'Woken' Matt Hardy Persona Appears to Be Gone

Matt Hardy returned to WWe television for the first time in more than nine months on Tuesday [...]

By Connor Casey

Matt Hardy returned to WWe television for the first time in more than nine months on Tuesday night, teaming up with his brother Jeff to take on Cesaro and Sheamus.

While seeing Hardy wrestle is a surprise in and of itself given that speculation of his retirement was spreading for months, fans were quick to notice that all signs of his "Woken" persona were gone.

The Hardy Boyz gave an interview backstage afterwards, where they stated they were back together as a tag team.

"I think we sent a very specific, special message today," Hardy said. "And basically that is this, myself, Matt Hardy, and the Charismatic Enigma, Jeff Hardy, we are the greatest tag team in all of time and space, and were are back together to prove that, without a shadow of a doubt. Myself, I know the last time people saw me I was 'Woken' Matt Hardy. Well I have learned how to control the Woken Wonder that is inside of me, the Broken Brilliance inside of me."

Hardy continued to show his character change on Twitter.

"I have returned HOME with (WWE). And all my traits are CONVERGING," he wrote.

After reinventing themselves as "Broken" Matt Hardy and Brother Nero in Impact Wrestling and Ring of Honor, the Hardys returned to the WWE at WrestleMania 34 as a surprise entrant in a multi-team ladder match for the Raw tag team championships. The pair won the titles that night, but seemed to be back to their old "Team Xtreme" gimmick rather than what had recently made them popular. It turned out that Hardy was in a legal feud with Impact over the copyright surrounding the "Broken Universe" trademarks, and as a result he was unable to use the gimmick until late 2017. Hardy finally turned back into the maniacal persona during a feud with Bray Wyatt, leading to "The Ultimate Deletion" at the Hardy compound in March 2018. After winning the match and tossing Wyatt into the Lake of Reincarnation, the pair formed an alliance starting at WrestleMania 34, eventually winning the Raw Tag Team Championships as the Deleters of Worlds.

After dropping the titles in July, both men disappeared from television as Hardy revealed he needed time to heal from his pelvis fusing to his back due to years of in-ring competition. His brother Jeff spent the majority of 2018 on the SmackDown Live roster as a singles wrestler.

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