What’s the story?
It’s been a newsworthy week in the ongoing saga for the rights to the Hardys’ “Broken” gimmick. And apparently, it still isn’t over yet. Sports Illustrated (SI) is now reporting on some frankly outrageous demands being made by Anthem in their negotiations with the Hardys.
The company have allegedly been seeking a deal that would see them pocket “50 percent of all Hardy revenue, including Jeff Hardy’s art and music, which was viewed by the Hardys as a monumental heist and money-grab.”
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In case you didn’t know…
Reby Sky recently revealed on Twitter that a deal had at one point been in place – a deal that would have seen the Hardys granted the rights to use the “Broken” gimmick.
However, PWInsider then reported that while Ed Nordholm, Executive Vice President of Anthem, had been presented with the agreement, he was yet to officially sign off on it. Judging by this latest twist, Anthem’s plans to make these ludicrous demands may well have been the reason behind Nordholm’s stalling.
The heart of the matter
The SI article goes on to reference the fact that Impact – now under Anthem ownership – never actually paid for any of the “Broken” shoots at the Hardy compound. Nor did they fund the Final Deletion special, so it seems that the Hardys hold the upper hand.
The piece also mentions that Anthem, and in particular Jeff Jarrett, are currently looking to stall for time in the hopes of dissuading the Hardys from pursuing the matter any further. Based on Reby Hardy’s persistence on Twitter though, that’s looking like a bold – and likely misguided – strategy from Jarrett and co.
What’s next?
Anthem’s demands are so ridiculous that the Hardys aren’t even going to entertain the idea, so SI’s theory about stalling for time is starting to look like the most plausible explanation here.
Still, the Hardy’s have previously suggested that they’re fully prepared to seek further legal action, so all of this time-wasting on Anthem’s part will probably prove futile. Don’t be surprised to see a full-blown lawsuit levelled Anthem’s way—a lawsuit that the Hardys seem very confident about.
Author’s take
To be honest this all seems a little petulant on Anthem’s part. If terms really were so close to being agreed, coming back with these crazy demands is just a waste of time for everybody involved. Of course, that may well be the intention of all this, but it hardly does the company’s reputation any favours.
And remember, this comes at a time when they’re already in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, having recently been forced to suspend their reigning GFW Champion, Alberto El Patron, off the back of his much-publicised domestic battery charges.
Add in the fact that WWE is also teasing more “broken” references, and that suggests that they’re just as confident as the Hardys are about how this one’s going to end up. Maybe Anthem would be better off just settling up before the waters, and their name, get muddied even further.
