JEFF HARDY (C) VS. X-PAC

 Jeff Hardy enters first, and you’d think in 3 years they’d have enough footage for a short singles entrance video for him, Matt and Lita.

Jim Ross and Paul Heyman are on commentary for this match. Howard Finkel is our ring announcer. X-Pac enters to X-Factor’s great theme. Matt Hardy, Lita and the members of X-Factor (Albert and Justin Credible) are all banned from ringside.

 

JEFF HARDY © VS. X-PAC

(WWF Light Heavyweight Championship)

WWF King of the Ring 2001 (24^th June 2001)

  The bell rings and they lock up, X-Pac takes Hardy down with an arm drag. Another lock up leads to a headlock by X-Pac, into a hammerlock and he trips Jeff Hardy before slapping him around.

  Jeff Hardy fights out of a headlock and sends X-Pac across the ring but gets dropped with a shoulder tackle. Jeff Hardy leapfrogs X-Pac and takes him down with an armdrag, leading to JR namedropping Ricky Steamboat. X-Pac reverses an irish whip, sending Jeff Hardy into the ropes but a headscissors sends him out to the floor. Jeff Hardy runs across the security wall and dives at X-Pac before bringing it back in the ring. X-Pac sends Jeff into the corner and ducks out of the way of the Whisper in the Wind as DDP is mentioned, he’s in the crowd calling Undertaker out at this point. X-Pac with more strikes, he brings Jeff to his feet and puts him in an abdominal stretch, using the top rope for leverage out of the referee’s vision. The referee catches him after a while and tells him to break the hold. Jeff Hardy reverses it but is hip tossed over the top to the floor. X-Pac hits a triangle crossbody and gets back in the ring. Jeff Hardy gets back to the apron, he cuts off X-Pac with shoulder blocks and rolls over his back to get into the ring. Jeff hits the ropes and runs into a spinning heel kick. X-Pac covers for 2.

  X-Pac puts Jeff in a chinlock as the fans tell Waltman that he sucks. Jeff Hardy fights to his feet, he’s sent off the ropes and runs into another spinning kick for another nearfall. X-Pac kicks at Jeff in the corner but the Bronco Buster hits the turnbuckle. Jeff ducks a clothesline and knocks X-Pac down with a clothesline. Jeff Hardy hits the ropes again and sends X-Pac to the mat. X-Pac reverses an irish whip but Jeff grabs the ropes, X-Pac eats shit on the dropkick, Jeff with a legdrop to the “lower abdomen” of X-Pac. Another irish whip is reversed and Jeff is sent into the corner, they collide on a miscommunication as X-Pac jumps like a Lou Thesz press. Jeff is sent across the ring, he hits the Whisper in the Wind and crawls for the cover, but only gets 2. Jeff Hardy goes to the top rope and hits a crossbody but X-Pac rolls through for 2. X-Pac wants a time-out but gets punches in the corner instead. He thumbs Jeff Hardy in the eye and hits the X-Factor. He pins and gets 3 but Jeff’s foot was on the rope so the referee doesn’t call for the bell. Jeff Hardy counters the second X-Factor with a jawbreaker. He climbs to the top rope but X-Pac is able to crotch him. Jeff Hardy regains his composure and knocks X-Pac down to the mat, hitting the Swanton Bomb for the win.

WINNER: JEFF HARDY (STILL WWF Light Heavyweight Champion)

This was a pretty good match, but could have done with being cut a bit shorter, it started to feel long a minute or so before the finish. It wasn’t bad, but it was a good job they had the Cruiserweight brand to fade this belt out. [*¼] 2/10