At the start of July, about four weeks ago now, Matt Hardy had surgery to repair a torn abdominal muscle, a surgery that takes about 8 to 10 weeks to properly recover from. At the time, Matt had just been featured in the blockbuster trade that sent him to SmackDown, from Raw. Matt's injury timing places him with the ability to return at or after the new Breaking Point PPV. So, how and when will Matt go about returning to action?
The crux of the matter is whether or not Jeff Hardy is still with the WWE at the time, which is a matter no one is entirely clear on. Sure, he's world champion now, but he could be sticking around for a SummerSlam payoff, and then out the door he goes. Assuming he does stick around, I figure that would probably mean he'll retain the world title for a few months, considering he's so over and is such a money machine for the WWE that keeping the belt on him for a few months is a great idea. Now, the problem here is that the Undertaker is also set to return right around the same time, but hopefully he does it AT the PPV, and with a non title feud (as he did last year). This will give Matt the opportunity to return at the SmackDown after Breaking Point, leading into Hell in a Cell, and probably in a world title program with Jeff. Clearly the WWE thinks a whole lot of Jeff, and their story was still a little open, considering Matt had screwed Jeff out of the world title at Judgment Day. I think a final payoff match inside the Cell (if, indeed, Hell in a Cell has every match inside of the Cell - I'm still not clear on it) between Matt and Jeff is a great money match, and win or lose would help elevate Matt as a main event heel, which SmackDown finds itself in need of.
However, if Jeff does not resign, things are a little hazier for Matt. I assume in the absence of Jeff, Punk will regain the title, and will likely feud with John Morrison or the Undertaker over it. In my estimation, Matt will feud with the person Punk is not. If the Undertaker goes after Punk, then I think we'll see a Matt vs Morrison feud as kind of a featured undercard contest, similar to Mysterio vs Jericho. It may, indeed, be over the IC Championship, although it wouldn't necessarily have to be. However, I think the better route to go would be for Matt to feud with the Undertaker in a non title undercard program. Feuding with Taker can do great things for a heel, if Taker's willing to put them over, and I think that Taker would do it for Matt. They also have an open issue, if you recall, since Matt ran away from his match with Taker on Superstars. It's not a big thing, but it can be used to initiate the feud, and run from there. The alternative program with Morrison isn't bad, but feuding with Taker could do wonders for Matt.
So what do you think? A Jeff feud, a Morrison feud, a Taker feud, or a feud with someone else entirely? Will Matt return before, after, or at Breaking Point? How and when do you see Matt Hardy making his SmackDown return?
The crux of the matter is whether or not Jeff Hardy is still with the WWE at the time, which is a matter no one is entirely clear on. Sure, he's world champion now, but he could be sticking around for a SummerSlam payoff, and then out the door he goes. Assuming he does stick around, I figure that would probably mean he'll retain the world title for a few months, considering he's so over and is such a money machine for the WWE that keeping the belt on him for a few months is a great idea. Now, the problem here is that the Undertaker is also set to return right around the same time, but hopefully he does it AT the PPV, and with a non title feud (as he did last year). This will give Matt the opportunity to return at the SmackDown after Breaking Point, leading into Hell in a Cell, and probably in a world title program with Jeff. Clearly the WWE thinks a whole lot of Jeff, and their story was still a little open, considering Matt had screwed Jeff out of the world title at Judgment Day. I think a final payoff match inside the Cell (if, indeed, Hell in a Cell has every match inside of the Cell - I'm still not clear on it) between Matt and Jeff is a great money match, and win or lose would help elevate Matt as a main event heel, which SmackDown finds itself in need of.
However, if Jeff does not resign, things are a little hazier for Matt. I assume in the absence of Jeff, Punk will regain the title, and will likely feud with John Morrison or the Undertaker over it. In my estimation, Matt will feud with the person Punk is not. If the Undertaker goes after Punk, then I think we'll see a Matt vs Morrison feud as kind of a featured undercard contest, similar to Mysterio vs Jericho. It may, indeed, be over the IC Championship, although it wouldn't necessarily have to be. However, I think the better route to go would be for Matt to feud with the Undertaker in a non title undercard program. Feuding with Taker can do great things for a heel, if Taker's willing to put them over, and I think that Taker would do it for Matt. They also have an open issue, if you recall, since Matt ran away from his match with Taker on Superstars. It's not a big thing, but it can be used to initiate the feud, and run from there. The alternative program with Morrison isn't bad, but feuding with Taker could do wonders for Matt.
So what do you think? A Jeff feud, a Morrison feud, a Taker feud, or a feud with someone else entirely? Will Matt return before, after, or at Breaking Point? How and when do you see Matt Hardy making his SmackDown return?
