Who Was Better: Matt of Jeff Hardy?

[DethMetal]

The Hardy Boyz were arguably the most popular tag team of the last decade, if not of all time. While they were a team, they were tag team champions a total of seven times and helped revolutionize the ladder match. They had a brief stint in TNA, but not much was really accomplished. During their career, while temaing with and against each other, many have always argued who was better between the two.

Mic Skills: Neither of the brothers Hardy were really great on the mic. However, I believe that Matt was a few miles ahead of Jeffrey. During his heel run, he managed to cut a few good promos. The same goes for Jeff, though. As a face, he seems like he can't talk in the least. During his heel run in TNA though, he proved that he could handle a stick.

In-Ring Ability: With Matt being more a of an in-ring technician and Jeff being more of a high-flyer, it's somewhat hard to compare the two because their styles were so different. However, I thought Matt was better, simply due to the fact that he could fly around the ring (at least earlier in his career) and could solidly wrestle.

Overall, I always thought that Matt was better than Jeff, but Jeff had something about him that made him a big star that Matt didn't have. I always thought that Matt could've been a champion a couple of times.

So in your opinion, who was better: Matt Hardy of Jeff?

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Jeff was more entertaining, Jeff was more popular with the fans, Jeff has alot more charisma than Matt even though his mic skills were never that great- at least until his spell as a heel in Immortal, which I thought was great until he ruined it with his personal issues.

Matt is easily the better technical wrestler of the pair, and in his early days could fly a bit too, and their two styles worked so well together. The Hardy Boyz were my favourite wrestlers growing up, and their ladder match in 1999 vs Edge and Christian remains my favourite match of all time. And obviously, there are the tag-team table match at RR with the Dudleyz and the TLC matches to talk about. Classics.

I enjoyed Matt's run as "Version One", but Jeff obviously has had the better singles career with multiple World Title reigns. He just had more of a connection to the WWE fanbase, and still does today. The fans love him no matter how many times he screws up, as he can still produce in the ring and at least for now seems to be clean and healthy.

It saddens me to see the problems the Hardyz have faced with drugs and personal issues. It's never nice to see your heroes as a child like that and I am glad to see Jeff doing well again in TNA, he WILL be World Champion again at some point. Matt on the other hand doesn't look like he will be back in the limelight any time soon, but I hope for his sake that he stays clean.

If I had to choose one of the Hardyz it would have to be Jeff. Just a more complete package, if lacking in technical wrestling ability. He just has more of the IT factor than Matt ever did.

 

[Big Papa Santo]

The classic question. I honestly never hitched a ride on the Hardy Boys bandwagon, but from seeing both of their WWE debuts(Post-unknown jobbers) To both of their releases, I can tell you that I always believed that Jeff was the more charismatic and more marketable brother, he especially hit it off with the WWEs younger fans, who were behind him 100% during his main-event push in 2009. Matt was also another talented performer, but he never seemd to "Click" with the fans as much as his younger brother Jeff did.

 

[Lowdown]

Jeff was more entertaining overall. But during '05 after Matt was released in the aftermath of the Edge/Lita affair he was an IWC darling. And I was one of a select few that felt he should've went to TNA. He probably would've gotten a push much like Christian when he arrived there. But neither of the Hardys were particularly golden on the mic. Jeff has the edge in being more interesting between the ropes.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

Jeff hands down. It was close up until a few years ago, but Matt has really slipped in my eyes. I started joking with buddies that Matt was reminding me of this generations Jake the Sanke Roberts circa early 90's. From the long receeding hair, to the belly and just there overall feel in the ring.

 

[IT Factor]

The only reason Jeff gets more recognition is because of his high-risk type of style in the ring. People like daredevils and this is why I've always liked Matt Hardy a little better. While both Hardys lack charisma, Matt is the better in-ring worker because he could do a little of everything. Jeff could only rely on "holy shit" moments and without those, he'd have been nothing but a glorified jobber.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Although they're brothers, it's comparing apples and oranges. Whom you like better depends on the ring performance style you prefer.

Jeff is the high-flier, while Matt is the....er, mat wrestler. Jeff sacrifices his body with aerial maneuvers while Matt is the old style, grind-it-out warrior. A good example of this is that move they used when teaming; they had an opponent trapped in the corner.....Matt would get on his hands and knees while Jeff used Matt's back to launch himself airborne at the opponent, remember?

In other words, Matt was the springboard while Jeff was the missile. That's indicative of their styles in the ring as a whole and the "one you like better" is the one whose style you prefer.

Personally, I liked them both, for different reasons. Jeff was always unpredictable and entertaining (when he could find his way to the arena) but I admit truly enjoying those punishing, tough guy matches Matt had with MVP and Drew McIntyre.

Matt or Jeff?......a matter of personal preference.

 

[smizzy]

Jeff Hardy is undoubtedly the more prominent of the two. But when it comes down to your question, "who was better," that's a different story because they both have a reasonable case as to why they were the better wrestler.

Jeff has drawing ability. He can't sell out an arena like Cena or Rock, but he can for sure put some butts in the seats. Matt on the otherhand doesn't have the superstar persona that Jeff does. Let's take a look at the in-ring capabilities though. In the Team Xtreme days, Matt was the go to guy. He carried the matches. What I mean is he was the primary guy to start the match and do the technical wrestling and wear down opponents, whereas Jeff was often a hot tag who could come in and finish it after "poetry in motion" and then a whisper in the wind followed by a Swanton.

As singles competitors, Jeff has had the more accomplished career. But both Matt and Jeff put on equally good, at times, great, singles matches. Matt, Edge in a cage was phenomenal, as was Taker, Jeff in the ladder match. But I feel Jeff has had way more great matches. Him vs XPac at KotR 01, his feud with Abyss in I think 04, Taker as previously noted, some great one on ones with RVD.

What it boils down to, I, as a Hardyz lifer, believe Matt has the better natural ability to wrestle, but Jeff's charisma and dare devil tactics overshadow whatever he lacks in the ring and ultimatley makes him the superior Hardy.

 

[Giddy]

I think it was Jeff. Jeff always just seemed to have a better connection with the fans, a better drawing ability, and although he didn't have very good face mic skills (his heel Immortal run was pretty good) he just had natural charisma. From his theme, to his entrance, all of it was just high energy and had everyone behind him. He put on a good match, and had great spots.

I think personally Matt's mic skills are better than Jeff's, during Matt's heel run he had some good promo's, and Matt's technical skills far surpass Jeff's, but Jeff was more entertaining in the ring, and just had as someone said above me the IT factor.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Jeff Hardy was better than Matt Hardy in everything but mic skills. That man could not do a promo to save his life. I still remember when he cut a horrible promo about a Ladder Match for the World Heavyweight Championship in 2009, it was like fingernails on a chalkboard. Matt Hardy is better on the mic but he's somewhat boring by comparison in the ring and could not get over on his own. He was only interesting when he was with his brother, while Jeff had an entertaining singles run in WWE; plus his ongoing TNA run. Better finisher, better at insane spots, more successful in winning titles, Jeff was so MUCH more entertaining in the ring. You could also look at it from nothing but a kayfabe'd standpoint. Jeff is a multi-time World Champion (WWE, World Heavyweight, TNA) yet Matt never got beyond the ECW Championship.... While Mic skills may be extremely important, one needs only to notice the fact that Jeff was better in everything else, making him the superior Hardy brother.

 

[HBsam31]

I liked both at different times, and like Mustang Sally said it really is just a matter of personal preference. I was really into Matt when the whole Edge, Lita, Matt thing was going on. I think if a few things would have been done differently, and Matt would have just stepped his game up a bit more he could have had a short title run given the fan support he had at that time. I enjoyed Matt when he was the Crusierweight champ as Matt Hardy V1. I think that actually was his most successful run away from Jeff. Jeff on the other hand was obviously more flashy and put his body on the line more which is going to garner him fan support no matter what. He had more singles title success to if you want to look at it that way. To be truthful I was never a rabid Hardy Boys fan although I respected what they did, and my favorite Matt run was like I said as V1, and my favorite Jeff run was when he was chasing the WWE title and finally won it. Each was better at different things, and that is why they complemented each other so well.

 

[machokingmooney]

As far as mic skills go neither man was exactly the best. But I'll give Matt the edge mostly because I remember him doing a whole lot more talking than Jeff. In ring abilitly would IMO go to Matt as well. He had some classic matches with Edge and clearly was calling the shots during all of their tag team matches. But all that being said there is something inherintly likeable about Jeff that Matt doesn't possess. I never really found myself rooting for Matt outside of his feud with Edge. Jeff is all X-Factor, he's not particularly great at anything but doing big swantons but despite that you find yourself rooting for him. So though Matt is the more sound of the two Jeff is superior based on his connection with the fans.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

In my eyes, it was always Matt Hardy being the better wrestler with his technical prowess and Jeff Hardy being the better entertainer with his high-risk daredevil manoeuvres.

On the mic, I think Matt Hardy was always better. In fact, I think Matt Hardy was at his peak best in 2005 as V 1.0. That was when he used both the ricochet and the top rope leg drop as signature moves. Jeff Hardy always had the star power though because there wasn't a time where he didn't fail to surprise everyone with his insane aerial moves. With that, he secured big-time popularity and career longevity with the WWE. Matt gradually declined to mediocrity once his V 1.0 gimmick faded out and his feud with Edge ended with him looking like a loser. The fact that he basically stopped putting in any effort in the final days of his WWE career didn't help boost his once-apparent ambitions either. In TNA he had a less-than-stellar career and that was that. Jeff Hardy on the other hand collected big victories over big names, won world titles and was pushed to the moon upon re-entering TNA despite the drug issues.

Overall? I think Jeff Hardy was better.

 

[Hardwell]

Jeff may be a smart wrestler, simply the moves he performs get him hurt allot, that ends up in pain pills which(as within the case of Davey Boy Smith) may lead to an early grave.

 

[MINISTRYrising]

by far jeff was always better then matt. the only thing matt was better at was on the mic. i do think they have always been better together then on there own. i just wish jeff had not messed up so badly in his personal life. if he had been able to keep things together then i'm sure he would have been a multiple time world or wwe champion by know