Roundtable: Thank You, Matt Hardy

What is your favorite Matt Hardy character? (Hardy Boyz, Version 1, Broken Matt, etc.)

Jack Goodwillie: This ended up being a lot tougher than I thought. Critically, you’d have to say Broken Matt is the best character, but my favorite? Gotta be Matt Hardy Will Not Die. As someone who was just getting into wrestling at the time and caught the tail-end of Matt’s Version 1 character, to see him come back with a modified persona that blurred the lines of what was real and what was “really real,” I think about that one often.

Matt was everything you loved in a modern babyface: aggressive, polarizing and a heat-seeking missile out for revenge. As good as it was, it was rife with untapped potential, squandered because of hot shot booking. At the core, my favorite was probably Version 1, but the Matt Hardy Will Not Die character was really like an expansion on that, kind of like how you could buy a multitap for PlayStation 2, but it had to be sold separately.

“Adam, you bastard! I’m gonna make your life miserable! And Lita? You whore! I’m gonna make your life miserable, too. And the WWE can KISS. MY. ASS. See you in Ring of Honor, ROH!”

Juan Bautista: My favorite has to Broken Matt. It was nothing like we’ve seen before. Playing the piano, having dinner with his family, all the animals at his home…it was perfect.

David Gibb: I truly believe all of them are equally strong in different ways, but that wasn’t the question. Version 1 is my favorite because you could see how excited/ready Matt was to get a real singles push.

Chad Gelfand: I loved the Matt Hardy Version 1 character. That was one of the first times that Matt’s abilities on the mic were showcased. Also, everything about that character was gold – the Matt Facts, trying to lose weight to become Cruiserweight Champion, Shannon Moore, etc.

Calvin Gibbon: “Broken” Matt or “Woken” Matt will leave a lasting memory as his greatest character. He was able to revitalize his career, then went viral and finally became the talk of the wrestling world for an entire summer. There was even discussion about Matt Hardy deserving a WWE Championship run in the future if he ever came back to WWE. In short, the character was Wooooonderful yes!

Steven Jackson: While “Broken” Matt Hardy is definitely the most ambitious and enjoyable gimmick from anyone in recent years, my favorite will always be V1. I loved how Matt brought out his creative side through not only his in-ring work, but also his attire and promos as well. I was a young teenager at the time and Matt spoke to me. I was so glad he finally got to break out of Jeff’s shadow. This was where the seeds were planted for “Broken” Matt.

John Corrigan: I bought tickets to three House of Hardcore events in a row solely because “Broken” Matt Hardy was wrestling.

Jenna Leigh: My favorite Matt Hardy character is Version 1! “Veee-One-Ahh!!” This was the fans’ first chance to see Matt as a unique, standalone character. His charisma was readily apparent here, as was his sharp sense of humor. Working with Shannon Moore, the very first “Mattitude Follower”, or…”MF’er” (wink), coupled with the “Matt Facts” (Matt hates mustard- did you know?) we got during his entrance, made for a character that had worlds of potential. Had he been written and booked in a way that made him look strong while engaging the crowd with the charisma he has in spades, Matt Hardy Version 1 could have and should have been a mainstay in the mid-card title picture.

Did he ever step out of his brother’s shadow?

Goodwillie: It might be a hot take, but I don’t think Matt was ever in Jeff’s shadow. Separately, they always offered something different. It’s not like the Young Bucks where there is no individuality between the two (sorry guys, but come on). If you liked charismatic, flashy wrestlers? Jeff was your guy. If you liked grittier wrestlers with better raw skills? Matt was your guy. I always saw and appreciated both for what they were. So to me, Matt always sort of cast his own shadow. But if you had any questions as to whether or not he did, the Broken Matt character should have put that way of thinking to bed, if his various other career achievements and characters hadn’t already.

Bautista: Towards the end of his career as “Broken” Matt he did. While Jeff had risen to world title contention in WWE and TNA, Matt had seemingly peaked in the midcard. It took changing his character to break out from his brother, and as a matter of fact, there was a period of time when I would rather see Matt than Jeff.

Gibb: I definitely think Matt stepped out of Jeff’s shadow in a big way during his second run in TNA. Even before he became broken, Matt’s in-ring IQ and understanding of doing the little things (especially when his ability to deliver the big things had somewhat diminished) shone through and showed that, while he wasn’t the untamed ball of charisma that Jeff was, he was his own wrestler, and a tremendous one at that.

Gelfand: I think Matt has definitely forged his own path. Jeff Hardy was always the charismatic daredevil, while Matt was always the more cerebral of the two and always had a great mind for the wrestling business.

Gibbon: Absolutely. When he was “Broken,” Matt Hardy became his own man and a success story at that. It took a long time, but he finally did it.

Jackson: Matt did step out of Jeff’s shadow. Casual fans always gravitate towards Jeff, but smart marks (sorry, but it’s true) always seem to gravitate towards Matt. When “Broken” Matt Hardy began, it was really where Matt appealed to the masses and Jeff had to take a backseat to Matt’s creativity. Jeff will always have higher billing over his brother, but Matt is definitely the more memorable one.

Corrigan: Definitely. While Jeff Hardy has always been treated as the bigger star in WWE, Matt paved his own path in Impact, taking the entire wrestling world by storm in 2016.

Leigh: For years, it did often feel like Matt was struggling to find his voice, his niche in the wrestling world. And then, seemingly out of nowhere…“Broken” Matt Hardy emerged. The “Broken” character was nearly an instant classic, endlessly quotable and standing up to repeated viewings. While in the grand scheme of things, the “Broken” character and universe only existed for a brief time, the impact it made was swift, large and potentially long-lasting.

What is your favorite Matt Hardy match?

Goodwillie: It would be easy to point to any of the Final Deletions or Delete or Decay, or any of the tag team matches as Matt’s greatest match. But that would be too easy. For me, I have to point to Matt Hardy vs. Edge at Unforgiven ’05. While the first encounter at SummerSlam fell flat, the two turned it around and had an instant classic where Matt, the consummate good guy, finally got one over on that no good, evil prick Edge, stamping an exclamation point with the good ‘ole Mattitude Leg Drop. You love to see that!

Bautista: Final Deletion. I loved the use of the fireworks and drones. It was just chaos. Matt even ruined Jeff’s grass! The ending was a little bit anticlimactic, but it was an unpredictable match that hadn’t happened before.

Gibb: The WrestleMania 2000 ladder match.

Gelfand: I’m going with a singles match of his and picking Matt Hardy vs. Edge in a steel cage at Unforgiven 2005. The leg drop off the top of the cage and onto a bloodied Edge was one of the craziest moves in WWE history and I don’t think that Matt was ever the same physically after that match.

Gibbon: There is plenty to choose from, but I’d pick the Extreme Rules match against Jeff Hardy at WrestleMania 25. It was a dramatic story line and the match itself was violent and emotional. It ended up changing the fans’ opinion on Matt Hardy – he was seen as a possible main eventer from then on.

Jackson: My favorite Matt Hardy match has to be against Rey Mysterio on Smackdown from San Diego for the Cruiserweight Title. Love everything about that match and their chemistry was phenomenal. I can rewatch it until the end of time and never get bored.

Corrigan: Matt vs. Rey Mysterio from the June 5, 2003 episode of SmackDown. It was a rematch from their brief thriller at WrestleMania XIX. Now they had much more time to tell a fantastic story of Hardy targeting Mysterio’s leg, grounding the high-flyer. When Mysterio finally pulled off the victory, it was all the more sweeter thanks to Hardy’s nefarious tactics throughout the match, as well as his incredible run as Cruiserweight Champion.

Leigh: My favorite Matt Hardy match is a pretty dang predictable one. The TLC from WrestleMania X-Seven is just an absolute classic. Chaotic, high energy, high risk/high reward offense…three tag teams, each with an “ally”, all young, hungry and eager to prove themselves to the WWE Universe. This match is a clear demonstration of Matt’s role in reigniting tag team wrestling.

What is your favorite Matt Hardy moment/angle?

Goodwillie: So much substance here…the Broken Matt vignettes could even rank 1-10. A favorite is the Thanksgiving amnesia episode, but I also think you’ve got to give it up to the initial contract signing with Brother Nero, which is what really piqued my interest with the character.

Bautista: When he first turned on Jeff at Royal Rumble 2009. He nailed his brother in the head with a steel chair and the rivalry was on. It was great because they were using real-life occurrences like Jeff’s house burning down and his dog dying.

Gibb: The original Final Deletion.

Gelfand: I’ve always loved the storyline where Matt had to lose 15 pounds in two weeks in order to qualify for a Cruiserweight Championship match with Billy Kidman. The backstage segments with Matt exercising were hilarious and it’s a fond memory of my early wrestling fandom.

Gibbon: The birth and growth of the “Broken” universe. It was a solid gold angle and persona that turned the wrestling world on its ear. Most fans will remember this character fondly and lament that his career was cut short before we could see it thrive in WWE.

Jackson: My favorite Matt Hardy angle is probably the whole “Broken” story arc that included ROH and various international independent promotions, which ultimately led to the Hardys’ return at WrestleMania (one of the greatest returns, I might add).

Corrigan: I was standing next to two teenage girls at WrestleMania 33 when the Hardys made their shocking return. As soon as their familiar music hit, everybody lost their minds. The girls actually hugged me, thinking I was the other. Of course, they had no idea why I and other dudes were screaming “DELETE!” “DELETE!” “DELETE!”

Leigh: My favorite Matt Hardy moment/angle is, again, probably pretty predictable. While I do love some Mattitude, and I am a loud and proud MF’er (wink wink), my absolute favorite Matt Hardy moment and/or angle is “The Final Deletion.” Now “Woken” Matt was entertaining and I did enjoy it, but the “Broken” universe was something else entirely! Featuring extraordinary xylophones, King Maxel, Senor Benjamin, Vanguard 1, Brother Nero and dilapidated boats, the Broken Universe was an off-the-wall, insane, wildly creative and inventive character and story. In a nutshell, it was pure whimsical, nonsensical escape from reality, and that is something modern wrestling is desperately lacking.

What is Matt Hardy’s legacy?

Goodwillie: Probably the Hardy Boyz’ ladder matches, but for me, it’s that of a guy who defied the stereotypes of high spot wrestlers, beat addiction and a slew of personal problems outside the ring, then reinvented himself as one of the most creative people in modern wrestling. It’s an awesome redemption story and I have a feeling that his influence is going to loom large for years to come.

Bautista: Matt Hardy’s legacy will be that he was part of one of the greatest tag teams ever. He was a solid singles competitor that later turned into a main event talent.

Gibb: Given his transition into working as an agent, I don’t think it’s fair to say his legacy is fully realized. With that said, as a performer, he’s one of the people responsible for turning 1990s wrestling into 2000s wrestling, and he reinvented himself repeatedly in the way that the great wrestlers do.

Gelfand: Matt Hardy will be remembered fondly as someone with a great mind for the wrestling business, one of the greatest tag team wrestlers of all-time and as someone who was constantly reinventing his character.

Gibbon: It’s hard to say for sure. The Hardy Boyz revolutionized tag team wrestling, but Matt and Jeff didn’t stop there. Both went on to have successful singles careers and reinvented themselves over and over again for the enjoyment of the wrestling world. Matt will be remembered as a huge fan favorite who never fully got his due in WWE.

Jackson: Matt Hardy’s legacy is most definitely his passion. No one I have seen has wrestled, promoted and used social media as effectively as him. His reading of trends and creativity is only matched by his influence on current wrestlers today (notably the Young Bucks). Matt’s greatest trait is his integrity. Although not everything he has done has gone according to plan, he has always regrouped and come back stronger. Thank you, Matt Hardy!

Corrigan: He made pro wrestling fun again. Whether it was through tag team wrestling, incorporating real-life drama into storylines or creating captivating characters, Matt Hardy suspended our disbelief for 20 years.

Leigh: Matt Hardy has a pretty significant, pretty vast legacy. As one-half of the Hardy Boyz, he helped to re-open and reignite passion for tag team wrestling. His energy, enthusiasm and work ethic greatly raised the bar for future duos. Beyond that, he is an integral figure in the creation of one of the most wildly popular match types of the last two decades, the Tables, Ladders and Chairs match. It has had such a profound impact on the industry, on fans, and on WWE in particular, that it now even has its own pay-per-view built around it.

Finally, Matt Hardy should serve as an inspiration for fellow wrestlers. He battled with addiction…and WON. He asked for and received his release from WWE at a time in his career where things were not going well; and while there were some very dark days for him during this time, he continued to persevere and came out on the other side of those dark days with a lovely wife and now, two beautiful sons. He is living proof that you CAN have a personal and professional renaissance at any time in your life. If you’re hungry enough, if you want it badly enough, you can do anything you set your mind to, leaving your detractors and naysayers….BROKEN.