After weeks of being the victim of physical and mental torment from Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy squared off against The Viper on SmackDown LIVE in a highly personal contest.
The two went at it with all the vigor and vitriol that one would expect after several weeks of wild brawls. The brutal battle saw Orton again viciously pull Hardy’s ear lobe, which led to an incensed Jeff stomping The Apex Predator below the belt. The Charismatic Enigma became absolutely unglued, continuing to assault Orton through the WWE Universe. Hardy beat Orton down with anything he could get his hands on, including a steel chair and a camera. Jeff then positioned Randy on a table in the tech area and made an incredible jump from the equipment crates, crushing Orton with a Swanton Bomb.
Advantage, finally, Hardy.
Credit: WWE.com
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Reby made an appearance on Busted Open Radio over the weekend. She talked about Matt’s transitional period and noted that his WWE contract will be up in March.
“Matt is good. Matt is right now going through a bit of a transitional period. He’s not really sure what he’s going to be doing. His contract is up in March, which I’m not sure many people are aware of. But there’s sort of a decision to be made at this point as to whether or not he should continue his in-ring career or if he should pursue something different, which he would totally be up for and would be excited to do, I feel like. So, he’s kind of giving it a go right now backstage. He’s at SummerSlam. He’s not on the card but he’s there. And we’re kind of going to see from here. It’s really a transitional time right now.
EXCLUSIVE: @RebyHardy confirms to @davidlagreca1 & @TheMarkHenry that @MATTHARDYBRAND contract with the WWE is up this March, weighing options on future including a possible role backstage.#SummerSlam #RAW pic.twitter.com/vgARTrcyqW
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) August 20, 2018
Jeff Hardy threw caution to the wind in his fight against United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura at SummerSlam, but that fearless mentality led to The Charismatic Enigma’s demise. The King of Strong Style capitalized on a failed high-risk maneuver from Hardy to retain the red, white and blue crown.
The two rivals wasted no time getting into it, exchanging strikes and taunts in equal measure. Hardy evaded one of Nakamura’s signature low blows and went on an offensive barrage that saw him connect with two Twist of Fates.
Ever the risktaker, Hardy attempted the Swanton Bomb on Nakamura, who was laying prone on the edge of the ring apron. Nakamura evaded the dive, causing Jeff to splat right onto the hardest part of the ring. From there, it was academic: Nakamura took advantage of Hardy’s mistake, finishing The Charismatic Enigma off with the Kinshasa for the win.
Moments after his victory, Randy Orton arrived, seemingly salivating at the prospect of getting to inflict more pain onto the defenseless Hardy. Then, in a perplexing move, The Viper opted to just turn around and walk away, leaving the WWE Universe to speculate on his intentions.
Credit: WWE.com
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