An Unfortunate Twist of Fate - My thoughts on Matt Hardy

[The Hoov]

An Unfortunate Twist of Fate
by Justin “The Hoovâ€￾ Hoover

If this were 2005, each and every single person in the so-called “IWCâ€￾, or Internet Wrestling Community, would have a hard-on for one man in particular: Matt Hardy. Being that it is 2011, it seems as if the tables have turned just a tad and his “Mattitude Followersâ€￾ are few and far between these days.

We all know the story: Edge and Lita were having an affair with one another. Bottom line, it was something neither of them had any business doing. I have a very strong opinion against infidelity in relationships so, as much as I respect them as entertainers, what they did was extremely low. The victim in this was Matt Hardy, a man who, along with his brother Jeff, revolutionized tag team wrestling and solidified himself as a fan favorite. When this news broke and the “fit hit the shanâ€￾ so to speak, Matt was understandably hurt. Who wouldn't be? So, he took to the 'net to voice his anger and frustration. The WWE did not take too kindly of this new getting out so they did the most logical thing they could think of at the time. Edge had just won the first-ever Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 21 and Lita was embroiled in a feud with then WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus. What was Matt doing at the time? Rehabbing his injured knee and training for a comeback. Guess who got shit-canned? Matt. A victim yet again. So, where did he turn? The 'net. This time, he developed millions of loyal fans around the world who began to yell very derogatory things at Edge and Lita at events. So much so that it got Matt his job back eventually and led to the best return ever in my honest opinion.

But that was then. Now, it's a whole different story.

Flash forward to 2010. Matt is still working for WWE and is basically doing a whole lot of nothing. Outside of a short feud with Drew McIntyre and an even shorter feud with Christian, Matt was nothing more than wasted space. None of this was his fault. If you notice, he was still getting huge pops at every show that were on par with people like John Cena, Randy Orton, etc. Problem was the higher ups just did not see the potential in Matt Hardy. Matt is a talented man. You can never take that away from him. Out of frustration with his current situation with the company, Matt, again, turned to the 'net and tried to use it again to develop another uprising. It didn't go so well the second time. His YouTube entries were bizarre, confusing, and some down-right idiotic. He even went so far as to make a second YouTube channel for his schizophrenic alter-ego which was more like the alter-ego of Jeffery Dahmer than Mick Foley's. Turns out it was all a ruse to garner a WWE release so he could join his brother Jeff and his friend Shannon Moore in TNA. All in all, he got what he wished for and he signed with TNA and did the exact same thing he was doing in the WWE: Nothing.

Matt was on suspension from TNA for no-showing a couple of house shows when he was arrested for DUI near his home. Driving under the influence is another subject I feel strongly about. I lost my cousin because he made that stupid mistake. But, it was a one-time offense. The current TNA Champion Kurt Angle has been arrested numerous times because of it, not to mention stalking and starting fights with people backstage and yet, as I said, he is the CURRENT TNA Champion. So, what sets Matt out from someone like him? To be honest, nothing really. “Oh, but Kurt sells merchandise and produces buyrates!â€￾ Umm, newsflash: NOBODY buys TNA merchandise and NOBODY buys TNA PPV's. Let's face it, NOTHING TNA has done has produced any kind of off-the-charts numbers. Even when Kurt first debuted in TNA it was nothing special. So, no, nothing sets them apart. I just believe it's another case of Jeff's shit tainting Matt's. In my honest opinion, Jeff should've been fired a LONG time ago, especially after that horrendous match with Sting but for some unknown reason TNA has decided to keep him. Jeff is under the threat of going to prison for 14 years but he's still under contract. Matt gets one DUI that no one is entirely sure is accurate and he gets shit-canned yet again.

Do I feel both Hardy brothers are tainting their legacies? Absolutely. I mean, the last name Hardy used to inspire feelings of awe and excitement. Now, it only inspires bad fat jokes, bad drug puns, and disappointment. I feel as if both of them should just stay out of the spotlight a few years, accept a WWE Hall of Fame induction, and be remembered for the good memories and not the bad because the good far out-weigh the bad. Most are just too blinded by the recent negatives than the past positives.

I am a Hardy fan for life but I do admit that they have issues.

 

[Troy]

Very, very well-written column.

It is so true that five years ago Matt Hardy was one of the IWC's darlings and it is incredible how much things have changed in such a short space of time. I think that Matt himself is mostly to blame because honestly he just seems to be getting crazier each year. He is coming off as a nut job these days whereas before he seemed to have his head screwed on straight. It is a shame because Matt was screwed during the Edge/Lita scandal when he was the one who was fired but he came back from that and was having a great run in the US title scene, and tag team title scene, with MVP. He was the victim but then he worked through it and was stronger than ever but the next time he went off the rails it was his fault and ever since he was suspended from WWE he has gone downhill fast.

I just hope that he can see that he is going down the wrong path and that he needs help. Or hopefully his friends and family will help send him down the right path and look after him by getting him the help that he needs. It will be sad if these final two years are the way that fans remember him and not for the many entertaining years he gave fans as part of the Hardy Boys and as a singles wrestler.

 

[Andrew]

Glad to see NODQ.COM has posted this column!