What’s the story?
Cagesideseats.com is speculating that despite their continued legal issues with Impact Wrestling, Matt and Jeff Hardy could well be in line to make a return to WWE at WrestleMania 33. This week’s episode of Talking Smack saw, the newly-crowned SmackDown Tag Team Champions, The Usos lobbying heavily for a match at the Show of Shows, referring to their championship belts as ‘hall passes’, and that match could see The Hardyz make their grand return home.
In case you didn’t know...
Matt and Jeff Hardy left Impact Wrestling (formerly TNA) under a dark cloud at the end of February this year, when contract negotiations between the two sides broke down. The legal issues between the two continue to roll on, with Impact claiming that it owns the intellectual rights to the Broken Hardyz gimmick and preventing the duo from using the hugely popular characters elsewhere. Nevertheless, rumours continue to surface regarding WWE offering a contract to the brothers with the hope that they will return sooner rather than later.
The Usos became only the fourth SmackDown Tag Team Champions in history when they defeated American Alpha on SmackDown this week. This victory was followed by another impressive appearance on Talking Smack, where the brothers laid out their demands for a WrestleMania 33 match.
The heart of the matter
Jeff and Matt Hardy departed WWE in 2009 and 2010 respectively and have spent the majority of the time since in TNA, but it wasn’t until 2016 that their stock was actually reinvigorated with the establishment of the Broken Hardyz gimmick. The popularity of that story made a WWE-return likely, and WrestleMania 33 represents the biggest stage on which that return could happen.
Also read: WWE News: Matt Hardy responds to John Cena's tweet about Southpaw Regional Wrestling
Many predicted that The Usos would take on American Alpha at ‘Mania, but WWE could well be moving in a different direction instead. The Hardyz vs. The Usos has been a dream match of sorts for many for some years now, and while in an ideal world WWE would get to promote the match ahead of time, a surprise return for Matt and Jeff could be a true WrestleMania moment.
What’s next?
With just ten days to go until WrestleMania 33 time is running out for Impact Wrestling and The Hardy Boyz to reach a settlement for the brothers to return to WWE at the Ultimate Thrill Ride. Once things start moving, they may well move quickly, but right now the legal quagmire the duo find themselves in means a lot of water needs to go under the Impact bridge before a WrestleMania return can become likely.
Author’s take
A Hardy Boyz return to WWE seems completely inevitable at this point, and wasting that return on a surprise WrestleMania pop seems somewhat short-sighted. American Alpha also risk getting lost in the shuffle as a result, and while Matt and Jeff do have plenty to offer the company their return at the Show of Shows would represent yet another case of former stars taking the place of the new generation.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
