The Hardy Boyz made an inspiring return to the WWE during WrestleMania 33 and the WWE Universe collectively lost its mind. It is a truly awesome sight to see Matt and Jeff Hardy back in the world's premiere wrestling promotion. Just like the good ol' days. But, not everything is quite the same as it was.
Even a cursory glance at your TV will show that Matt Hardy seems to have a white streak in his hair and if you listen closely you can hear audiences chant the world "Delete” over and over again. The elder Hardy brother has also developed a bit of an accent, it seems.
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If you're confused by these happenings, then I'm here to clear the air and help you make sense of this. Prepare to be enlightened by the truly "Broken” nature of Matt Hardy and his little brother.
The breaking of Matt Hardy
Early last year, a number of mysterious impostors started attacking Jeff Hardy when The Hardy Boyz were still plying their trade with TNA. In May 2016, Matt Hardy revealed himself as the man behind the attacks, but there was something very different about the elder Hardy brother.
Matt had a white streak in his black hair, he spoke with a strange accent, called Jeff by the name "Brother Nero” – Nero is actually the younger Hardy's middle name, by the way – and kept referring to himself as "Broken". This was the birth of the phenomenon known as Broken Matt Hardy.
The two brothers would participate in one of the weirdest feuds in recent living memory which culminated in something dubbed "The Final Deletion." As you might expect, this is where the whole Delete business started up.
Delete, Delete, Delete
Matt Hardy had a bone to pick with little brother Jeff, and he promised to make Brother Nero "Obsolete" by "Deleting" him from existence. How would he achieve this? Why, through The Final Deletion, of course.
The Final Deletion was a strange match, to say the least, where the two brothers fought each other in a staged, over the top encounter at "The Hardy Family Compound." The stakes were that the loser would not be able to use the Hardy name going forward.
Also read: Corey Graves claims he didn’t The Hardy Boyz were returning to WWE
Shockingly, Matt picked up the victory in a match that involved fireworks and dirt mounds and cranes. This led to Jeff eventually becoming "Brother Nero." It was during this ludicrous feud that the Broken gimmick began to gain immense popularity.
Due to his sheer commitment to the gimmick – Matt completely and utterly refused to break kayfabe – Matt Hardy single-handedly got the Broken character over with the wrestling world, prompting a face turn for himself and the reunion of Team Extreme.
It was hardly any surprise that no matter where Matt went, the Delete chants were never far behind. It became so popular that it seeped through into every aspect of wrestling. It became so big that it evolved from Broken Matt Hardy to the Broken Hardyz.
The Broken brothers
This massive surge in popularity saw the brothers take the indy scene by storm. They went to a number of wrestling promotions around the world – either as a team or Matt Hardy alone – and it was always to overwhelming success. Things got so good that the brothers didn't extend their deal with TNA, instead waiting for better opportunities.
They even got the attention of another massively popular tag team – The Young Bucks – and had some great matches with the brothers from Bullet Club, eventually winning the Ring of Honor Tag Team Championships.
But, things weren't as rosy in the real world. Their old home – now called Impact Wrestling – filed a lawsuit claiming legal ownership of the Broken gimmick, ensuring that for the first time in a year, we would be seeing a not-broken version of Matt.
The legal battle and the return home
The two parties have been at loggerheads ever since The Hardy Boyz left TNA and it seems like a long, drawn-out battle for the gimmick is on the horizon for both parties. There is no doubt that Matt Hardy complete deserves to own the gimmick he made popular but we will have to wait and see how it goes.
Despite this, The Hardyz have enjoyed monumental success over the past year which eventually resulted in their return home when they captured the WWE Rag Team Championship at Wrestlemania 33 in a Fatal Fourway Ladder Match.
What the future holds
Their return to the WWE has prompted the WWE Universe to chant Delete over and over and while Matt has shown some of his Broken traits, they have been largely subdued. While the legal battle rages on, we will never see the true Broken Matt Hardy and Brother Nero in the WWE.
Despite this, it is utterly awesome to see The Hardy Boyz back where they belong and hopefully with the help of their new employers, we can see them reclaim their Broken ways soon. In the meanwhile, don't forget to chant Delete everytime you see Matt and Jeff Hardy wrestle.
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