HistoryTheir story begins months prior to February 5th, 2000. Marty Jannetty looked to make a comeback to the wrestling world, managing two young gifted athletes, by the names of Matt and Jeff Hardy. Out of the two, Matt presented the force and strong attack. Jeff presented a reckless style of wrestling, laying his body on the line for the victory on countless occasions. Their high-flying talents derived from their wrestling on trampolines. Flipping, gliding, high-flying became second nature to them. Marty saw this. He saw the same determination in their eyes that he and Shawn Michaels had in their eyes when they were the Rockers. This moved Marty to rename the Hardys, to the New Age Rockers. The Hardys accepted the name, and wrestled under it with great pride, for they understood the history behind the name ‘Rockers’. Wrestlemania 2 marked a new style for the Hardys. They stood behind Marty to handle their business in terms of words, while they handled things in the ring. In their tag team title shot at Wrestlemania, the Hardys understood that it was time for a change. They handled the words, and revolutionized the way the industry looked at tag teams. No other team was able to accomplish this other than Southern Justice and Public Enemy, two of the top tag teams in federation history. It began with Matt’s exposure on cable television, when he appeared on ‘Dennis Miller Live’, in a Wrestlemania Special. His charisma, dexterity, and charm won the crowd over, and he instantly put him over with the fans. His brother came along quickly in the segment following the memorable event when the brothers took to the streets of Washington D.C. and looked for the public’s opinion on the tag team champion Public Enemy, who they were matched up against at Wrestlemania 2. The following day, Wrestlemania 2 had arrived. Excitement and nervousness ran through their bodies. Most importantly, however, in their chests beat the heart of a champion. Their music hit the PA, and the crowd, not too familiar with the Hardys, watched in anticipation. The Hardys were indeed the underdogs to the veteran tag team. The Hardys took their place in the middle of the ring, and awaited the arrival of Public Enemy, Flyboy Rock and Johnny Grunge. When Public Enemy’s music hit the PA, almost simultaneously, Public Enemy put the heat on the challengers, the New Age Rockers. The match’s momentum shifts for team to team until, the Hardys stage the last “hoo-rah”. The New Age Rockers put Public Enemy away, winning the tag team championship. The fans show their approval of the champions’ effort, along with the former champions effort. Although over-looked by another “Blockbuster Hardy” event, this match was indeed the finest match in the highly successful Rocker career. It marked the beginning of it…
The Hardys associated themselves with a few underachieving factions. Looking back, the Hardys learned a valuable lesson, and that’s they’re better off by themselves. The Degeneration-X, lead by former World Champion Hunter Hearst Hemsley and arguably the best European Champion in federation history, Shawn Michaels. Also aligned in this faction was Rob Van Dam. At this time, the Hardys were on the rise as a force to be reckoned with, however, foolishly, they believed that it’s not what you know, but whom you know. They used the Degeneration-X to gain some notoriety. And they accomplished this in a very unusual way. This was before the Rockers won their first tag team championship. Shawn Michaels and Triple H looked at them to be mere underachievers, and disbanded the Degeneration-X the wrestling world knew, joining the Million Dollar Corporation, as the Million Dollar Degenerates. The Hardys were offered a spot, however, they were unable to confirm it, since they were on leave. Upon returning, the news of the DX break-up was a surprise to them, but on the bright side, all eyes were on them. This lead to Wrestlemania 2. W.A.R., another faction that turned out to be the biggest mistake the Hardys ever made in their wrestling careers. Joining W.A.R. came shortly after the Hardys won the title. The Undertaker, Randy Savage, and Kevin Nash lead this stable of wrestlers who were the Hardys themselves, Mankind, Buff Bagwell, Test, and Billy Gunn. W.A.R. had a vendetta with the Million Dollar Corporation; however, pathetically they could never defeat them. They only claimed victory over the Million Dollar Corporation once, and that was Randy Savage’s screw-job victory over IRS. Irwin was forced to retire, which sent Ted and Southern Justice into a doldrums. The Million Dollar Corporation’s newest members, The Rock, Mr. Money, and Shawn Michaels were the active members of the federation, and at the same time, weakened the fabled stable, The MDC. The Rockers were busy defending their titles at this point, becoming more controversial after every match. When W.A.R. disbanded, being thrown of the World Wrestling Federation, and suffered great humiliation, The Rockers, boldly, insulted the watered down version of the MDC on a nationally broadcasted radio show, The Rock and Rob Van Dam challenged them to a match for the tag team titles. The Rockers, at this point, lost the ‘New Age’, and become a playful duo, which loved to get on the bad side of everyone in the World Wrestling Federation. The Rockers toyed with The Rock and Rob Van Dam, having the Rock’s stable-mates; Southern Justice defends the titles for them, claiming they missed their flight. The Rock and Rob Van Dam, went on to capture the titles, and The Rockers were no longer the tag team champions.
The radio show become a regular practice for the Hardys, and got them head over heels in trouble every time they went on air. The show was called Rockers In Radio Land, and caught fame across the nation. The show propelled the Hardys careers on the celebrity level. They are even credited for putting Stevie Richards’ name in Hollywood. They were loved by fans and hated by wrestlers. They were the best of their time. Matt and Jeff Hardy joined the MDC, and soon after, Shawn Michaels, The Rock, and Triple H left the MDC. The Rock made the move initially, and the Degenerates followed behind. Obviously, the Degenerates look up to the Rock for some reason. Either that, they have their nose way up his ass. You be the judge. Chris Jericho opted to feud with the Rock over his decision, yet, soon after he mysteriously disappeared. The Hardys were left with the Million Dollar Corporation as the ‘Sole Survivors’ so to speak. Despite this, they held their heads up, and continued to be the great entertainers they were. They were on top of the world. The Dudley Boyz, however, had a different interpretation of the Hardys. In short, they could careless about their past achievements. The Dudleys were the tag team champions, thanks to the Rock handing them the titles. The Rockers had plans to strip them of the titles, however, the Dudleys cast the first stone, blowing up the under construction Million Dollar Mansion. The Hardys were over the construction, and knew that this was the beginning of a war, which it was. The Hardys later destroyed Dudleyville, blowing it up with a series of missiles from a combat helicopter. The Dudleys were not done. Instead of making their presence felt physically, they did it verbally, informing the Rockers and the wrestling world that they had slept with Mrs. Hardy, the Rockers’ mother. Apparently, the fact that the Hardys’ mother was a whore was kept under wraps by the Hardys, until the segment ‘If my mom’s a whore, then dammit, my mom’s a dirty whore!’, where the Hardys revealed that she was indeed a dirty whore. The Dudleys were sent to jail for their violence, and the Hardys were later sent there. The Hardys were no strangers to jail. They were sent to jail countless times for reasons ranging from, a disturbance at a strip club, with Stevie Richards, which ended with Jeff drives a hummer through the wall to the shooting of Mr. Money Scott Taylor, which they were later pardoned for.
The Hardys were quickly released while the Dudleys stayed in jail, only to be thrown in again for a crime they didn’t commit, the Mr. Money shooting. In jail, the Rockers specialty match, ‘The Jail House Rock’ Match, took place for the tag team championships between the Dudleys and the Rockers. Here, the Rockers prevailed, thanks to an assist by Tyler Casselman, who they reveal to be their father. Yet, the Rockers turn the tide, switching their criminal record with Tyler Casselman’s, sending him to jail for a long time. A new President was crowned within the prison walls, and that person was Chris Salmon. Also, Ted Dibiase announced the Million Dollar Corporation was officially retired. This was indeed, arguably one of the best storylines, feuds, and matches in World Wrestling Federation history. After this, the Hardys began a family feud when a a tournament for the European Championship was announced. For there on, the Tag Team Champions were divided, playing tricks on one another, and oddly enough, talking about their mother to insult each other. Each Hardy made it to the Championship Match where Matt lectured his brother in the middle of the ring, after the match began. He told him in front of a crowd of 80,000 or so that brothers shouldn't fight like they had been for the past few weeks. Jeff agreed, and when they shuck on it, Matt rolled Jeff up for the pin, but before the ref could get to three, Jeff reversed it, and won the European Championship. Matt jumped up, and chased his little brother through the crowd, who was screaming, holding the title in the air as he ran. In a way, I guess we found out who was the better Hardy...