Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy vs. The Hardy Boys

[HBK-aholic]

The tag division effectively died with the 'death' of 3 teams. The Hardy Boys, The Dudley Boys, and Edge and Christian. I just felt like making one of these for the Hardys as well as E&C. These 2 breaking up took away one of the best partnerships the WWE had ever seen. But separately both have had some great matches, especially with Jeff Hardy being in the Main Event for a long time.

Is what they've given us as singles competitors enough to counter what they effectively did to the tag division? Should they have stayed together?

 

[Phoenix]

I think what they did to the division has been represented by the fact that they were one of the only inter-brand tag teams, even having the belts.

I think the problem is by the time we've reached the end of 2001, we've seen the Hardys, Dudleys and E&C so many times that they had to end it. I thought they set up Edge and Christian's rivalry well and it really paid off for both of them as neither has shadowed the other with their charisma and mike work.

As for the Hardys, they messed up the split when they had that match at Vengeance in 2001, thing is that the previous year saw the Hardys being focused for single pushes, Matt had one of the longest European Title reigns, Jeff won every other non-world title. The Hardy split was due and that came at the right time for them. Unfortunately WWE did not prepare us for the split of all three as they split up other teams with exceptions like Billy and Chuck.

In the end the Dudleys got back because they are the only team who can't do solo runs as they rely on each other.

I think yes, what they have done individually has countered their efforts to tag team wrestling, just there has been no real reinforcements to the tag division since the death around 2002. The worst thing they then did was add another title and little teams to feud over. Edge, Christian and the Hardys split came at the right time, the tag division was just not prepared for it.

 

[timmy872]

I don't think that a Superstar feels like they have achieved true immortality if they are in a tag team. To be honest, I don't think there is a wrestler in the world who REALLY wants to be remembered as one half of a World Championship team. But even so, If the Tag titles REALLY did mean that those two persons where World Champions of their divsion then it MIGHT be a different story. But at the moment now, the Tag Titles are used to put over a superstar. No championship in WWE except the World Title and WWE Championship, illustrates "the end of the journey" in achievements in Wrestling.
Chris Benoit won the World title, it was "the end of his journey" so to speak, I don't mean to be dis-tasteful.
Eddie Guerrero did the same, it was what made him as a superstar, it made him immortal.

The bottom line is, no one is made immortal by winning any championship unless it is World Title or the WWE Championship

 

[Derf]

One of the biggest problems we all have with wrestling today is that w always compare things to the greatest example. Here, we talk about tag teams and therefore compare the greatest tag teams to the rest of them today, an unfair comparison. Matt and Jeff were a great tag team for years, and they may be again someday, but no one can stay a tag team forever, and the Hardys are doing great as singles guys, espesially now that their feud may be over, and they've both got world titles under their belts. In a world where singles superstars are far more important then tag teams, I'm glad to see one of the greatest tag teams slowly becoming two of the most exiting singls superstars of today.

 

[Scott Free]

The bottom line is, no one is made immortal by winning any championship unless it is World Title or the WWE Championship

My favorite tag team of all time is the Road Warriors, they held all known tag titles at the time, AWA, NWA and WWF, historical achievement for a tag team, I think tag teams become immortal as an entity rather than an individual, no matter what Bret Hart did after, people still remember the Hart Foundation tag team, so is it with the Hardys, Team Extreme already is immortal in it's own way.

 

[RawIsRamsey]

Tag teams can reach levels of immortality without singles runs...Road Warriors, Freebirds, Midnight Express, for example...and sometimes a singles guy only achieves greatness in tag teams...guys like James Storm (AMW & BEER! MONEY!), Ricky Morton (Rock n' Roll Express...dude had like 4 failed singles runs and always went back to the well), Charlie Haas (Haas Brothers, TWGTT, random team #6), etc.

 

[hArdyPUNKmArk]

I think that the split came at the right time, as Phoenix pointed out - the devision just wasnt prepared or ready for it. If the Hardyz kept going for a while longer then sure, maybe the tag devision would have been better for a while, but eventually it they would have gotten stale and boring. The same thing with E&C. For them to split it opened up so many more doors for them as individuals, they now had a chance at the bigger better titles like the IC, ECW, US and WWE championships. They never would have won any of that if they remained a tag team.

Phoenix put it perfect.

Edge, Christian and the Hardys split came at the right time, the tag division was just not prepared for it.

 

[RH23]

They needed to break up because we were seeing the same teams and same matches. I thought that all 3 teams were amazing though.