Updated: Apr 1
Being Broken has never been so damn good!
By Mark Mahler - 03.25.2023
March 19th, 2018 marked the 5th Anniversary of The Ultimate Deletion in the WWE. Bray Wyatt went to the Hardy Compound to face off with "Broken" Matt Hardy. I believe this was one of the most unique matches the WWE has ever aired.
But the character didn't start there, the concept came from not a creative team, but from Matt Hardy himself. Broken Matt was the beginning of one of the most underrated characters to grace wrestling in the past decade.
After losing a match in Impact Wrestling to Jeff Hardy, Matt began to show signs of snapping. Matt was talking with an accent that was both confusing and intriguing to most fans. Jeff confronted Matt and this led to The Final Deletion at the Hardy Compound. What came next and kept going had fans' attention and we just couldn't look away.
From Jeff climbing a tree to do a Swanton, to Matt shooting fireworks directly at Jeff, and Jeff turning the tables. This match gave wrestling fans and wrestlers themselves something we've never seen before. Willow the Whisp made an appearance as Brother Nero seemingly was flushed. Matt covered Senor Benjamin instead of Jeff and the match went on.
The fight ended on Jeff's dirt bike hill. Jeff went up the ladder in typical Jeff fashion. Reby handed Matt a candle, lit the Hardy Boy symbol on the fire and Jeff fell off, allowing Matt to pin him. That was the Final Deletion of Jeff Hardy.
The Hardy Compound became Matt, and let's face it Jeff's personal playground for wrestling cinematic thrillers. We got to see their houses, their bike path, their family, name it. The Hardy's opened their homes to the wrestling world in a different and unique manner that made it must-watch TV.
We got Vanguard 001, Skarsguard, Mower of Lawn, chair of wheels a wrestling ring or two, all types of different weapons, chairs, ladders, kendo sticks, and fireworks, it was nothing wrestling fans have ever seen before. All the refs needed to do in these matches was count the pinfall or call the submission.
Jeremy Borash, who Matt has credited and praised for the big assist on making this creative character a reality, went all i