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While Matt Hardy may be a free agent, his destination is looking more and more likely to be AEW. For weeks, he has been rumored to be the so-called leader of The Dark Order, otherwise known as The Exalted One.
Also read: 5 Wrestlers who could be The Dark Order's Exalted One in AEW
In interviews, Hardy hasn't pushed back on the fact that he could be The Exalted One. In an interview with Alicia Atout, Hardy didn't push back when Atout alluded to his future. Rather, he actually added to it.
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While Hardy might be just playing the fans, the clearest evidence of his destination is the appearance of The Young Bucks in his latest Free The Delete Video.
It seems that all signs point to AEW and would be a shock to the system if that wasn't the case. Perhaps, the only question is that it's a question of when and not if. With that being said, Matt Hardy's AEW debut might not be that far away and perhaps, the speculation will remain as to who he has in his sights.
Here are 5 opponents for Matt Hardy in AEW.
#5 Christopher Daniels
In keep with the storyline, this makes perfect sense. Christopher Daniels was already rumored to be The Exalted One himself, but it might have been a ruse to turn SCU against him. Interestingly enough, the two have faced each other several years ago on the independent wrestling scene.
Daniels even cut a promo on The Dark Order on the most recent AEW Dynamite mocking them. Obviously, there will be consequences for his actions.
With that being said, Daniels would be one of many for Matt Hardy. Their feud, if it does happen, would be very short-lived before he moves on to other stars he would like to face, or rather, join The Dark Order.
#4 Jungle Boy
Voted Rookie of the Year by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter for 2019, Jungle Boy has been one of the shining brights spots on the AEW Roster. His mini-feud with Chris Jericho on the last AEW Dynamite of 2019 garnered great reviews as he fought to a time-limit draw with the former AEW World Champion.
Jungle Boy's association with Luchasaurus and Marko Stunt has established their team, Jurassic Express, as a fan favorite amongst the AEW fanbase. It has even garnered the attention of Matt Hardy himself.
With that in mind, wrestling fans need to think back to 2019 when The Dark Order tried to forcibly recruit both Stunt and Jungle Boy. They were eventually saved by a returning Luchasaurus but it seems like that story left a lot of unfinished business.
Assuming that Matt Hardy is The Exalted One, it would hit the same beats of the Jericho story, but with Jungle Boy possibly getting the win. It'll be interesting to see if this comes to pass in the weeks to come.
#3 Darby Allin
One of the most over stars in the AEW right now, Darby Allin seems to have a presence that few would deny. He has amazing in-ring agility and while his mic skills have rarely been seen, the vignettes that he has self-produced for his matches have been outstanding.
His creativity has been undeniable and the face paint certainly adds to the allure of what Allin has created in a short span of time. Chris Jericho has even compared him to Jeff Hardy. He said:
"He reminds me a lot of Jeff Hardy. He's got an x-factor to him. Get into a room or a ring with that guy, he's got a presence."
With the Jeff Hardy comparison and no Brother Nero around, a case could be made for Matt Hardy to feud with him. Much like the Jon Moxley storyline, Hardy could try to recruit Darby Allin into the Dark Order, only to be rejected. This would set the stage for a match or a series of matches.
It would also lay the groundwork for a 'Final Deletion' match at the Hardy compound, considering that both men love producing television segments and/or promos, the build would certainly be delightful.
#2 Orange Cassidy
The man who 'tries' once in a while, Orange Cassidy has a dedicated fan following in AEW. For months, he barely wrestled other than assisting the Best Friends down to the ring. But his match with Pac at AEW Revolution was one of the more entertaining matches on the card and proved how over he is as a character.
Some fans may forget, but it was Orange Cassidy who thwarted The Dark Order from kidnapping Trent at AEW All Out last year. A feud with Matt Hardy down the line would make for great entertainment value. It is more in line with what Matt Hardy wants to do and be extremely creative.
Matt Hardy only has 3 or 4 years left as an in-ring competitor and his creative outlook was very different of that of WWE. He said:
"The reason I needed to leave WWE was because, when it comes to my creative stance, and my creative outlook on myself and my career and how I want it to go for these last 3 or 4 years that I have to spend as an active in-ring competitor. "
A match with Orange Cassidy would be the step in the right direction, if he signs with AEW.
#1 Kenny Omega
Kenny Omega is probably one of the most popular wrestlers to come out of NJPW and is also an EVP. While his feud and match with Jon Moxley hit all the right buttons, it was only the beginning. He had a great iron man match with Pac on Dynamite and stole the show at AEW Revolution alongside Hangman Page and The Young Bucks.
While he's possibly going to be in an eventual feud with The Hangman, another star has expressed an interest of working with him down the road and it's none other than Matt Hardy. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, he said:
"I have a few great wrestling matches left in me, and I feel like one of those is with Kenny Omega,” said Hardy. “I’d love to have a one-on-one match with him. Hopefully that will happen down the road.”
Would it be as Broken Matt Hardy? Considering that Kenny Omega is certainly one of the best wrestlers in the world bell-to-bell, it would interesting to see how their match would work. Perhaps, we may find out sooner than later.
