WWE SmackDown before SummerSlam 2020: 5 reasons why Jeff Hardy became the Intercontinental Champion

#3 Jeff Hardy is long overdue for a singles title run

Long overdue?

It's hard to believe that it's already been more than two years since Jeff Hardy last won a singles title in WWE. It was 2018 and eight days post WrestleMania 34 when Jeff Hardy defeated the newly-drafted Jinder Mahal on RAW to become the United States Champion.

Jeff Hardy's reign was longer than Jinder Mahal's, but it wasn't meant to last long either. Jeff Hardy would drop it at Extreme Rules a few months later to Shinsuke Nakamura in a weird match that lasted for just a few seconds. While he enjoyed brief tag team title success last year - an injury put him out again.

Championship success hasn't come as often for Jeff Hardy in his return run since 2017, which is why WWE may have felt that he was long overdue for a singles run. For all we know, he could have won the IC title tournament, but the Sheamus feud kept him occupied. Either way, winning it from AJ Styles is a great way to do it.