5 backstage stories about Jeff Hardy you wouldn’t believe

Jeff Hardy is one of the most well-known wrestlers in the industry. The high-flying daredevil carved a niche for himself early in his career and got the nod from several WWE legends for his in-ring work.

The Charismatic Enigma has won big in nearly every wrestling promotion he’s performed in. The former WWE Superstar also has a great fan following that has followed him from one promotion to another.

Behind the scenes, Jeff Hardy has remained a rather controversial figure. He has been a great babyface on-screen but has had to battle some demons when off it.

This has led to Jeff Hardy having some incredible backstage stories. Some of these stories can be termed unbelievable, keeping in mind how he portrays himself on-screen and what the wrestling industry requires off him.

Take a look at the five unbelievable backstage stories about Jeff Hardy.

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#5. Jeff Hardy was unhappy with his match against Matt Hardy at WWE WrestleMania 25

Jeff Hardy and his brother Matt Hardy had some of the greatest matches of their career while working as a team. The two also had some great matches against each other.

At WrestleMania 25, Matt and Jeff Hardy faced off in an Extreme Rules match. Even though they competed for over 13 minutes, Jeff Hardy was furious about the lack of time he received in the ring.

After the contest, Jeff threw items around backstage and vented his frustrations to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. Speaking on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions, Jeff recalled how he felt like the two deserved more time to put on an even better contest:

"Me and Vince did have a conversation after that. I think he kind of liked that he saw how mad I was, because I was like throwing stuff. 'I can’t believe we didn’t get to do that stuff we wanted to do.' We did plenty, more than enough, but it was still… The passion within me really ignited that night after the match. I was really upset."

Matt picked up the win after he placed a steel chair around Jeff Hardy’s neck and hit a Twist of Fate. However, The Charismatic Enigma believed that the brothers could have put on an even better match had they been given more time.

#4. Jeff Hardy lied about his age to get a match in WWE

Jeff Hardy competed in his first WWE match in 1994. He came out to face Scott "Razor Ramon" Hall under the ring name Keith Davis.

Hardy was booked as an enhancement talent during the contest and took a quick loss at the hands of Hall. It was later revealed that Hardy lied about being 18 to officials to enter his first match in WWE.

Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy appeared on an episode of WWE Then & Now to discuss various topics. When the topic came to their in-ring debuts, Matt recalled that his brother lied about being 18 years of age just to face Razor Ramon at a WWE RAW taping on May 23, 1994:

"Jeff was the first one that wrestled that night. He was 16 years old. The guy that brought us – Gary Sabaugh, The Italian Stallion – I remember him saying, 'Your brother’s only 16? Well, he’s gotta lie about his age on the sheet. He’s 18.'" Matt said.

Jeff Hardy was only 16 at the time but was asked by The Italian Stallion to lie about his age to get the match. The Charismatic Enigma did just that to make his WWE debut.

After the contest, Jeff claimed that he felt intimidated by the WWE environment and never wanted to appear for the company again.

#3. Jeff Hardy recorded a video to take shots at CM Punk after their WWE feud

In 2009, Jeff Hardy entered an iconic rivalry with CM Punk. The two men worked on their rivalry well after CM Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and defeated Hardy to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Both men cut promos to build their rivalry and took some personal shots at each other. Punk called out Jeff Hardy for his lifestyle choices and at times went off-script to get his point across.

The Charismatic Enigma left WWE to join TNA (IMPACT Wrestling) soon after the rivalry ended on-screen. However, his rivalry with Punk wasn’t over even after his move.

In 2010, Jeff Hardy posted a video with his brother Matt on YouTube. Both brothers could be seen taking some shots at The Best in the World. Jeff, who seemed intoxicated in the video and called Punk "a nerd," said he was responsible for making CM Punk a major star, and questioned his dedication to straight edge.

The video caused fans to take to social media to discuss whether Jeff Hardy was actually taking shots at Punk or just continuing with the storyline. Because Jeff had already left WWE, it can be said that The Charismatic Enigma was indeed trying to rip into CM Punk.

#2. Jeff Hardy claimed a snake ate his phone after he missed a flight

Jeff Hardy enjoyed a rather good career in TNA (IMPACT Wrestling). The three-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion proved to be more than just a tag team wrestler by outperforming his opponents.

Backstage, Jeff had some problems that made it difficult for IMPACT Wrestling to control him. There were a few stories about Jeff Hardy arriving very late for matches and events.

However, on one occasion, Jeff missed a flight and arrived late for a live event claiming a snake had eaten his phone. Not much is known about the snake, but Bill Behrens spoke about how Jeff Hardy always kept him on his toes by being late:

"He missed the plane because a snake ate his phone. I had to get in touch with him and tell him, 'Jeff, that’s silly, you know how to reach me.' We inevitably came to an agreement, Jeff and I, and it held for the remainder of his time there until inevitably he left and that was that."

Jeff Hardy worked on himself and became more punctual as time progressed. His hard work helped him become one of the most recognizable wrestlers in IMPACT Wrestling and WWE.

#1. Jeff Hardy competed in a match against Sting completely intoxicated

Jeff Hardy has battled his demons during his lengthy careers in WWE and TNA (IMPACT Wrestling). He was sent to rehab several times by the two companies for showing up to work intoxicated or getting in trouble with the authorities.

In 2011, Jeff Hardy suffered one of the most embarrassing nights of his career. At IMPACT Wrestling’s Victory Road pay-per-view, Jeff was booked to face Sting in the main event for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

Unfortunately, Jeff Hardy came to work completely intoxicated and reached the gorilla position. Eric Bishoff had to take matters into his own hands after he saw that Jeff was in no position to work.

With no other option, he had to go out to the middle and inform Sting about the situation, telling him to finish the match quickly:

"There was no captain of the ship in gorilla. The match would have been the s—-, and I didn’t want Sting to be in that position. Sting didn’t know. He had no idea that Jeff was gonna show up f—– up. I’m looking for a decision, looking for somebody to come up with an idea. What do we do? Clock’s ticking. We don’t have a lot of time, folks. Can’t call a meeting. Somebody’s gotta call the ball. Who’s gonna call it? Crickets. F— it. I literally walked through the curtain not knowing what I was gonna do." (h/t WrestleZone)

Sting finished off Jeff Hardy in less than a minute and a half with the Scorpion Death Drop. The match was not just embarrassing for Jeff, but also the company. He was removed from all active storylines and sent to rehab following his actions.