survivor Series. Had this match taken place in January or February, rather than one month after returning from hiatus, it may very well have been even better than it was.

The finish was excellent, as Triple H delivered a Pedigree to Edge, only for Hardy to explode off the top rope with the Swanton Bomb. A pin of Edge and three seconds later, the Charismatic Enigma had secured his first heavyweight championship!

As a match, it was very good. As a moment, it was spectacular.

Aftermath

Unfortunately for Jeff, his title reign would be short-lived and uneventful, as he endured numerous "accidents" that threatened his safety. Whether it was pyro nearly burning him severely or an automobile accident, a series of misfortunes befell him.

At January's Royal Rumble, his brother Matt would reveal himself to be behind the occurrences. He blasted Jeff with a steel chair, allowing Edge to pick up the win and regain the title.

This led to a series of matches between the Hardy brothers, including an Extreme Rules match at WrestleMania and an "I Quit" match at Backlash.

By June, however, Hardy would capture the World Heavyweight Championship and engage CM Punk in a feud at the top of the SmackDown brand.

But that is another story for another time.