10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE SmackDown From 2008

4. The ‘Other’ Jeff Hardy & Undertaker Match Needs Praise

Triple H WWE Title SmackDown 2008
WWE.com

The 1 July 2002 episode of Raw would go down in folklore as a real coming of age moment for young Jeff Hardy. He earned The Undertaker's respect by bouncing around in a fantastic ladder match on the show, and many agreed that it was only a matter of time before Jeffrey here was heading for WWE Title glory.

"Only a matter of time" turned out to be around 6 years.

Here's the beautiful, beautiful thing: There's another outstanding bout between Hardy and 'Taker you need to watch. It happened on the 14 November 2008 SmackDown over in Manchester, England. This time, they were locked in an 'Extreme Rules' situation (the duo still used ladders, don't worry!), and they tore the house down for around 16 minutes.

Genuine statement incoming. Ready? Jeff vs. Undertaker from November '08 was every bit as good as that beloved clash from '02. Hardy was on the cusp of reaching the WWE Title mountaintop at Armageddon. He was on fire during the second half of 2008, and it’s a shame his personal problems wrecked everything the following year.

In truth, cracks started to show towards the end of '08, so it was always a massive risk from WWE to put the top belt on him at all. Popularity and the sheer strength of Jeff's in-ring performances against everyone he shared the spotlight with confirmed in Vince McMahon's mind that he had to try.

Credit should go to 'Taker for bumping his undead butt off on free television just to cement Hardy as an equal.

Contributor

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.