The return of Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy resulted in one of the biggest pops at WrestleMania 33. The possibility of the brothers coming back to the WWE was heavily discussed prior to the pay-per-view. Despite this, the entire WWE Universe marked out when they saw Jeff and Matt walk down the entrance ramp at WrestleMania.
Once the adrenaline finally settled, reality sunk in for everyone. This was the moment everyone realised that they were seeing the ‘Hardy Boyz’ and not the ‘Broken Hardys’.
The legal tussle between Impact Wrestling owners, Anthem and the Hardy family over the ‘Broken’ Gimmick was probably what made resulted in the un-Broken Hardys dancing down the ramp. If it wasn’t for this legal battle, there was a possibility of the Hardy Boyz starting their new spell in WWE with the Broken Gimmick.
However, such a move was bound to fail on different levels even if legal issues weren’t a problem.
WWE-centric fans
The biggest problem with such a booking would’ve been the casual fans.
A major portion of the current WWE Universe is made up of fans that only watch the WWE. They are only bothered about the weekly programming that WWE serves them and barely dig deep into the wrestling business.
Bound by the fictional universe populated by WWE’s creative team, promotions like Impact Wrestling and Ring of Honor are probably alien concepts to them.
These fans remember Hardy Boyz for the Ladder matches of the Attitude Era. They remember Matt for the feud that he had with Edge. They remember Jeff for the daredevil moves that he used to pull off.
If WWE had presented the Broken Gimmick in front of fans with such strong mental images, it would’ve made them scratch their heads instead of cheer.
I mean, just think about it.
Matt, who peaked in WWE with the Edge storyline, would’ve looked like some crazy lunatic that spoke in riddles. The word ‘Delete’ would’ve made no sense. Van Guard 1 would’ve been just a drone rather than being the lethal servant of Matt.
Also read: What are the "Delete" Chants and Broken Gimmick of The Hardy Boyz all about?
Due to all these complicated plot elements, instead of jumping out of their seats, most fans would’ve thought, “What happened to the Hardy Boyz?”
Such a thought would’ve essentially ruined the experience of the fatal-four-way ladder match. To be frank, the match was perfectly paced throughout its duration at ‘Mania 33. During the match, Matt and Jeff proved that they still have a lot to contribute as ‘wrestlers’.
This was necessary as their wrestling skills were overlooked due to the immense popularity of their Broken gimmick and the shenanigans that it came with.
The importance of being ‘Broken’
But this doesn’t mean the Broken gimmick should be dropped. In fact, not making use of the gimmick would be a big mistake on WWE’s part.
A few years back, Matt and Jeff were stuck in an abyss of irrelevance. They were active and they were performing all over the United States, but not many cared. Hardys came across as washed up veterans in the business that were feeding off the legacy they made in WWE. And then, the lightning struck.
The spark of madness inside Matt Hardy’s head changed their career forever and they became ‘broken’. It was the Broken Gimmick that helped them reinvent themselves. And in just one year, Matt and Jeff redefined the boundaries of professional wrestling.
It’s hard to rewrite a legacy that is already etched into the history books, especially for a team like the Hardy Boyz. But the Broken gimmick provided them with a chance to create a new legacy.
Years later, they will be known for changing the face of the business with their Broken Gimmick. And if WWE does not incorporate such a redefining gimmick into the current run of Hardy Boyz, it’s going to one of the biggest missed opportunities in pro-wrestling history.
All the crazy things that the Hardy Family did in Impact Wrestling could be executed on a bigger level with the production team that WWE has. There would be certain constraints on the creative freedom that Matt would have, but then again, it’s better to have something than nothing.
The natural evolution
So, what WWE can now do is to plot a natural evolution for the brothers. The creative team should give birth to the Broken gimmick in the fictional universe of WWE. The insanity of Broken Hardys should be slowly infused into the WWE Universe through weekly television programming, rather than pulling the plug at once.
Van Guard 1 should be introduced in all of its glory. Senor Benjamin, King Maxel and Reby should be introduced one at a time so that they’re easy to digest for the casual fans.
It might be sound like a boring process to the fans that are already aware of the Broken Brilliance but if we think about it, what happens in Impact Wrestling stays in Impact Wrestling. At least that’s how Vince McMahon likes it.
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