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Matt Hardy |
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Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974 in Cameron, North Carolina) better known as Matt Hardy is a professional wrestler. He worked for World Wrestling Entertainment on the RAW brand until April 2005 and returned to WWE in July 2005.
Career
Before his then-WWF debut with his brother Jeff, Matt was trained by former wrestler Dory Funk, Jr. Before signing with the WWF, Matt and Jeff ran their own wrestling promotion, OMEGA Wrestling, in which Matt competed under the name High Voltage. Other wrestlers associated with OMEGA include Christopher Daniels, the future Lita, Shannon Moore and The Hurricane. Once signed, the brothers formed an acrobatic tag team and became known as The Hardy Boyz. Although they had several managers during their tag team run, the five-time WWE Tag Team Champions were most prominently accompanied to the ring by Lita. The three together became known as "Team Extreme." Hardy and Lita were an off-screen couple for six years, and used to share a home in North Carolina. Their romance came to an end in late February 2005 (according to Matt's official website) due to Lita's affair with fellow WWE superstar Edge.
On the August 12, 2002 episode of RAW, Matt turned against Jeff, pitting him in a match against Rob Van Dam. A short time later he joined the SmackDown! roster. On the October 3, 2002 edition of the show, Matt used outside interference from Brock Lesnar to defeat The Undertaker.
Now dubbed "Matt Hardy - Version 1.0," and with his MF'er (Mattitude Follower) Shannon Moore in his corner, Matt defeated Billy Kidman at the 2003 No Way Out in Montreal, Quebec to claim the WWE Cruiserweight Championship and, at WrestleMania XIX in Seattle, defended it against Rey Mysterio. The Mattitude stable also included the late Crash Holly as Shannon Moore's "Moore-on." Matt later disbanded the stable and returned to RAW in order to be able to travel and work with then-girlfriend, Lita.
Release from WWE
Along with his friend Rhyno, Matt Hardy was released by WWE on April 11, 2005. Matt's release was officially due to his public handling of the Lita/Edge incident (posting disparaging remarks towards Edge on his website) his release was confirmed publicly by WWE. It has also been speculated that Hardy was going to confront Edge during a RAW episode, but these claims are largely unfounded. However, it was further speculated that Hardy was released because management did not generally like him, and an excuse to fire him had been presented. In fact, Triple H, allegedly said of Hardy's release: "he never drew money anyway." Hardy countered this statement in an online interview stating that he and his brother Jeff, as the Hardy Boyz, had been top sellers of merchandise.
It should be noted that some people believed that Hardy's release (and subsequent rehiring) was part of an elaborate work. The WWE frequently referenced the Hardy situation on televised broadcasts, whereas normally they would not acknowledge real-life situations which reflected badly on the WWE onscreen. Given Matt's vitriolic interviews and the fact that Edge's wife accused him of steroid abuse, this seems possible, but it remains uncertain. Since Matt has now been re-hired by WWE, his comments could have been partially or completely worked.
Matt Hardy released two character promotional vignettes, that he was planning to use before he was offered a new contract by WWE. Hardy called himself The Angelic Diablo with the tagline "the scar will become a symbol" in reference to the way in which he has been treated by Lita and WWE.
Return to WWE
On the June 20 edition of RAW, during the storyline wedding of Edge and Lita, Matt Hardy's entrance music and video were played when the priest asked if anyone had a reason why the wedding should not go on. Moments later, it was revealed as a joke played by Edge and Lita. On the July 11 episode of RAW, Matt Hardy made his return, attacking Edge as he made his way to the ring for his match against Kane and calling him out by his real name (Adam). On the July 14th edition of WWE's webcast Byte This!, which featured Lita as its guest, one of the callers was Matt himself. The two engaged in a huge argument, believed to have been a complete shoot, which led to Lita walking off the set. It has been confirmed that Matt reached a verbal agreement with WWE return to the promotion in early June, giving up the chance to sign a contract with TNA, where he would likely have reformed the Hardy Boyz with Jeff. His new WWE contract is rumored to be both longer and far more lucrative than his old contract.
Matt appeared at a scheduled Ring Of Honor event on July 16 in Woodbridge, Connecticut where he defeated Christopher Daniels via submission. Hardy also cut a brief promo where he continued in full 'worked shoot' mode, attacking WWE and John Laurinaitis. His other scheduled appearances, however, are unlikely to be honored as a result of his new contract with WWE.
It was recently confirmed through a TNA press release that Matt Hardy will not be appearing at any of their future shows, including their 17 July pay-per-view No Surrender. There was previously heavy speculation that Hardy would make a run-in at the event.
On July 18, Matt Hardy again attacked Edge, this time before his steel cage match with Kane, before Matt could be handcuffed, however, he managed to escape and left through the crowd.
Seven days later on RAW, Matt Hardy ambushed Edge yet again, this time after a stretcher match with Kane, which Edge had won. Matt, however, was quickly restrained by security.
Trademarks
- Signature finishing move: The Twist of Fate (a slight variation of the three-quarter facelock bulldog)
- Other signature techniques include the Side Effect (Side Slam variation), a Northern Lights Suplex, and a Middle-Rope Leg Drop that is dubbed the "Downfall"
- Had a computerized entrance thanks to editing via television effects.
MattFacts
As Matt Hardy "Version 1.0," he has enlightened his fans weekly in the WWE with an always-expanding set of MattFacts. Presented below are some selections.
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