Will Matt and Jeff Hardy return to WWE soon? Speculation continues to grow as to whether the former tag-team champions will make a comeback to the company in which they gained their initial fame.
Apparently, WWE isn’t doing anything to stop the rumors. On Sunday, WWE Network’s official Twitter shared a video of the Hardys’ WrestleMania 25 match against the Dudley Boyz, featuring a subtle reference to the “Broken” gimmick the brothers used during their final run in Impact Wrestling.
You better believe tables were BROKEN in the battle between The #HardyBoyz at the 25th Anniversary of #WrestleMania ! #WWENetwork pic.twitter.com/Bvtg4fmGWo
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) March 26, 2017
It’s worth noting that the broken gimmick was never used in WWE, so it’s interesting for the company to once acknowledge Impact Wrestling in any capacity, which it’s done on several occasions since AJ Styles’ debut last year. But more importantly, it adds fuel to the Hardy rumors, which have already run rampant this week.
On Tuesday, WWE reportedly offered new contracts to the Hardys, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet . While the details of the rumored deals haven’t been revealed, the website speculated that “all signs point to an inevitable return.”
The Hardys are currently scheduled to appear at Ring of Honor’s SuperCard of Honor during WrestleMania 33 weekend to continue their feud with the Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson), but according to Jeff Hardy, their deals with ROH are only short-term and could be up at any time.
The event will take place in Lakeland, Florida, on the Saturday prior to WrestleMania , which leaves the door open for a return at WWE’s biggest event in Orlando the following day. According to Cageside Seats , the Usos’ recent title victory and lobbying for a WrestleMania match on Talking Smack is rumored to be setting everything is up for an angle with the Hardys on Sunday.
Former rivals Edge and Christian discussed a potential Hardys comeback during the debut episode of their podcast , Edge and Christian’s Pod of Awesomeness this week.
“Crazier things have worked on that mainstream of scale… wrestling is all about reinvention, and if you don’t reinvent yourself, you’re going to get stagnant and people are going to get bored. I think back to when I came back from my first neck surgery and I came back as the babyface that I was when I left. I went into my hometown of Toronto with the IC title against Jericho and Batista and got booed.”
Both superstars credited the Hardys for the risk they took reinventing themselves with the “Broken” gimmick in TNA.
“It’s all about reinventing yourself. You could probably be The Hardy Boyz, stick your two fingers up, make that ride from town to town and hope that people follow along with that nostalgia. Instead, they’ve taken the bull by the horns and reinvented themselves and stayed current, stayed fresh and keep people talking, and that’s what it’s all about.
“Matt and Jeff are smart enough, particularly Matt — who is very hands-on with all of the incarnations of his character — to try stuff. I haven’t seen a whole lot of it, I’ve seen a couple of things and I thought it was hilarious and awesome.”
Which leads us to the final speculation of what a potential Hardys comeback means. Will the brothers be a nostalgia act using their former WWE personas, or will the company allow them to return using their current “Broken” and “Obsolete” gimmicks?
That’s at least an option now with Matt Hardy having won the rights to all the “Broken” related trademarks.
Well, you are accurate. #BROKEN Matt Hardy is officially @RebyHardy & myself’s licensed trademark, as stated by the US Patent Department. https://t.co/hwWCeAIAew
— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) March 25, 2017
With all the necessary factors aligning, it seems like a Hardys WWE return is not only inevitable, but likely to take place very soon.
[Featured Image by TNA Impact Wrestling]