The Hardy Boyz were a team thriving as the new Millennium dawned. The stars of a tremendous tag team ladder match against Edge and Christian at October 1999's No Mercy pay-per-view, they were clearly looking like the future of the industry. Their rockstar attitudes, their good looks and death-defying move sets made them incredibly popular babyfaces. But there was something missing. The team lacked that one element that would put them over the top and make them one of the most marketable acts in the industry. WWE Creative tried to solve that problem early, giving them Terri Runnels as a manager but the Horny Little She-Devil did not fit the personalities of her charges and that relationship was dissolved in February 2000. Along came Lita, a fiery redhead who arrived in the company as valet for Essa Rios. When the domineering, controlling light heavyweight champion assaulted his female companion, the Hardys came to her rescue. Team Extreme was formed shortly thereafter and the package was complete. The Hardys and Lita were immensely popular and soon found themselves everywhere from Chef Boyardee ravioli commercials to feature articles in Rolling Stone magazine. They were top merchandise sellers and their popularity rivaled that of main event stars such as Steve Austin and The Rock. The girls loved Matt and Jeff and wanted to be Lita, thus making them a trio that appealed to all sections of the audience. The team would split in 2002 as WWE broke up its sizable roster, sending Matt to SmackDown and Jeff and Lita to Raw. They would, unfortunately, never return to the company's television programming as Team Extreme again.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
