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.