Matt Hardy had a match with Bray Wyatt on this week’s edition of WWE Monday Night Raw. After the match was over, Matt was shown sitting up against the turnbuckle as he did the “DELETE” hand gesture several times, as the crowd chanted along with him. The announcers acted as if they didn’t know what he was doing, but most fans watching at home knew the score.
The “Broken” Matt Hardy character was a part of TNA/Impact Wrestling in 2016 and into early 2017. They signed with WWE and had a surprise appearance at WrestleMania 33, but ever since they’ve been their return, people have wondered when they would be able to use their “Broken” gimmicks.
There have been a lot of legal questions about WWE possibly using the gimmick, but following Matt’s actions on Raw, the assumption is that he’s safe to move forward with the Broken character again. According to a report from Sports Illustrated, WWE plans on creating a new character for Matt Hardy, but it won’t be labeled “Broken” … although he may be very similar.
After what happened on Raw, Matt tweeted a few things to comment on his actions.
NO. I have EVOLVED.
My PRIMAL PASSENGER has returned to drive my VESSEL..
I AM MORE. https://t.co/0w78vpZOzc
— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) November 28, 2017
My physical contact with Bray Wyatt on #RAW seems to have TRIGGERED & AWAKENED my PRIMAL PASSENGER. https://t.co/IBeryV4mQZ
— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) November 28, 2017
The #GreatWar is merely beginning on this plane identified as @WWE. I must recruit LOYAL Soldiers from around the planet of Earth to join me as I battle in a DOMAIN overflowing with DARKNESS & DEMONS.
Our Platoon has much to do.
— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) November 29, 2017
It was also reported by Sports Illustrated that they reached out to Anthem President Ed Nordholm, who commented on Matt’s actions on Raw.
“We have seen the character development and will be interested to see where they take the concept. Our new talent agreements all incorporate language that allow talent to continue to use their IMPACT persona after they leave the company. We are working with our legal team to amend our existing agreements to extend this to all of our current and former talent.”
In other words, Impact’s fight against Matt Hardy using the “Broken” gimmick appears to be OVAH. If you missed Matt’s transformation on Raw, here’s a clip of it below.
