CM Punk & Jeff Hardy's Real Life Rivalry, Explained
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When CM Punk first joined WWE, he was already an established name on the indie scene. In 2008, he won the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania and cashed it in to become World Heavyweight Champion for the first time. This title reign, however, wasn’t really that good.
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The next time he won the title, and he did so by winning the Money in the Bank briefcase again the next year, fans started seeing a change in his attitude. This was the first time Punk was turning into a fully-fledged heel in WWE after working there for three years and this resulted in a very personal rivalry between The Straight Edge Superstar and The Charismatic Enigma, Jeff Hardy, who he later defeated for the championship belt.
CM Punk Cashed In His Briefcase On Jeff Hardy Moments After He Won The Title At Extreme Rules
Shortly after Punk won the Money in the Bank contract at WrestleMania 25, he was drafted to SmackDown. On May 1, Teddy Long booked a non-title match between him and World Champion Edge. Punk had announced that he would cash in his briefcase after he beat The Rated R Superstar that night. In the main event, he defeated Edge and as he was about to cash in his briefcase, Umaga showed up and attacked the Mr. Money in the Bank.
This kickstarted the rivalry between The Samoan Bulldozer and Punk. After Umaga stopped Punk from cashing in again the next week, WWE booked a singles match between them for Judgment Day. Umaga won this match, and they had a rematch at Extreme Rules in a Samoan Strap Match. Punk defeated him this time, and then he cashed in his Money in the Bank on Jeff Hardy who had just beaten Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship. This was Hardy’s second World Title victory in WWE. While his first title reign lasted over a month, this one lasted mere minutes.
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Jeff Hardy Was Unhappy With Some Of The Things CM Punk Said During Their Rivalry
Shortly after, Hardy defeated Edge in the ladder match, CM Punk cashed in his MITB contract. The referee rang the bell and Punk immediately hit Hardy with Go To Sleep. Hardy surprisingly kicked out and then used the inside cradle on Punk for a two count. Punk gave him a disgusted look and nailed another GTS, and this time, he got the pinfall, and just like this became the 2-time World Heavyweight Champion.
Over the next few weeks, Punk completed his heel turn. His straight-edge lifestyle became his entire personality as he really believed he was better than everyone. Punk was just too convincing as a heel, and he seemed right even when he insulted the fans and Hardy, who had real-life drug problems. He also used his straight-edge lifestyle as a weapon against the fans and called them "pathetic weak people." Punk also brought up Hardy’s substance issues, his two WWE Wellness Policy violations, and his struggle with alcohol and drugs. While Hardy beat Punk for the title at Night of Champions, he won it back again at SummerSlam. The rivalry culminated in a Loser Leaves WWE Steel Cage match on SmackDown, which was Hardy’s last WWE match until he returned eight years later. Although one week later, Hardy’s entrance music hit, and the fans got really excited until they realized it was Punk who had worn Jeff's attire as well as his face paint and further mocked him.
Some months later, a video surfaced on the web where a drunk Jeff Hardy ranted about Punk’s straight-edge lifestyle and called him a “nerd.” Hardy even claimed that he had made Punk a superstar, and also raised his middle fingers at him. Hardy said everyone was different and not everyone could be a straight-edge like Punk or else he would rather live on Pluto. Jeff also said Punk was “too cocky, inside and outside the ring."
Jeff Hardy Wants To Revisit His Rivalry With CM Punk In AEW
Back in 2012, when Jeff was asked about Punk, he praised The Cult of Personality and while they didn’t stay in touch he had “nothing bad to say about the guy.” Hardy has maintained his stance on Punk over the years and Matt has also confirmed the same: “Everything is fine. Everyone's outgrown dumb s**t." Jeff also teased a potential storyline with Punk in AEW last year when he appeared on Wrestling with Freddie podcast. "It's so crazy, we're in the same company now, and there's a huge moment between me and Punk that's going to come, I'm sure."
Hardy also recently returned to AEW after spending a few months in rehab. A CM Punk return is also in the works according to several reports. In the future, AEW can try to revisit this rivalry that started in WWE and do some super interesting things with it.
