Honest Opinion on Matt Hardy

[hArdyPUNKmArk]

Hey guys

I started a thread when Matt first turned heel questioning if it was working or if it would work. There were varied responses but the general consensis was that it was too early to tell.

So, i ask again if you think Matt as a heel is working and if it will propel his career to the main event.

For me I wasnt sure to begin with, but with 2 wins over Jeff in 2 great match's I have to say he is a fucking heel now, and it's awesome! When Matt came out on Raw after being drafted he had such a cocky look and attitude it was so fucking good to see. I'm loving the new look too, Matt looks good in tights and the jacket he wears to the ring is something new for him too and it fits the character he is now.

The only thing left is his damn entrance music, seriously it has to go! I can't stand that OHHHHHH YEAHHHHHH now that he's a heel, it just doesnt fit.

But, other than the music i gotta say I'm very impressed with Matt's turn and it looks like it is going to do him alot of good!

Thoughts....?

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Matt's turn was the only way to be elevated. He had to be heel. His brother's face, so Matt's face, too...then they may as well tag team again.

Matt is getting his shot. If he blows it, it's all on him. Simple as that. I think Matt has the potential to elevate his status in the WWE and should do well for himself...it's just a shame he has to be pitted against someone like Taker, a wrestler who's in a different hemisphere than Mattitude. But eventually, Matt should be alright. He's smart enough to get heat and know how to make people hate him.

 

[Marquis]

I was skeptical at first about this Matt heel turn. I did mark out when he turned on Jeff, but then was wondering if he can actually pull off this heel turn and elevate himself to main event status. After seeing his feud with Jeff play out, i feel he has the tools to propel himself further up the ladder of success. His facial expressions are great, hes always been the better Hardy on the mic, and his new outfit really goes well with his new character in my opinion. Now that he will be live on Raw, i look forward to seeing how much heat he actually has.

Is Matt as a heel working? I say yes, i completely buy his new heel persona. Will it propel him to the main event scene? Raw is too crowded right now for him to reach that level, but i think eventually he will.

 

[KoffinMade4_2]

Ever since DAY ONE-AH, of watching the Hardy brothers perform I knew MATT was the stronger Hardy. His matches were ALWAYS believable (regardless if he was getting squashed or a chance to really shine, he has NEVER failed to disappoint). His technical skills are SAVY. His mic abilities were awesome. Did you guys already FORGET about Version 1.0? He was funny, but at the same time drawing HUGE heat. People sometimes booed him louder than Vickie G. Yeah. Matt WILL NOT die, believe it. "I speak gospel." ~~Matt Hardy dueling diaries video.

 

[JJYanks121]

I think I've been pretty outspoken on these boards about how I believed Matt Hardy to have the charisma of paper bag. As a face, that was true. However, with his new heel turn, he now has the charisma of a paper bag that we've already seen and vomited in. I know I'm critical of him, so I will address the reasons why right now.

First off, you can't possibly buy his new "attitude" and attire. It's a freakin knockoff of Edge and a poor one at that. Everything he does off the mic, from the mocking of Cena when he came out on Raw to the head bob of cockiness is all Edge. It's a pathetic way to get over, especially when there was a better heel to be played by Matt. The problem is, and I've always said it, Matt Hardy doens't get the wrestling business. If he did, he'd understand that you have to wrestle differently as a heel and a face, which he does not do, at least not yet.

Second point, which I will refer to as the Batista rule: If you are not strong on the mic, limit your time on it. Why Matt insists on cutting 5 minutes of monotonous, pointless promos is beyond me. Matt is destined to fail if he can't even sell emotion when talking about his own brother. We all know that behind the scenes Matt and Jeff will always be close, but all brothers fight and have times where they get real mad at each other. You just have to channel that into a promo, and he is incapable. However, the solution is, spend less time on the mic. I think moving forward, he may need to, because I can't imagine him instigating a feud with anyone on Raw successfully with his mic skills.

Third point: The stupid beard thing kills me. He's not a guido from Queens and it's not a "unique look" to sell. Either shave it off or have him grow a chinstrap type thing. Also, let the hair down, the pony tail thing isn't working either. If you are going to change your look, go all out. Look at Chris Jericho. Matt should think about that instead of just giving himself an Edge makeover.

Basically, I'm hard on Matt because at some point, a thought clicked in my head that Matt reminded me of someone...............Bret Hart. Not so much the "hero with the glasses" Bret, but more the controlling older brother Brett and the look at that. I'm no Bret Hart mark, not by any stretch, but that's where Matt needs to be looking. The character that Matt needed and perhaps needs to be is not the cocky, annoying heel he thinks he is, but the bitter, jealous heel that becomes viscious. His younger brother by 4 years won a WWE title while he was relegated to the "C" show. Jealousy would certainly come into play there. Especially playing on the things he does well, it would make him a great heel. Imagine Matt Hardy condemning his brother for unreliability, irresponsibility, and utter stupidity while he bitterly thinks of himself as the perfect employee who did everything right and yet the fans always chose Jeff. Then he could condemn the fans for supporting the brother that should be fired, the brother that shouldn't have these chances. He should be questioning how fans can't get behind a guy who does right and sets an example (a little bit Jericho I know), but bottom line, that attitude is better than the one he has now.

Matt Hardy has been given an INCREDIBLE opportunity on RAW. He is the 3rd heel on the show behind Orton and Big Show. Any slip up with the top 2 and he's in a title bout. That's kind of scary because can you honestly imagine Matt taking on Cena or HHH? Awful stuff. It's more likely that he'll be competing with Miz for top heel in the US division, and honestly, Miz could very well surpass him. If I were Matt, I would attach myself to HHH and Cena's hip backstage so he can learn how to sell an angle and how to cut a promo.

Notice I didn't say Orton but that is for another thread...............

PS: I am aware that my thoughts bounce around a lot. It's hard to keep it going in 1 direction when you are on a rant. But I hope the point is there. I am not a Matt supporter and won't be unless he shows drastic improvement in all facets.

 

[kingdirrtysouth1]

Remember when he first became Version 1.0? He was made some great strides & got over as a heel, along with his Mattitude Follower Shannon Moore! But, they shipped him to Raw & changed his character. He was white hot when returned after being fired in 2005. Nobody saw that sneak attack on Edge coming! I was shocked! The crowd ate it up too! But, instead of playing up the outsider/Punisher character, Vince announced that he re-hired him instead and absolutely killed his heat! Matt is very underrated!

 

[SK]

I think Matt Hardy will excell as a heel, although like a few have already pointed out he's a bit of an Edge rip-off. However, that is not really a bad thing, I mean he's copying from imo the best heel in the WWE right now. As long as Matt doesn't use the oppourtunist gimmick, i'm not adverse to him slightly copying Edge because that is just standard heel behaviour. Matt Hardy is a great worker and deserves a bigger push just to see how he will do in the ME, I can see him being one of the top heels in the WWE in a year or so, if he works on his mic skills and improves his heel moveset.

 

[Mark0820]

Matt will do fine as a heel, but the dude needs to hit the gym. He looks really flabby in those tights.

 

[d men]

I was wondering if anyone else noticed that, I think he ate way too much easter sunday and definitly needs to get back in the gym

 

[DhA]

He looked kinda like an evil imp - thay look in his eye and his weird smile - kinda like Edge if Edge was a character in a fairy tale. Made me think he was a dick though so good job.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Matt Hardy needed this push bad, and I for one am glad he got it.

Even though Matt has always been the better Hardy (in my opinion), he was always kind of in Jeffs shadow because he has the larger fan base. It's nice for him to break out on his own (a fresh start) because I always thought Matt was a good heel (even back in his Version 1.0 day's) and has the tools to become a top player if the machine get's behind him enough and Matt doesn't screw his push up (which he wont).

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I would say the Matt Hardy heel push is going quite well but his move to RAW may or may not throw a chink in the armor. You have HHH, Cena, Batista, HBK, and Orton so it will be hard to move up in the main-event. The midcard is solid with MVP, Kofi, and Miz- Two heels and two faces. I would have preferred him staying on Smackdown where he would have a better chance of reaching main-event caliber status. If Cena can put over Jack Swagger, I imagine he can do the same for Hardy because I dont' see HHH or Batista doing it anytime soon.

 

[The Prototype]

I think it was time 4 Matt 2 turn heel and I think that he is doing a very good job at it. But 1 thing that annoys me is that he always raises his fist like when he is coming out 2 the ring. Why? It has no meaning at all. Its just a random pose. He should get a pose that has meaning 2 his character. I mean a lot of people do that pose like The Rock did something similar 2 it. But dont make it Matt's signature pose because it dont fit him. Sorry 4 ranting

 

[shafe_41]

I think I'm the only non-Matt Hardy fan in the world. Now I realize he wasn't supposed to go off the wall and put on a WM quality match on draft night, but I've seen better wrestling and agility from a tree than I saw from Matt this past Monday. I've said before, Matt Hardy was at his peak when he was Matt Hardy V.1. He was awesome. He was arrogant, cocky, and basically an asshole. Now... it seems like he's just trying waaaay too hard. MHV1 seemed so natural for him and I think this heel turn just feels very forced and they're trying to recapture the magic of V.1.

I don't think I am the only one that dislikes Matt Hardy, groans everytime he's on tv and can't wait for his matches to be over. He's boring. He's been on the downside of his career for about the last 5 years now. I don't know why they keep forcing him on us. His reign as ECW champ was about 3 or 4 years too late... and I don't think it was even that memorable. Nobody in their right mind actually believes that if wrestling was legit that Matt Hardy could take Mark Henry. Ever. Which is why I question why give Henry a title in the first place but that's another story. I don't even remember Matt Hardy having any other matches for the ECW Title against anyone other than Swagger and Mark Henry. And when Swagger won it, he earned it. MATT HARDY DOES NOT HAVE IT ANYMORE. If Matt wants a decent push, he needs to jump to TNA because I believe he's going to burn out on Raw so fast if guys like Kennedy, Kofi, MVP, and all of Raw's other mid or upper mid card talent stays healthy... because they have a lot of it. He moves slower than a fat chick stuck in molasses.

 

[colalella2891]

Matt hardy is my favorite wrestler and has been for years now. I think he is doing a decent job at being a heel, and he didn't look that bad against the Undertaker on Thursday. However, what some of you said, I don't like the knock-off of Edge. I agree he looks just like a cheap imitation of him. The tights, the long hair, the jacket, and the attitude. I think it was mostly the jacket that reminded me of Edge. And, he is pretty fat. He used to be skinnier years ago, so I don't know what happened there, his brother seems pretty fit. But those things can be fixed. Also, he doesn't have the same 'wrestling style' that he used to have. He used to do leg drops and go off the top rope, but now he only does the side-effect.. So I miss his old wrestling style, but all in all he's doing a good job and really rising to the top.

 

[Ezekyo]

I also agree, Matt needs to change his theme music. But I hoped he would stay the same he did as soon as he turned heel, the more sinister, brooding type, and use "The Black Cloud" as a nickname, I thought it would've been awesome. But I see his persona is becoming reminiscent of his V1 heel persona. So I guess his theme song isn't as much of an issue if he's gonna be a more cocky heel instead of a more evil heel.

Nonetheless, I really think this will be that boost that Matt needs. Especially after he was kind of floundering after his feud with MVP, his U.S. and ECW title reigns really did little to nothing for him. Sometimes it just takes a meaningful change to your character/gimmick to take that next step, and Matt was borderline Big Show/Mark Henry/Chavo Guerrero, just kind of there with little to nothing to offer. So hopefully this turn works out.

 

[Black Snow]

I really have to question the people that say Matt is just ripping off Edge. Does Edge have some sort of copyright on black coats? If anything, his tights remind me more of A.J. Styles than Edge.

Bear in mind that Matt is really changing his look for the first time in years. I can think of tons of wrestlers who drastically changed their look and their first pair of new tights sucked. Heck, how about those ugly tights Edge had with his face on the side? Now, I will agree with those that think he should change or at least remix his music. Maybe a haircut is in order as well.

I've always been a Matt fan. From day one I picked him over Jeff and Christian over Edge. He's easily the more talented Hardy. Matt wrestles matches while Jeff just goes for the same few spots. I can see why fans connected with Jeff more. His look is more unique and he pops the crowd with his spots. They're cheap, easy ways to get support but it works and sadly for Matt he looks a little bland next to that.

I won't lie. Matt's not great on the mic. But he's improving. The only way to continue to improve is to get the mic more. It's trial by fire so I'm completely against the less is more concept.

I'm torn about Matt's move to RAW. There's no question that he needed to seperate from Jeff. But looking at RAW's roster it worries me. I could see Matt with a really nice U.S. title reign but he's already done that. I'm guessing that either Hunter or Batista is turning heel soon and with such a stacked roster I fear that Matt might be lost in the suffer with Kofi, Miz and others.

I also hate it when people say that the ball is in Matt's court and it's up to him to sink or swim. A lot of it is his job and I think he's doing a great job thusfar. But he's going to need to get that airtime and be shown as a legit threat to the faces he goes up against. He looked great against 'Taker last night and his wins over his brother were great. As long as he's treated that well in the ring I think he has just enough mic talent to be a very strong, Jericho-esque upper midcard heel. Matt's in a tight spot right now but as long as he performs at the same level he has been since the heel turn then the future looks pretty good for the Matt.

I don't even remember Matt Hardy having any other matches for the ECW Title against anyone other than Swagger and Mark Henry.

Did you see Cyber Sunday? Does Evan Bourne deserve 100% credit for that amazing ten minute match? Other than that you probably don't remember many matches that Matt had for the ECW title with others because they wasted over a month of Matt's title reign by having him fight Jeff's battles.

 

[rnzrkorip]

ever since matt came back from his knee bit, he just hasn't been the same. he seems to get hurt more, and can't seem to keep in shape. never been a fan of his promos either. i'm not going to make any real judgments yet on his heel turn. but so far, i'd say he's doing alright. still not taking him seriously though. but i think he just needs some more time and he'll be just fine.

 

[Jerichomark85]

I am not really a Matt Hardy fan but I don't hate the guy either. Not really a Jeff fan either,but this is about Matt his look is wrong for him and He needs to be a different kind of hell to maintain on Raw. Too much cocky heel action already. Need a good evil guy for the mid-card level. I think it can work for him...but I do not see him main-eventing anytime soon, if at all given how long he has been around...and that is not a bad think. For a wrestling program to succeed, there has to be a solid mid-card full of guys preparing for that main even when the spots open. Lately everything is about the main-event but personally, I don't watch wrestling for the last thirty minutes. I watch the whole thing and hopefully Matt will stand out in the mid-card so he can move up when the time comes. Not a fan, but at least he has paid his dues.

 

[TwistofRKO]

He excelled as a face far beyond the typical face reaction, gaining one of the top pops I've ever heard at a live event so I think it was a good idea to try this card. Even though much of his reaction is due to his brother (and still is now) I think he's proven himself in accomplishing the task set before him, so he deserved slack on this "project" before he even started it. That being said I believe he's done excellent so far. The entire Jeff push screamed Matt turning on him and with him ambushing an exceptionally amazing "popper" he had a lot to work with. He gained a lot of heat quickly, moreso than the default heel heat. I feel that through his body language, facial expressions, and just coming off looking more important, so to say, in the ring he's been able to get the point across.

In short, I definitely think he's been doing a great job and is working as heel.

 

[Mustang Sally]

ever since matt came back from his knee bit, he just hasn't been the same. he seems to get hurt more, and can't seem to keep in shape.

I can agree with that. When he was re-hired during the "Matt-Edge-Lita" program, he was just a mid-carder and circumstances dictated that he be pushed as if he was a star. After that segment ended, he went back to the mid-card.

Now, the stakes are higher because he's advanced to the top. I think it's great because he's earned it. Yet, his elevated status dictates that he keep himself in shape. Right now, I think he looks sloppy with that growing belly of his. When he's in a sitting position on the mat, he looks awful.

It's one thing for a huge guy like Big Show to have a gut; a massive wrestler can sooner get away with it and still look formidable. But Matt has too narrow a build to look anything but bad with extra weight around his middle.

If Jeff wants to get under his brother's skin during their matches, he should keep pointing to Matt's stomach and threatening to tell Mom on him.

 

[Scott Free]

I like the guy's work in the ring, he does good mic work, he's a little short on the charisma side, but overall, he's very talented. I thought his reign as WWECW champion was a good step up, till they mired it down with repeat matches against opponents like Mark Henry and Swagger that for me aren't in his level and didn't book him to look great. Now the heel turn, he did great against his brother, of course Jeff has absolutely no problem putting him over, first match televised he won because of Jeff running in and causing a DQ, second match televised was against Undertaker on Superstars, he looked good, but lost by countout when he refused to get back in the ring, Jeff ran put and threw him back into the ring where he got chokeslammed by UT, that whole part didn't look so good for him, but he never got pinned yet since WM 25. So here it is, I think Matt isn't all that liked backstage, I don't know why, but it's just a feeling I get, not by the boys maybe, but I'm pretty sure management and creative are not fans of his, if you watch his video interview on this very site, he comes off as an arrogant, self centered and obnoxious specimen that's going through the motions of being nice to the interviewer and he's NOT in heel character, so maybe, just maybe, his limited charisma is hurting him backstage more than it is in the ring. I don't expect him to get anywhere with this heel push because of this.

 

[Coco]

I'll go out on the limb and say I like him WAY better as a face. He just had that chemistry down pat and was probably one of the top ten ring workers in the WWE. As a heel, although we haven't seen much yet, I'm not impressed. But that probably comes from bad chemistry with Jeffward and R-Truth being awful.

I hope for the best though, as I honestly like Matt a lot.

 

[HHHDiedForOurSins]

I've always thought Matt was a solid wrestler, but I can't ever see him getting over as a main event level talent, he sucks on the mic and unlike Jeff he doesn't have the overall "it" factor to make up for that, I just can't picture him being in a major storyline with a Triple H, Batista or Orton level guy and making it entertaining.

No matter how many times they have him go over Jeff, I think he's destined to forever be a upper-mid carder, I wouldn't mind seeing another feud with him and MVP for the US title this time with the face/heel roles reversed or a programme with Shawn Michaels.

 

[Billie Jean]

I've always been a Matt fan from his Hardy days to present but aways been a critic of his character develpment. His mic skills are limited at best. One thing i can say is that he is more technicaly sound tahn his brother and can put ona better "wrestling" match. This was the right way to go, it was the only way to elevate him and a wish him the best of luck!