What’s the Story?
The Hardy Boyz have been missing something during their recent WWE run, and it seems they won’t be finding it anytime soon. According to Jeff Jarrett himself, the Hardyz and GFW are nowhere near a formal agreement involving the Broken gimmick.
In case you didn’t know...
The Hardy Boyz are one of the most popular tag teams in wrestling history. For almost two decades now, Team Extreme has been going at it with the best the business has to offer. However, most wrestlers who stay around as long as they have tended to grow stale. When that happens, a gimmick change is needed.
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Whether it’s something as simple as a heel or face turn, or a complete character rehaul, a la The Undertaker jumping to his biker gimmick back in 2000, it’s important to stay ahead of the fans to keep them from getting bored.
In 2016, the Hardyz took a gimmick change almost as drastic as Taker’s, going from the ladder jumping, table smashing extreme duo to the “Broken Hardyz.” The change wasn’t sudden, however. It took time, with Matt teasing a mental break for months before finally going, for lack of a better word, insane. While feuding with his Brother Nero, he began commanding an army of drones and talking to an assortment of zoo animals.
It was cheesy. It was strange. It was gold. After Jeff sided with his brother, the Broken Hardyz took over professional wrestling. Pre-taped matches like the Final Deletion, Delete or Decay and Total Nonstop Deletion were huge hits for, not only Matt and Jeff but TNA as a whole.
The crazy world within the world that was the Broken Universe brought new eyes to the TNA product and brought some old fans back. The Broken Hardyz kept TNA afloat while financial struggles plagued the company. However, the Hardyz would have to leave their broken selves behind, as failed contract negotiations would cause the brothers to go back to WWE without the gimmick. Matt and Jeff have been in a legal battle with Anthem and GFW ever since their departure.
This wouldn’t stop Matt and Jeff from teasing fans, however, nor would it stop the fans from chanting “Delete! Delete! Delete!” every time they appeared in an arena. After returning at WrestleMania 33 to capture the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships, every Monday night has been filled with those delightful chants. Every week on Monday Night Raw, Matt and Jeff have come out to the WWE Universe using small bits of the Broken gimmick, whether it’s the “delete solute,” or using specific phrases used in the former TNA.
The heart of the matter
This past week on Monday Night Raw, after failing to regain the Raw Tag Team Titles from Cesaro and Sheamus in the first ever Tag Team Ironman Match at the first annual Great Balls of Fire, the Hardy Boyz addressed the WWE Universe. After discussing the loss, Jeff and Matt would yet again tease the fans with a bit of broken lingo. Jeff would start it off, using his old Broken catchphrase from TNA.
...maybe we should just fade away and classify ourselves as obsolete.
Along with Matt’s Broken dialect coming out more and more as the weeks go by, many people believed that the Hardyz might have finally won the right to use the Broken Gimmick in the WWE. This, sadly, would not be the case.
According to Jeff Jarrett, who took part in a media conference call on July 12th, Anthem and the Hardyz have yet to come to terms on the use of the Broken Gimmick outside of GFW. When asked if the Hardyz had acquired the gimmick, Jarrett clearly stated, “No they haven’t.”
What’s next?
Matt and Jeff Hardy continue to tease the gimmick week in and week out on Monday nights, even though it appears they aren’t close to finalising a deal with Anthem. With a new rivalry possibly starting between them and the Revival, now would seem like a perfect time to debut the gimmick, but until Jarrett and Anthem allow it, the Hardyz will have to remain Extreme.
The Raw roster won’t appear on PPV again until Summerslam, so it’s possible that we may see it by then.
As far as GFW is concerned, their last PPV, Slammiversary, showed a segment that seemed sort of like the Final Deletion. Joseph Parks and Jeremy Borash took on Scott Steiner and Josh Matthews in a match that would involve pre-taped golf cart shenanigans, the return of Shark Boy and James Mitchell, and Parks return to the Abyss character.
It’s possible we may see more segments like this as GFW moves on, as the extremely bizarre and over the top sketches are what kept them above water in 2016.
Author’s take
As a fan, it’s disheartening to see that the Hardyz and GFW/Anthem can’t work something out yet. The Broken gimmick would do wonders in WWE. Personally, I would love to see Broken Matt take on Bray Wyatt. The problem for me is, if the Hardys can’t be Broken, I’m not entirely sure what’s keeping them around.
They’re a legendary team, of course, but just like the Dudley Boys a year ago, the nostalgia will fade if the Hardyz can’t keep it fresh. Wrestling fans can be fickle and are quick to turn if they aren’t entertained. Hopefully, a deal is reached soon because I have a feeling we may see the Hardyz go out like the Dudley Boys; not with a bang, but with a whimper.
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