5 potential matches for Jeff Hardy in AEW

#2 Jeff Hardy as Willow vs Malakai Black

Jeff Hardy has earned the moniker of Charismatic Enigma thanks to his presentation and daredevil wrestling style. Similar to his brother Matt, Jeff has also crafted darker and layered iterations of himself to great effect. While Brother Nero emerged when Broken Matt Hardy finally "deleted" his younger sibling, there is a much darker and more storied alter ego that could possibly re-emerge.

Willow, also known as Willow-The-Wisp, was a character concocted by Jeff when he competed in OMEGA, a promotion run by himself and Matt. Willow drew inspiration from the Marvel Comics character Will O'The Wisp, a character that had been inspired by an English folktale in which someone was murdered and dumped in a swamp. Their spirit was left to become a malevolent being that drew travelers off the road and into the marshes.

Jeff Hardy wouldn't be the first to bring layered storytelling and character development to AEW, his brother Matt is the author of "Broken Universe" and the characters contained within. Malakai Black has been crafting his own tale stemming all the way back to when he was Aleister in WWE.

It would be an interesting collision and will be full of creativity if we saw the two dark personas come to blows. Willow is supposed to be a dark alterior of Jeff Hardy, representing the evil contained within the Charismatic Enigma that we don't usually see.

#1 Jeff Hardy vs Darby Allin

Wrestling fans will forever make comparisons between wrestlers, whether it be the muscle-clad comparison of Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior, the technicality of Bryan Danielson and Bret Hart, or the promo work of Jon Moxley and Steve Austin. Comparisons between Jeff Hardy and Darby Allin have arisen from their shared desire to break as many bones as possible while winning championships.

It is well documented that Hardy perceives himself as a stunt-man, or a spot-monkey to use the wrestling term, this means he constructs his matches based on highlight moments.

Darby Allin has adopted this daredevil style of wrestling himself, which has served him well as a truly innovative act and a stand-out performer in AEW. The parallels between the two extend to the use of face paint as an artistic expression of their character and story.

Darby Allin and Jeff Hardy both share Sting as a wrestling influence and childhood hero. While Jeff has previously worked with The Icon as both ally and foe, Allin is currently a part of an ongoing alliance with the Hall of Famer. Maybe a trilogy with Sting could be the catalyst for a clash between the two?

With or without the prospect of Hardy-Sting 3, Jeff Hardy in AEW would surely make their collision inevitable. The former WWE Champion can pass the torch of daredevil wrestling to the pillar of AEW, cementing Darby Allin as the spot-monkey of his era.