It’s entirely possible that there’s no single topic we’ve written more about in 2017 here on With Spandex than the saga of Broken Matt Hardy and the legal goings-on surrounding the ownership of that pro wrestling “universe.”
To (very, very briefly) recap: Hardy was the mastermind behind the Broken Hardys segments on Impact Wrestling, which single-handedly revitalized interest in that company prior to its own legal kerfuffles involving being sold to Anthem and a lawsuit involving former company president Billy Corgan. When Matt and Jeff Hardy left Impact, Matt filed for trademarks on his Broken Universe characters, the content of which was (as we understand it) entirely written and created by Matt and his wife Reby Hardy, with help from Impact producer Jeremy Borash.
The Hardy Boyz popped up at WrestleMania, where they appeared to be mostly their classic “Team Xtreme” WWE characters, although both tossed in allusions to the Broken Universe here and there. No one was really sure how “Broken” they were going to be in WWE. And that was long before all the legal trouble started.
Anthem and Impact Wrestling have filed its own trademarks on the Broken Hardys and their universe, and has adamantly and publicly claimed ownership of that intellectual property, and the feud has been full of bad blood and ire on both sides. And still, the Hardys have remained unbroken in WWE. Matt has been doing some clever end-arounds on his own, but the Hardy Boyz have remained staunchly the Hardy Boyz.
Until Monday night, that is.
Jeff Hardy is out due to injury for the remainder of the year (and beyond), and Matt has been in the midst of a spectacularly abysmal losing streak on his own. After a quick loss to Bray Wyatt on Monday night, it appears as though something may have snapped loose … in the best way possible.
Is @MATTHARDYBRAND headed for a breakdown? #RAW pic.twitter.com/4JPDDI2Gsx
— WWE (@WWE) November 28, 2017
If they’re finally going to break Matt (and presumably have the legal right to do so), Wyatt is probably the ideal choice to do the deed. Matt has said before that Wyatt would be his dream WWE opponent, and the two supernatural cult leaders would be perfect foils for one another. (Particularly since neither man has anything substantial going on right now.)
We genuinely hope this leads to the introduction of King Maxel to WWE television proper, and all the Broken Universe trappings that come along with Broken Matt. Bring it on, everybody. We are EXTRAORDINARILY ready.
