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.