Matt Hardy reveals where the idea for the 'Broken' gimmick came from

Matt Hardy creates magic, and The Broken Universe was a clear example of that. The odd vocabulary, weird facial expressions, and even more creative vignettes were the basis of Broken Matt.

On Chris Jericho's podcast -- Talk is Jericho, Matt Hardy revealed that the idea for the gimmick came from a TV show called True Blood. The show depicted vampires living openly in the present. After watching the show, Hardy wished that he could do a character that was just like that.

Matt began thinking about how to apply the life of a 2000-year-old vampire to a wrestling character. He felt that if something were to happen to him as a significant traumatic incident. He said that it just ended up being Jeff Hardy doing a Swanton in the Impact Zone that 'broke' him.

Hardy said that the incident would open up his mind. He would become conscious of where his soul had been in various vessels (bodies). He also said:

"That was my whole motivation behind creating Broken Matt. It was more or less, from True Blood being like vampires who lived for thousands of years in different time periods."

It'll be interesting see what 'time period' Hardy reverts back to in AEW. Whatever it is, it will certainly be entertaining.