In the midst of feuding with Umaga, who defeated Hardy at The Great American Bash to retain the Intercontinental Championship in late July, Hardy was abruptly taken off WWE programming.
He posted on his own website and in the forums of TheHardyShow.com that it was time off to heal, stemming from a bad fall taken in a match against Mr. Kennedy on the July 23 episode of Raw.
He made his return on the August 27 episode of Raw, defeating Kennedy by disqualification after Umaga interfered.
The following week, on the September 3 episode of Raw, Hardy successfully captured his fourth Intercontinental Championship by defeating Umaga.

This was the start of a push for Hardy, and at Survivor Series, Hardy and Triple H were the last two men remaining to win the traditional elimination match.
Hardy began an on and off tag team with Triple H, which eventually led to a respectful feud between the two.
The rivalry continued at Armageddon, when Hardy defeated Triple H to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble.
In the weeks leading up to the Royal Rumble, Hardy and Randy Orton engaged in a personal feud, which began when Orton kicked Hardy's brother, Matt, in the head in the storyline on the December 31 episode of Raw.
Hardy, in retaliation, performed a Swanton Bomb on Orton from the top of the Raw set on the January 14 episode of Raw and seemed to have all the momentum after coming out on top in their encounters.
Hardy, however, lost the title match at the Royal Rumble, but was named as one of six men to compete in the Raw Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out, where he survived to the final two before being eliminated by the eventual winner, Triple H.
During the March 3 episode of Raw, Hardy appeared on Chris Jericho's "Highlight Reel" segment as a special guest, but ended up attacking Jericho.
This led to an Intercontinental title match on the following Raw where Hardy dropped the title to Jericho.
Off-screen, Hardy dropped the title after he was suspended for sixty days, as of March 11, for his second violation of the company's Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy.
Hardy was also removed from the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXIV in which he was booked to win after the suspension was announced.
Hardy returned on the May 12 episode of Raw, defeating Umaga.
This reignited the rivalry between the two, and they met in a Falls Count Anywhere match at One Night Stand, which Hardy won.
In the midst of feuding with Umaga, who defeated Hardy at The Great American Bash to retain the Intercontinental Championship in late July, Hardy was abruptly taken off WWE programming. He posted on his own website and in the forums of TheHardyShow.com that it was time off to heal, stemming from a bad fall taken in a match against Mr. Kennedy on the July 23 episode of Raw. He made his return on the August 27 episode of Raw, defeating Kennedy by disqualification after Umaga interfered. The following week, on the September 3 episode of Raw, Hardy successfully captured his fourth Intercontinental Championship by defeating Umaga.
This was the start of a push for Hardy, and at Survivor Series, Hardy and Triple H were the last two men remaining to win the traditional elimination match. Hardy began an on and off tag team with Triple H, which eventually led to a respectful feud between the two. The rivalry continued at Armageddon, when Hardy defeated Triple H to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. In the weeks leading up to the Royal Rumble, Hardy and Randy Orton engaged in a personal feud, which began when Orton kicked Hardy's brother, Matt, in the head in the storyline on the December 31 episode of Raw. Hardy, in retaliation, performed a Swanton Bomb on Orton from the top of the Raw set on the January 14 episode of Raw and seemed to have all the momentum after coming out on top in their encounters. Hardy, however, lost the title match at the Royal Rumble, but was named as one of six men to compete in the Raw Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out, where he survived to the final two before being eliminated by the eventual winner, Triple H.
During the March 3 episode of Raw, Hardy appeared on Chris Jericho's "Highlight Reel" segment as a special guest, but ended up attacking Jericho. This led to an Intercontinental title match on the following Raw where Hardy dropped the title to Jericho. Off-screen, Hardy dropped the title after he was suspended for sixty days, as of March 11, for his second violation of the company's Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy. Hardy was also removed from the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXIV in which he was booked to win after the suspension was announced. Hardy returned on the May 12 episode of Raw, defeating Umaga. This reignited the rivalry between the two, and they met in a Falls Count Anywhere match at One Night Stand, which Hardy won.
Jeff Hardy