10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE SmackDown From 2001

5. Triple H Made Jeff Hardy A Singles Star

Stone Cold Steve Austin WCW 2001
WWE.com

Much was made of the vicious beatdown Triple H and Steve Austin dished out to The Hardys and Lita on Raw in early-April. Lita taking some steel chair shots was a sensitive topic at the time, but 'Team Xtreme' would get revenge days later on SmackDown courtesy of Jeff Hardy.

Hunter's part in all of this should not be overlooked.

Jeff beat Trips for the Intercontinental Title on the 12 April SmackDown. Despite being formatted as a lengthy beatdown with a babyface comeback, Triple H showed some selflessness by presenting Hardy as a 'never say die' kind of hero throughout the match. It worked, and proved Jeff had it in him to be a singles.

Some fans had been on the fence about that beforehand, largely because The Hardys had been such a popular unit. Splitting them up seemed daft, but Jeff holding the IC belt for a few days proved to be a successful experiment and precursor of things to come for him.

Hunter gave Jeff a foot up the ladder that night.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.