Matt Hardy’s underrated milestone since arriving in AEW
By J.C.
Matt Hardy’s latest masterpiece, The Firm Deletion, finally arrived in AEW.
It was only a matter of time before Matt Hardy dug into a “Deletion”, which is not unfamiliar to AEW fans. From the moment Hardy made his first appearance in AEW, it was not a matter of “if”, but “when” a “Deletion” on his famous compound will take place.
The other factor that made this occasion worth mentioning is that this “Deletion” has marked a milestone in the wrestling world: “Broken” Matt Hardy and his compound have officially been in all of the major flagship companies.
The significance of Matt Hardy’s milestone in AEW.
There have been a few superstars, including Raven, Undertaker, Kane, and The Great Khali, who have all had their own signature matches. Raven has appeared in past and present flagship shows, but his signature Clockwork Orange House of Fun match did not make it to all the major shows as Hardy’s did
Hardy made waves after leaving WWE in 2010, but it wasn’t until he returned to Impact Wrestling in 2014 that there was a wave of change. Hardy showed a different side to himself and introduced the world to “Broken” Matt Hardy.
It was very poetic at the time given everything that occurred before he went to Impact Wrestling and how the weight of the world was literally sitting on his shoulders with no answers. Hardy answered back in a way that left a lasting impression.
At the time, Impact Wrestling was going through hard times due to past management, talent leaving, and the talent that was there not cutting it. Hardy showing this side of him brought eyes to the product once more and he repackaged himself in ways that are rare for a wrestler at that stage of his career to do.
The “Deletion” segments were something that fans can truthfully say they have never witnessed before and it provided a feeling that was similar to Lucha Underground with a dramatic and cinematic feeling incorporated with wrestling.
Whether it was Jeff Hardy preparing for battle against a kangaroo or Matt speaking to a giraffe that apparently had the incarnate spirit of George Washington, he continued to incorporate this quirky lifestyle into Impact Wrestling. One could argue he influenced the change for Impact Wrestling which still lives on today.
This continued in WWE, where Matt Hardy gradually incorporated his universe about a year after he returned. It was evident that WWE didn’t fully understand the concept of “Broken” Matt Hardy as seen with the “Woken” modification. Even though the name change was a head-scratcher, fans hoped for more Hardy chaos.
It didn’t feel the same, as Hardy went against Bray Wyatt, but the stipulation of it appearing on the Hardy compound remained the same. The chaos seemed more tamed in WWE as opposed to Impact Wrestling and it felt more like a wrestling match rather than an orchestra of chaos to survive.
This eventually led to Hardy appearing in AEW, and it seemed like he was backing away from his “broken” ways. Hardy always gave hints of his “broken” self still bubbling beneath the surface as he continued to make appearances.
On an episode of AEW: Rampage, Hardy completed the milestone of having a “Deletion” segment in all major existing wrestling companies. It had a different feel than others, which seems to be a recurring theme when there is something different than the original.
It felt even more like a wrestling match rather than a dramatic fight for survival in a maddening atmosphere. The one thing that made Hardy special was that everyone, including the official, was dumbfounded by it. The cinematic approach was what gave the “Deletion” segment the sparkle on top of it.
It felt like a standardized wrestling match with the only ones taken aback were Hardy’s opponents, not even the official was taken aback by the unusual atmosphere, which was emphasized during the early days of the “Deletion” segments in Impact Wrestling.
Even though it was different in some ways in AEW, the message is that Hardy has hit a milestone that very few in the near future will be able to accomplish. Even though some companies didn’t understand the point of the Deletion segment, it still had a memorable presence in all of them.
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The only question is, will AEW decide to bring a second “Deletion” segment and will they trust in it enough for it to appear on AEW: Dynamite? Only time will tell, but “Broken” Matt Hardy is far from being done anytime soon.