TNA Impact Wrestling is starting a brand new era as 2017 begins. While 2016 was a good year for TNA from a wrestling and storyline aspect, the behind-the-scenes drama and the poor television network really hurt the product. However, 2017 has started with Anthem Media purchasing and taking control of TNA, and The Wrestling Observer newsletter reported that one of the first things they are trying to do is sign Jeff and Matt Hardy to exclusive deals.
This is huge because the most popular thing to come out of 2016 for TNA was Broken Matt Hardy. While the angle was ridiculous and over-the-top, it had wrestling fans talking everywhere and even had fans at a Monday Night Raw chanting “Delete” from the Broken Matt Hardy gimmick.
Now, TNA Impact Wresting wants to lock up the Hardys to exclusive deals, which might be hard when it comes to paying them enough to convince them to stay. Interestingly, the newsletter also indicated that the WWE wants to bring back Jeff and Matt Hardy as well thanks to the success of the gimmick.
The Hardy Boyz were one of the most successful tag teams of the Attitude Era. They won the WWE tag team titles six times and the WCW tag titles once after the WWE purchased that company. On his own, Matt Hardy won the ECW title, European championship, hardcore championship, cruiserweight championship, United States championship, and also won another tag team title with MVP.
Jeff Hardy was even more successful in the WWE than Matt Hardy was. Outside of his seven tag titles as part of the Hardy Boyz, Jeff won the WWE championship once and was a two-time world champion. He also held the IC title four times, hardcore title three times, and the light heavyweight title and European title once each.
In TNA Impact Wrestling, the Hardy Boyz won the tag team titles twice. Jeff Hardy was a three-time TNA world champion and Matt Hardy won the TNA world title twice.
In an interview with USA Today in December, Matt Hardy said that he wanted to lead TNA Impact Wrestling to a resurgence. One of the big things that might need to happen for TNA to sign Jeff and Matt Hardy to an exclusive deal is to offer Matt some kind of creative control.
“Anthem Sports, are the people who have allowed me to do this entire show — the entire two hours from my compound, Total Nonstop Deletion… I actually do think it will be a new beginning. A lot of things from the old Impact Wrestling are going to change. It’s something that was needed. In 2017, there will be a fresh start and they will help take Impact Wrestling into a new direction.”
While Matt Hardy is excited about the future of TNA Impact Wrestling, there is still the case of money and creative control. The report indicates that Anthem wants Jeff and Matt Hardy signed exclusively, but they make a lot of money taking independent bookings outside of TNA.
However, what TNA can offer them is creative control, something that the WWE won’t offer them. The WWE can offer a lot more money, especially when it comes to merchandising deals, which could pay the brothers a lot of money if they are allowed to keep their Broken gimmick.
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There is a chance that the Hardy Boyz would get lost in the huge WWE landscape while they remain the biggest act in TNA. Also, as the Dudley Boyz proved last year, the WWE could just sign the Hardy Boyz and use them to put over younger talent, which could kill the Broken Matt Hardy gimmick.
[Featured Image by TNA Impact Wrestling]