Matt Hardy Merchandise Teasing ‘Broken Matt’ Gimmick, Will Hardy Boyz Split Up After Losing Titles?

The news that broke last week looked bad for Matt Hardy and the WWE as a trademark that Hardy applied for using the name “Broken Matt Hardy” was rejected, and he will have to reapply. This gives Impact Wrestling leverage in the legal battle with Matt concerning the “Broken” gimmick and his ability to ever use it again. However, there is a chance the WWE could circumvent the Impact Wrestling fight and new WWE merchandise that teases “Broken Matt Hardy” is on sale now at WWEShop.com.

The item in question is a Hardy Boyz tee-shirt that reads “The Most Exhilarating Tag Team In History.” For fans who never watched the Broken Matt Hardy stuff from TNA Impact Wrestling, “exhilarating” is a word that Matt used, among other over-the-top statements.

For those who only know the Hardy Boyz from the WWE, Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy had been split up for a long time. Jeff Hardy, as he was in the WWE, was a successful single’s star while Matt Hardy had seemed to fall off the ends of the earth and Internet wrestling fans had actually started to despise him.

In Ring of Honor, Matt Hardy showed up and received a lot of boos, turning into a quality heel as a result. While there, Matt chose to focus on the fact that he was quite rich thanks to smart business decisions while making big money in the WWE and used that as his gimmick.

TNA Impact Wrestling lured Matt Hardy away from Ring of Honor, and he brought his entitled “I’m better than you” gimmick to Impact Wrestling. It worked for a short time as he feuded with Ethan Carter III and became the world champion.

However, that gimmick had a short shelf life, and he soon chose to start a different gimmick for himself. Matt Hardy dyed part of his hair blonde and started talking with a strange faux British accent. Hardy began talking about the Seven Deities, brought out a drone that he named “Vanguard,” had a personal gardener named Senior Benjamin, used his own toddler son in the gimmick naming him “King Maxwell,” and had his wife Reby Sky accompany him to the ring.

Matt Hardy then began to feud with Jeff Hardy and wanted to strip his brother of the name “Hardy.” The two fought in a battle at the home of Matt Hardy called “Final Deletion,” using numerous gimmicks and objects that Matt has said that he paid for himself. It was the highest rated Impact Wrestling telecast of the year.

Matt Hardy became “Broken Matt” and Jeff Hady became “Brother Nero.” Soon, the two became the Impact Wrestling tag team champions, and their careers were reborn. They had more battles at the home of Matt Hardy including “Delete or Decay” and “Total Nonstop Deletion,” of which Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy have said they financed.

Then, they chose to leave Impact Wrestling when new contracts offered to them included provisions that would strip them of many of their freedoms. They went to Ring of Honor, only to have Impact Wrestling use legal maneuvers to hurt the first pay-per-view they appeared in for the company.

Despite that, the Hardy Boyz won the Ring of Honor tag team titles, and then the WWE came calling. Jeff and Matt Hardy returned to the WWE at WrestleMania 33 and won the tag team titles in a ladder match. They next defend their titles tonight at Extreme Rules in a steel cage match.

Impact Wrestling has been continuing to fight Matt Hardy, actually releasing confidential contract details from his deal with them to online wrestling sites. They have said they own all rights to the Broken Matt Hardy gimmick and the WWE doesn’t want it anyway.

However, the new Jeff and Matt Hardy merchandise make it seem like the WWE is starting to step over the line a little bit. There is always a way to use a gimmick from another promotion as long as tweaks are made and Matt Hardy has never stopped acting “Broken,” even as a part of the Hardy Boyz tag team in the WWE.

Just last week, Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy teased a “Broken” feud between the two men. One wonders if the Hardy Boyz lose their WWE tag team titles to Cesaro and Sheamus at Extreme Rules, whether or not Matt Hardy will become Broken Matt once again.

[Featured Image by WWE]