After Hardy Boyz return at WrestleMania – is it too late for ‘Woken’ Matt Hardy?
Legal issues with Impact’s parent company Anthem Sports stopped Matt and WWE from using gimmick 'Broken Hardys'
EIGHT months after The Hardy Boyz’ sensational return at WrestleMania 33, Matt Hardy has finally “awoken” – the updated WWE version of his popular Broken gimmick.
The “Broken Universe” – which began in Impact Wrestling in May 2016 – reinvented the veteran tag team and turned them into wrestling’s hottest act.
The idea of seeing Broken Matt and Brother Nero (Jeff’s Broken alter-ego) in WWE was hugely exciting. But the Broken Hardys never happened.
Legal issues with Impact’s parent company Anthem Sports stopped Matt and WWE from using the gimmick.
Now, Matt Hardy is finally broken/woken – but is it too late? Has WWE missed the opportunity to capitalise on modern wrestling’s most innovative character?
And even if not, will WWE really give Matt Hardy the all-important creative freedom to do the Woken gimmick justice?
WWE can hardly be blamed for the delay in bringing it to screens.
The battle between Hardy and Anthem over who owns the rights to the Broken Universe has been one of the biggest stories in wrestling this year.
It spilled over onto social media, with some ugly public airing of the situation between Matt, his wife Reby Hardy, and Impact President Ed Nordholm.
But WWE can be blamed for the horrendous booking that’s left Matt floundering as a glorified jobber in lower mid-card, while his brother Jeff is out for shoulder surgery.
Maybe WWE was just biding its time. The company has been teasing the Broken gimmick since the Hardys returned at WrestleMania.
The first words from Michael Cole when they appeared: “Things are about to be broken!”
They began an electric feud with Sheamus and Cesaro over the Raw tag titles, while Matt continued to drop Broken-esque lines and mannerisms into promos.
But things quickly went downhill.
Fast forward to Survivor Series in November, and Matt Hardy lost to perennial jobber Elias on the kick-off show.
The two pay-per-views before that – No Mercy and TLC – he didn’t appear at all.
It looked like typical WWE: booking a potential mega-star into oblivion with its haphazard, fickle creative.
This, of course, has always been the big question hanging over the Broken Hardys gimmick.
Its original success was down the ingenuity and creativity of the Hardys themselves.
But would WWE – which often doesn’t even let wrestlers use previous names (see Prince Devitt/Finn Bálor) let alone gimmicks – really give the Hardys the creative freedom they needed?
It seems that we are about to find out.
Anthem put out a statement last month, confirming that the it had made a significant change to its talent agreements.
Now, talent can use their Impact personas after leaving the company. This courtesy is being extended to all former talents too.
It’s essentially a forfeit on the part of Anthem. The Hardys will now be free to use their Broken Brilliance in WWE.
Matt finally snapped on Raw two weeks ago, after (yet another) loss. This time to Bray Wyatt.
After months of jobbing and working lower-card matches, it could have been too little too late for Hardy.
The transformation itself was lacklustre too. No big dramatic moment. No table-smashing. No revelation or appearance from the “Seven Deities”.
Instead, Matt just sat in the corner of the ring and had a funny five minutes.
But there’s an ace up the broken sleeve – Matt Hardy himself.
Matt’s passion for the business is well known and he’s long been one of its most creatively driven talents.
He’s always been able to reinvent himself and get over – in spite of horrible booking has thrown his way.
Matt’s V.1 gimmick post-Attitude Era was very relevant and ahead of its time – even if the outdated WWE bosses didn’t recognise it.
He then proved he could walk the line between reality and storyline during his feud with Edge over the former friend’s real-life affair with Lita.
Even his rivalry with MVP over the US title in 2007 – which saw the pair try to one-up each other at different sports each week – was far better than it should have been.
The success of the Broken persona speaks for itself. It turned a 20-plus year veteran into wrestling’s most-talked about act.
And clearly it’s not too late for the gimmick in WWE. Its popularity continues.
Even after months of woeful booking, the reaction to his “Woken” debut on last week’s Raw was huge.
But what about this illusive creative freedom?
The rumour circling at the moment is that Vince McMahon is a fan of the gimmick and is giving Matt licence to run with it. If true, that’s a major surprise.
The gimmick, which was a created in another company and doesn’t fit the WWE mould, is exactly the sort of thing that history would suggest Vince McMahon hates.
Plus, it’s no secret that modern-day WWE micro manages almost all aspects of creative – usually to its superstars’ detriment.
(Look at Roman Reigns, whose dreary booking and character work three years ago has ruined his babyface potential forever.)
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But all signs point towards Hardy genuinely having at least some creative control.
His promo on Raw last week – in which revealed he was now fully “awoken” – showed all the signs of the old Broken Brilliance.
It was hilarious, engaging, and dynamic – three things that WWE-scripted promos rarely are these days.
The other part of the rumour, however, is that McMahon doesn’t see Matt Hardy as a “top guy” – which is possibly why he’s been given freedom over the character.
This also seems likely. Hardy has never made it past the mid-card in WWE, while his brother Jeff was a multi-time world champion.
But if Matt turns his Woken persona into the kind of success it has the potential to be, can Vince really stop him from becoming a top guy?
Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t stop Daniel Bryan’s ascent in 2013/14. The willpower of the fans was too much.
And the fans are clearly behind the Woken gimmick – that’s obvious from the reaction on Raw.
And just wait for Jeff/Brother Nero to return. This could turn into a monster hit with fans.
But there is a literal and figurative opponent for Woken Matt Hardy to overcome – Bray Wyatt.
On paper, the supernatural shenanigans of Bray make him the perfect match for Hardy.
But Wyatt’s a proven heat-killer.
Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Finn Bálor have all suffered career setbacks while feuding with the interminable Wyatt.
As the Hardy/Bray split promo on Raw showed us though, Hardy’s character could be the antithesis to Bray’s gibberish-spouting shtick.
Perhaps this is the the “Great War” Matt Hardy has been talking about.
If he can overcome Wyatt and come out of the feud still red-hot, then Woken Matt Hardy in WWE will be wonderful.