Matt Hardy - Main Event?

[HellPaso]

The beauty about this angle is that Matt is getting over from Jeff's over-ness. Matt could never get as big a pop as Jeff because he wasn't as crazy or as underdog-y. He's much better suited as a heel - the reason his V1 character didn't get over is because nobody cared about who he screwed out of a win. With him costing Jeff (probably the 3rd face of the company) the WWE title in a match Jeff had won he got serious, serious heat. With the win at WM, he got the rub from Jeff and the fans will now take him as a more serious threat. Matt's moveset is suited more to being a heel - he can ground his opponents and dominate them. I think he's finally hit onto a character that is good for him and different enough for him to get really over. If they keep this fued going a little longer with Jeff than the sky is the limit for the both of them - Jeff could lose to Santina and he'd still be as over as ever.
Can I just point out though: How fucking AWESOME must it have been for the Hardy's to be able to put on a one-on-one match together at WM25, one playing a heel and one playing a face? Plus they got (arguably) the biggest reaction of the night (bar 'Taker HBK, obviously).

 

[GNR8701]

I never really cared to much for matt hardy. ever. I dont look at him as being worth much at all. In fact for the most part I always root against him - BUT I WILL BE OBJECTIVE and give numbers to come to an un-biased answer as to whether or not he can be a main eventer. You need a few things to be a big player in WWE. 1} Mic Skills. 2} Talent 3} Physical appearance. 4} Ability to get a reaction. 5} The ability to fued with an opponent. 6} Ability to pull of a gimmicky match. 7} Make your character believable. There could be more but thats all I can think of. Mic Skills: He has absolutely none. on a scale of 1-10 I rate him as a 4 and that is being nice, he used to be a -10 on this one but he has gotten better. Talent: he can wrestle - no denying that, probably a 7 out of 10 (he is not a super-technician). Physical appearance: He is more out of shape than any of us want to believe, his gut always hangs over and he has no arms and a chest that only looks moderate and the same beard for the past 99 years, that makes me say 4 out of 10. Ability to get a reaction: definately a 9 out of 10, he gets pops and boos. Ability to fued with an opponent: probably an 8 out of 10, he has had great long term fueds with edge, MVP, and jeff. Gimmick match ability: 10 out of 10, ladder, extreme rules, last man standing, loser leaves raw, whatever it is he can do a gimmick match. Believable Character: He can convince the crowd that he is better than MVP, is extreme when he was in ECW and in the TLCs, was a hurt lover in the edge-lita triangle, and is a bitter brother of Jeff and that makes him a 10 out of 10 on that. Those rankings that I have made up . . . . and of course I have no real expertise and this is severely my own opinion and I have no experience yadda yadda, . . . . . but my rankings have him at: Mic - 4, Talent - 7, Looks - 4, Reaction - 9, Fued - 8, Gimmicks - 10, Character Believability - 10. That averages out to a 7.428. Being a 7.5 out of 10 is not going to be good enough. He will need to improve his mic skills or his physical appearance to move up the ranks. The only reason he is as high as he is right now is because he is a heel and there are not enough good heels in WWE.

 

[rowdy ruben]

im sorry but i still feel matt is not ready. he should feud with mvp again for the u.s. tittle. he is not wwe or wh material. i would rather see jeff or christian pushed rite now.

by the way i hate his new look. he looks like a pirate

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Matt Hardy's clearly going to be pushed into the main event fold now that he's beaten Jeff. But the question is if he's ready for the spotlight? Well, he's already been there. Remember his feud with Edge and Lita? Edge was a main eventer. Matt was the jaded ex of Lita out for revenge. Matt also had the 'Mattitude' era. Remember that? Good stuff. I think Matt Hardy can take the ball and run as far as the WWE will let him.

The thing I'm worried about is if Matt and Jeff have a rematch, and Jeff wins, it nullifies what happened at Wrestlemania. I just hope they move Matt along to a feud with someone else. I'd love to see him feud with CM Punk, and end up winning the MITB from him. Everyone knows the MITB is a rocket launcher for wrestlers...except for Kennedy. Anyway, Matt is plenty ready for the spotlight, it's just a matter of what he can do with this new found push.

 

[enigmaticdude]

The problem with Matt (or the fans) is that everytime he starts to gain momentum we get tired of seeing him, back when the Matt/Edge/Lita business happened he was fired but WWE rehired him because they were flooded with phone calls, emails and every other method of communication under the sun and what happened after that feud finished? We (the fans) stopped caring. Its never been Matts fault (or Jeffs) that he didn't make it, its always been ours.

Yeah, the fans really cared back then. It is today's wrestling fans who are just so damn quiet and don't cheer or boo that often. These wrestling fans don't know the WWE of the past with the legends and the Attitude Era and the pre WWE world when it was WWF. Matt Hardy is awesome, sure he does lag a bit in the ring and he has gained some weight but he still wrestles pretty well. He could be just as over as Jeff or more. He can be a WHC or wwe Champion in the future. WWE fans have got to get up and cheer for the damn wrestlers who put their bodies on the damn line for their entertainment. I understand why the fans would be quiet if there is someone like Vladimir Koslov or snitsky or mark henry in the ring, but why Matt? Come on fans CHEER HIM!!! He is a future hall of famer along with his brother as one of the greatest tag teams of all time.

 

[stillboy21]

The thing I'm worried about is if Matt and Jeff have a rematch, and Jeff wins, it nullifies what happened at Wrestlemania. I just hope they move Matt along to a feud with someone else. I'd love to see him feud with CM Punk, and end up winning the MITB from him. Everyone knows the MITB is a rocket launcher for wrestlers...except for Kennedy. Anyway, Matt is plenty ready for the spotlight, it's just a matter of what he can do with this new found push.

Beating Punk for the MITB would be great for Matt but I don't think that would happen. Maybe at WM 26 if he keeps up the good work he could win the match. I was thinking more along the lines of an Intercontinental Title reign. And with Mysterio's luck he would end up injured in the match and put on the shelf. This would make Matt more of a heel for injuring a popular face. I almost thought Kennedy could be a world champ when he took out Lashley. Or was Lashley injured before that and that was just an excuse match, I can't remember. But Matt definatly need to show some domance as a heel against other compition besides Jeff.

 

[raptorsfan4life]

you know i look at it with like when they came in to the wwf... hardys & e/c.... edge had good mic skills and was a good wrestler and was entertaining... christian was good but he needed a partner like edge or jericho to really get over... (i haven't watched his tna stuff so no idea how he is independently) Matt hardy was good but again overshadowed and didn't really look like he was gonna be huge... Jeff wasn't great but he took risks and especially 1st tlc you could tell that maybe this guy would get over...The thing is that matt shouldn't but he will.... Even Bischoff agrees with me (Check a previous WZ article) ... Because lets face it in like 5 years WWE will lose many guys to retirement and then they'll need established superstars to be champion... orton and cena can only do it for so long and even now their title reigns seem kinda dull.... Matt will but he's not a draw and probably in my expectations will not do a great job

 

[Godfather]

yes i think he eventually will and it might not be too far away maybe like a year or so. His win over Jeff Hardy as mania might have been the biggest win of his career.

 

[KoffinMade4_2]

Matt has ALWAYS been the better Hardy. It was proven at Mania. Matt is the lesser liability (which WWE is looking for), Matt can play demented and get GREAT heat, and his new ring appearance is main event material ... By WrestleMania 26 or 27 Matt will have had either the WHC or the WWE title at least once

 

[JGalaxtic]

Imma have to agree with most people in this thread that Matt Hardy is ready for stardom - to be huge - and absolutely a main eventer. The push all started with his win over MVP for the US title - great push! Even giving him the ECW title - and now a spectacular performance against his brother at WM25 - Matt Hardy is defintely on a roll here. Personally I like him as a face & heel - both works fine with me - but his new attire and somehow a new spark has awoken in Matt - it seems all the sudden his knees work again (ha)

I think WWE is realizing how big the Hardys are - and their pushing them to be the next world champions of the future - and damn it I couldn't be anymore happier about it.

WWE please dont screw this one up!!

 

[kamakazii699]

yeah i feel that he will win the big one.
after beating Jeff at mania that shows that he isnt just a crappy wrestler.
late 09 he might win

 

[TheVoiceOfWrestling]

im waiting and praying he wins the big one just get him out of this boooring feud with jeff everytime he turns heel he is in a storyline with jeff im the better brother *smack* oh im not hitting my flesh and blood 2 weeks dwn the line jeffs kickin his ass it bores me give him that push he deserves i think he should stay on SD! along with edge and feud for the world title they had some great matches ( yes i am rooting for edge at backlash)

 

[Miko]

I remember making a similar thread to this in the ECW sections, I remember at the time that everyone called me a lunatic. Good to see times have changed.

No, I don't think he will. If he does, I think it'll be a quick, lackluster reign that will end uneventfully because they'll realize that he isn't a good champion.

In his defence he was a good ECW Champion, certainly better than Punk and Swagger. His US reign was crap because they were shipping him over to ECW soon after and he was fueding with the king of boring Shelton Benjamin.

Matt's popular, sure, but he's nothing special. He should be a career midcarder at best in my mind. Even then, I disliked his United States title reign.

He did enjoy some of the best pops in WWE as a face, plus the IWC hates him so that is a sign of greatness right there.

Naturally, we have no clue what will be happening with the draft, but I could see Mysterio and Matt having a feud over the IC title on Smackdown. I don't think Matt would be used as a main event player. He just doesn't have it in him to carry a feud.

See the MVP fued, Matt Hardy's present and the fued was good and interesting, Matt Hardy gets injured and MVP's reign suddenly becomes crap despite the fact that he fueded with Batista at points.

Its been said time and time again that the only thing Matt offers that Jeff doesn't is reliability when it comes to suspensions and such. Jeff isn't great at cutting a promo, but he's better than Matt.

I'd call Matt the superior promo cutter, especially in his version 1.0 days, I hate to say it but his heel stuff is better than his face stuff and certainly better than Jeff's.

Jeff's more over with the crowd than Matt.

Eh, cant deny that.

Jeff's improving his in-ring skills more than Matt.

Jeff's needed more improvement

Jeff's a better flyer

Matt's a better technical wrestler.

and recently he's been showing that he can tell a better story in a match as well.

About even, Matt's never been bad but Jeff's sudden improvement makes him look better is all.

If Jeff had the suspension record that Matt has...man...that guy would be a multiple time champion by now lol. Matt by himself though, is just mediocre in all realms for the most part, so he doesn't deserve a world title reign in my book.

Matt's got it in him to do well and he is certainly taking the steps to further himself, I am not saying that he'll ever be as over as Jeff and maybe not as successfull but he certainly has it in him to become a major player in his own right.

 

[hotwater10]

Yep, He will. After the draft Smackdown is going to water out and he will take it as a heel for a month or too after a good feud with big show.

 

[DJ-LyRiX]

I think Matt will hit the big time this year. Why not? He had a big personal rivalry and won out at the biggest show of the year. The only other people to say that are Undertaker, HHH and Chris Jericho. That's good company to have in that situation.

The world is Matt's proverbial oyster. Matt Hardy = The 2009 Main Event.

 

[SJM12492]

I like Matt as a heel, and mabye in the WWE championship picture.

Personally, I think that it was a little dis-tasteful exploiting Jeff's dog and hope that the WWE try not to do that again, even if they get permission from the guy.

 

[SquareSix]

I was wondering the same thing tonight watching Smackdown. He doesn't seem to have that "it" factor that a WWE/World champion needs. Sure, he is talented, loyal, has stepped up his work, and makes a decent heel, but he just doesn't fit what the WWE views as a long time champion. It's the same thing with Jeff. He was given the title and I'll be honest, I was completley shocked by it because despite him being hugely over with the crowd and again talented (and all that good stuff) he just doesn't have whatever it is that makes a true champion (at least in the eyes of Vince).

I like the idea of having guys like Matt, Jeff, CM Punk, etc. being WWE and World champion. It's interesting, new, and fresh. It is better than the same cookie cutter type champions all the time to say the least. It is a rarity for these types of guys to get to that level and maintain that status. That's a shame too. I think over time with the WWE starting to crack down on steriods that we will see more of these smaller guys being champion and having real championship reigns; not getting the title one week and losing it the next (or shortly thereafter).

I was thinking about Matt getting the win at Wrestlemania this past Sunday. Jeff was the WWE champion. Granted, it was a pretty short reign, but he was the champion. Does this mean that we will see Matt as WWE champion one day? A simple matter of fact is that it does at least say that they think he is capable of beating a former WWE champ. I know, that is using logic and when it comes to wrestling, we can't over think things too much. If we over think things, it vastly limits what can go on in the world of wrestling. My money says that Matt will get a run with the WWE title. It may be one of those short runs, but he will get it.

 

[Sean Valjean]

I've been asking myself this since his fued with Edge. 2005 was without a doubt the hottest Matt Hardy's ever been and if there was anytime to put the belt on him, that was it.

I've always liked Matt, but he's still lacking that "it" factor to be a main-eventer. He just doesn't have the presence that Triple H or John Cena or even Edge, who's just going into his third year as a main-eventer, has. I'm glad he's changed his look and all, but he still needs that "oh-so-special something" because he still has that mid-card blandness that's plagued him for years.

(Lila FTW)

 

[KillBill]

I don't know now, I was very surprised he went over again on Smackdown. Seems like he has more of an edge, more vicious. If he could be like that with someone who isnt his bro like Cena, I could see him doing it.

 

[Scott Free]

Matt Hardy could be a main eventer..IF they let him. The "it" factor is manufactured, all he needs is some wins against established main eventers, besides his brother. That's where I think the whole thing will fall apart, I don't see it happening, the only guy who would have no problem putting Matt over would be the Undertaker, the rest...well, I just don't see it.I always thought the feud with Jeff was only meant to drag Jeff down and not bring Matt up, but that's my opinion, time will tell.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Matt Hardy will be as big as the WWE brass will let him be. He has the push. He beat Jeff at WM 25. It's up to him how far he takes it. I say he has a great chance to take the ball and run with it.

I've posted this before, but his next target has to be CM Punk. If he's going to go next level, he needs to take out Punk, get his title shot, and make the most of it. Cena v/s Hardy hasn't been done. Orton v/s Hardy hasn't been done. HHH v/s Hardy hasn't been done. Point is...Matt Hardy's potential could be limitless.

I seriously do see him winning MITB from Punk. It's the only logical thing to do. Punk had his shot, cashed it in on Edge, and became champion. A lot of this stuff will pan out during the Draft.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

New tights is often the sign of a big push. Jericho & Triple H into Speedos are just two examples. Along with two straight wins over his indefinitely more popular brother. I think it's safe to say Matt Hardy is about to get the push of his life. If he fails now then it's nobodys fault but his own.

I'd suggest a feud with Cena. It's beneath Cena, but it's a huge step up for Matt. Or even better, a feud with Shawn Michales. He's not on the same level as Cena, but they'll probably work better together.

 

[Scott Free]

New tights is often the sign of a big push. Jericho & Triple H into Speedos are just two examples. Along with two straight wins over his indefinitely more popular brother. I think it's safe to say Matt Hardy is about to get the push of his life. If he fails now then it's nobodys fault but his own.

I beg to differ, if he gets to follow up with some main event exposure, he's getting a push, if he goes on to feud with Kofi or CM Punk, he's threading water in midcard. I don't think he books his own matches, so how would it be his fault ?

I'd suggest a feud with Cena. It's beneath Cena, but it's a huge step up for Matt. Or even better, a feud with Shawn Michales. He's not on the same level as Cena, but they'll probably work better together.

Here's an example of a push, this would justify him as main event material, I wish they would do something like it but I seriously doubt it.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I don't think he books his own matches, so how would it be his fault ?

Because it's up to him to go out there and have great matches, cut good promos and get fans against him as a heel. He's been given the oppertunity so if fans don't embrace him then it's all his fault.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Matt Hardy getting two wins in a row after Jeff most likely means they are starting to push Matt big. If he moves to RAW, I can see him feuding with HBK or Cena if he stays. If he fails to take advantage of this opportunity he seems to be given, then he won't be given it again. If Hardy continues to improve on the mic and in the ring, I can see him maybe not world champion but a main-eventer by the end of the year.