3. Jeff Hardy (WWE Championship)
After years of success as a tag team specialist alongside his brother Matt Hardy and a decorated mid-card performer, Jeff Hardy’s immense popularity with the fans finally earned him a main event opportunity. WWE finally pulled the trigger in late 2008, when The Charismatic Enigma won the WWE Championship in a triple threat match against Edge and Triple H at Armageddon 2008.
It was a great moment and is widely considered as one of the best underdog title wins in WWE history. However, as memorable as the title win was, the reign proved far less memorable. Jeff Hardy lost the championship in his first defense at Royal Rumble 2009 against Edge, ending his WWE Title reign without a successful title defense.
