10 WWE Royal Rumble Betrayals You Didn't See Coming
8. Matt And Jeff Hardy Eliminate Each Other (2001)
During 2000, Team X-Treme (Lita, Matt, and Jeff Hardy) were riding high. The Hardy Boyz were the company’s most popular faces in the tag team division. Their feud with Edge & Christian and the Dudley Boyz is legendary and made WWE’s tag team offerings must-see TV, and even when the Hardys came up short they left entertaining and innovative matches in their wake.
At Royal Rumble 2001, Jeff drew statistically unfortunate #1 and began the match against Bull Buchanan. In a stroke of luck, when the buzzer sounded, Matt rushed to the ring as #3 and saved his brother from elimination. The two swiftly eliminated Buchanan and engaged in some friendly fighting. They ceased and took on #4 Faarooq, eliminating him following a Twist of Fate and a Swanton Bomb in rapid succession. When the next entrant, Comedian Drew Carey, lingered on the outside, the Hardys resumed fighting. When the brothers took the fight to their usual top rope playground, a spot sent Matt down to the floor with Jeff stumbling over after him.
Matt and Jeff didn’t hold a grudge and were back together in time to compete in TLC II at WrestleMania X-Seven.