10 Times WWE Actually Elevated Midcarders To Become WWE Champions

7. Jeff Hardy

In what must be considered one of the most unfair comparisons in history, some claimed that Jeff Hardy was the "Shawn Michaels" to Matt's "Marty Jannetty". The cruelty here was that Matt always seemed to have better wrestling smarts than Jeff - he just lacked that natural magnetism and charisma that his high-flying sibling did.

It was hard to put one's finger on, because Jeff has never exactly been Jake Roberts on the mic. Despite a lack of true verbal prowess though, he's definitely always been deemed the more charismatic Hardy brother over the years, and WWE agreed. In 2008, they finally went the whole way with him and turned Jeff into WWE Champion.

Most were certain that Hardy would lead WWE into the coming new decade.

Well-publicised drug problems would get in the way of that, but Jeff's life did change forever when he beat Edge and Triple H in a Triple Threat stunner at Armageddon '08. In one night, Hardy was elevated from potentially solid singles star who'd scrap for the IC or US Titles to top tier worker.