WWE News: Jeff Hardy's return announced

What's the story?

Former WWE United States Champion Jeff Hardy will return to SmackDown Live this week, after being injured at the Hell In A Cell pay per view, according to WWE.com.

In case you didn't know

Hardy is one of the company's most popular stars ever, teaming with his brother Matt as Team XTreme. Together, the pair were a staple of the Attitude Era, facing teams like the Dudleyz and Edge and Christian.

As a singles star, Hardy has won the Intercontinental Championship and won the World Heavyweight Championship in 2009. Both Hardy's returned to WWE last year, winning the RAW Tag Team Championships.

Earlier this year, Jeff captured the United States title, before being moved to SmackDown Live as part of the Superstar Shake-Up. At Hell In A Cell last month, Hardy lost to Orton inside Hell In A Cell, after crashing through a table from the top of the cell structure.

The match was notably brutal, with both men bleeding, and Orton using a screwdriver in the earlobe of the Charismatic Enigma.

The heart of the matter

Hardy will face Samoa Joe this week on SmackDown Live, with the winner earning a spot in the WWE's upcoming World Cup tournament. This will be Hardy's first match on WWE TV since the Hell In A Cell match.

On the same show, The Big Show will face Orton for a spot in the tournament, which will be Show's first match in over a year, last facing Braun Strowman in September 2017.

What's next?

WWE Crown Jewel will take place November 2 at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In addition to the World Cup tournament, AJ Styles will defend the WWE Championship against Daniel Bryan. Universal Champion, Roman Reigns will defend his title against former Champion Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman at the event.