Background: The month prior, Jeff Hardy’s brother Matt interfered and cost Jeff a World title victory over Edge. “Smackdown” General Manager Teddy Long decided Edge and Jeff Hardy would do battle again on pay-per-view in a Ladder match.
Extreme Rules
June 9, 2009
New Orleans, LA
Edge vs. Jeff Hardy
It didn’t take long for the brawling to begin with Edge apparently winning an early battle until he took a gourd buster that allowed Jeff to retrieve one of the many ladders placed at ringside. Before Jeff could slide the ladder in, Edge dropkicked the steel into Hardy’s abdomen. The challenger paid Edge back soon after, dropping him chest first across the steel on the floor following a back drop. Things got sloppy when the action returned inside as Jeff got tangled in the ladder trying to avoid a flapjack into the object, crotching himself in the process. Hardy couldn’t stop an Irish whip against the propped ladder, but could avoid the Spear to send “The Rated R Superstar” face first into the ladder. Topping off that avoidance was a springboard dropkick to bounce the ladder off Edge’s face. Missing a dropkick to Edge while the champ was stuck against the ladder, Hardy sent the ladder careening to hit himself. Stuck between the ladder’s rungs, Hardy was forced into a sharpshooter that caused the fans to chant in favor of the “Charismatic Enigma”. For the first time in the match, Edge tried to climb for the belt when Hardy came off the top rope to dropkick the ladder and send Edge flying to the mat. Opening the ladder and placing it on its top, Jeff utilized another gourd buster to knock the wind out of the champ. Twist of Fate connected for Jeff, but instead of climbing the ladder in an attempt to win, Hardy wanted to Swanton the champ. Edge saw it coming, moving out of the way before Jeff could jump. Leaning forward, Hardy clasped onto the belt hanging some twenty feet above the ring. Edge quickly grabbed Jeff’s dangling legs, pulling his challenger to the mat!
Though he was hurt, Hardy somehow fought through an Irish whip to come off the upright ladder with Whisper in the Wind. Hardy had another ladder ready to help him win this one, but found Edge getting up. Cactus clothesline worked for Jeff to put both men on the floor, but Edge recovered first and kicked him in the face. Edge had something in mind, placing a ladder between the barricade and the ring to make a bridge. Hardy stopped whatever Edge had in mind, starting a fight on the floor where the champ took a ladder to the face and Hardy was tossed into the steel ring steps. Using a bulldog to drive the champion into the barricades, Hardy had the chance to put Edge on that bridge ladder for another Swanton attempt. Edge recovered, meeting Jeff on the ladder Hardy intended to jump off of to initiate another fistfight. The ladder tipped over, sending both men crashing through the ladder bridge prior to hitting the floor with Hardy mostly missing the ladder and hitting his shoulder on the thinly padded concrete!
After several scary moments, both men made it back in to restart their fistfight. Hardy won the battle, climbing the ladder placed under the belt. Edge decided to use the ladder still propped in the corner to jump off of with the intent of spearing his challenger like “Wrestlemania 17”. Hardy was ready, catching the champ with an ace crusher in midair. Edge recovered in time to stop Hardy from grabbing the belt, knocking him down before climbing the ladder. In a moment of sheer ingenuity, Hardy grabbed Edge’s legs to pull him through the rungs so Edge was stuck, dangling between the rungs and unable to stop the challenger from grabbing the title to become the new champion!
Winner: Jeff Hardy (20:07)
Is It A Classic: A really good singles Ladder match with some sick bumps. It did get a little sloppy, but two men greatly associated with innovation really delivered something of a forgotten gem.
