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Matt Hardy has been teasing his retirement for some time now. It is hard to understand whether this is just a part of a storyline or if Hardy is really about to hang up his wrestling boots.
But if this really is the end of the road, then Hardy should get a sendoff fit for a legend. He has achieved everything that there is to achieve in the squared circle and will be remembered by wrestling fans long after he is gone.
Let us take this opportunity to look back at the greatest moments from the legendary career of 'The Broken One'.
#5. First World Championship win (WWE Unforgiven 2008)
Some fans might point out that this was just WWE's version of the ECW Championship, but that does not change the fact that this was Matt Hardy's first world championship in pro wrestling. This felt like the culmination of a 16-year-long journey for the older Hardy brother.
While this might not be the moment that you are reminded of whenever you think of Matt Hardy, but it surely was a huge personal moment for the man himself. To this day, this remains the only world championship that he has managed to capture under the WWE banner.
#4. Extreme Rules match against Jeff Hardy at Wrestlemania 25
This is a match that most people have somehow managed to forget about over the years. And that is what makes it a hidden gem today.
Wrestlemania 25 is fondly remembered for the epic that was The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels. But that has also led the fans to overlook the rest of the card. One such forgotten match has been this one between the two Hardy Brothers.
In 2009, Matt Hardy was revealed to be the guy behind the repeated attacks on Jeff Hardy and it led to the two brothers squaring off at Wrestlemania 25 in an Extreme Rules match.
The two put on a great match at the grandest stage of them all and Matt coming out of the contest as the victor was a huge surprise considering how popular Jeff Hardy was back then.
#3. Hardy Boyz' first Tag Team Championship win (Raw is War July 5, 1999)
The Hardy Boyz are one of the most celebrated Tag Teams in wrestling history. But things were not always so rosy for the two brothers.
They originally worked as jobbers for the WWE which was known as WWF back then. But after signing full time with the company, they quickly gained popularity because of their high-flying style.
Finally on an episode of Raw aired on July 5, 1999, the Hardy Boyz captured their first Tag Team titles in the WWE by defeating The Acolytes. Although they would go on to win the Championships seven more times in the future, the first time is always special.
#2. Return at Wrestlemania 33
The term 'Wrestlemania moment' gets carelessly thrown around these days. But when The Hardy Boyz returned to the WWE after almost a decade long absence, it was truly a Wrestlemania moment.
Both of them had managed to reinvent themselves outside the walls of the WWE with their 'Broken' gimmicks. And the WWE fans had been salivating for a long time to see them bring their new characters to the company.
When they did eventually return to the WWE at Wrestlemania 33 it was truly a shocking moment as they had not been announced beforehand. When they did capture the Raw Tag Team Championship in a four-way Ladder's Match, it was a moment for the ages.
#1. TLC Match at Wrestlemania 17
When The Hardy Boyz met The Dudley Boyz and E&C at Wrestlemania 17 in a TLC match, wrestling history was created. It is safe to say that one day all three of these teams will be in the WWE Hall of Fame (The Dudley Boyz were inducted earlier this year). And it is because of performances like this.
All three teams were known for a signature weapon of their own. The Hardy Boyz were known for their use of ladders, the chair was the weapon of choice of E&C and tables are synonymous with The Dudley Boyz to this day. All of these three were combined to create the TLC match and these three teams made sure that the concept would live on forever.
When there is a pay-per-view event named after a match that you made famous decades earlier, you must have created something special.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
