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This week on Monday Night RAW, Matt Hardy was scheduled to face Randy Orton in a No Holds Barred match after he was attacked by The Viper last week on the show and given a conchairto, just a week after Edge suffered the same fate at the hands of the former World Champion.
Many fans believed that Matt Hardy was written off WWE TV last week when he was assaulted by Orton, but since the former Tag Team Champion's contract isn't due to expire until the beginning of next month, WWE still has a few dates that they can bring Hardy back for.
Hardy was once again attacked by The Viper this week and this time suffered a much more brutal assault on the steel steps and there was no one there to save Hardy from the same fate as Edge, but why was this? Why wasn't there anyone in the back who could help Hardy overcome the threat of Orton?
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#5 Matt Hardy needed to be written off WWE TV
As already noted, Matt Hardy's contract is reportedly due to expire on March 1st, which means that WWE needed to find a way to write Hardy off TV so that he can go on to pastures new since he's opted not to re-sign with the company.
Randy Orton and Edge are obviously on a collision course that is leading them both to a WrestleMania match and Hardy had a role to play in it. If someone came out to save Hardy from the attack then it would mean that this story between Orton and Hardy would have to continue for another week and it appears that this isn't what WWE wants.
This way Hardy is completely written off TV and it makes Orton look like he's become The Apex Predator once again.
#4 Jeff Hardy isn't ready to make his return
Jeff Hardy is the closest thing that his brother has to a friend in WWE at present, but it appears that even though Matt is now active on WWE TV, his brother Jeff isn't ready to make his return.
Many fans were expecting Hardy to be saved by his brother since it was noted by Orton at the beginning of the show that "The Hardys" were known for climbing to the highest of heights. It was hoped that this was a tease that Hardy would be returning to WWE after a number of months on the sidelines, but this isn't the case.
According to the most recent report surrounding Jeff Hardy, he has been cleared to make his return as of November 2019 but the company has given the former World Champion some time off to deal with his personal issues in the hopes that these will then be cleared away when he does return to the ring.
At present, there are no plans for Hardy's WWE return.
#3 This is Edge's storyline and he wasn't saved either
The night after the Royal Rumble The Viper unleashed an assault on The Rated-R Superstar that sickened many fans around the world, given the fact that Edge had only made his return the night before after being sidelined due to a neck injury.
Edge was on the sidelines for almost a decade following the issue that saw him step aside in 2011 and this was his big return, but it was cut short by Orton just a day later. There was no one around to save Edge from Orton's attack, even though Edge is one of the most liked stars in the locker room, so why would anyone save Hardy?
Matt Hardy doesn't have any friends in the locker room at present with his former Tag Team partner Bray Wyatt over on SmackDown and his brother dealing with his own issues, so the former Champion was a sitting duck for Orton and regardless of his injuries at the top of the show, Hardy was always going to be stretchered out of the arena.
#2 Was the ending a shoot?
Randy Orton definitely brutalized Matt Hardy much worse than Edge a few weeks ago when he decided to drag him out of the ring and attack him on the steel steps after an RKO and a number of chair shots in the ring.
Orton delivered a conchairto on the steps before looking as though he was going to walk away and leave it, but one referee ran over to Orton whilst another was seen whispering to Matt Hardy who was already knocked out on the steps.
Hardy was then dragged back up onto the steps and another conchairto was delivered to the helpless star, which made it seem as though this wasn't originally supposed to happen. Was Orton only going to deliver one chair shot to Hardy's head but Vince decided to call an audible since this is Hardy's last WWE show?
This way Hardy went out on the most brutal note possible and it made it look as though Orton didn't want to do it but decided to give in to his inner demons.
#1 Randy Orton needs to become the Apex Predator
Randy Orton was once seen as one of the best heels in WWE when he was the Legend Killer he was able to rack up names and just the sound of his own name struck fear in the hearts of former Champions, but that period of his career came to an end a long time ago.
Orton needs to find the mindset that saw him punt kick the father of John Cena, he needs to let the voices in his head take over again and it appears that he's allowing that to happen right now.
Orton has tried to walk away from these fights a number of times, but the long walk to the back allows him to think twice about what he's doing and let the voices back in. This is why Orton apologizes to his victims afterward since he let the voices win and didn't mean to actually do damage.
This was the perfect way to being back Orton's best persona and until Edge makes his return Orton will continue to look for more victims.
