Matt Hardy/Career history
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Career
Before his World Wrestling Federation (WWF) debut with his brother Jeff, Matt was trained by former wrestler Dory Funk, Jr.. Hardy, along Jeff and friends, started their own federation, the TWF (Trampoline Wrestling Federation) and mimicked the moves they saw on television. Before signing with the WWF, Matt and Jeff created their own wrestling promotion, OMEGA Wrestling, in which Matt competed under the name High Voltage. Shortly after Matt Hardy sent in a tape for the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Amateur Challenge using the ring name High Voltage, a WCW tag team began to use the name, causing Hardy to change his name to Surge. A few years later, it was revealed to him by Chris Kanyon that the tape had been kept in the WCW Power Plant, watched multiple times, and that the name High Voltage was blatantly stolen from it.
The Hardys also wrestled for several other North Carolina based wrestling organizations and adapted a number of alter-egos. As The Wolverine, Matt captured the New England Wrestling Alliance (NEWA) Championship in May 1994. As High Voltage, he teamed with Venom to claim the New Frontier Wrestling Association (NFWA) Tag Team titles in March 1995. A month later, High Voltage defeated the Willow for the NFWA Championship.
World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment
The Hardy Boyz (1998-2001)
Hardy worked as a jobber from 1994 up until he signed a full-time contract. His first WWF match was against Nikolai Volkoff on May 23, 1994, and he lost by sumbission. He wrestled sporadically throughout 1994 in the WWF, losing matches against Crush, Razor Ramon, Owen Hart and The Undertaker. Hardy continually wrestling with the WWF sporadically, including matches against Hunter Hearst Helmsley and "The Ringmaster" Steve Austin. It was not until 1998, however, that the Hardy brothers were given a full-time WWF contract. The Hardy Boyz used a cruiserweight, fast-paced high flying style in their matches, often leaping from great heights to do damage to their opponents (and themselves in the process). Although Jeff was better known for his extreme moves, Matt was a prodigious high-flier himself. In 1999, while feuding with Edge and Christian, the duo briefly picked up Michael Hayes as a manager. On July 5, they won their first WWF Tag team Championship by defeating the Acolytes, but lost it back to them a month later. They soon dumped Hayes however, and joined the short lived stable The New Brood. After breaking away from Gangrel, Matt and Jeff were briefly managed by Terri Runnels, after they won her services in the first ever tag team Ladder match.
In 2000, the Hardy Boyz found a new manager in their real-life friend Lita. Together, the three became known as "Team Xtreme". Throughout 2000 they continued feuding with Edge and Christian, defeating them for the WWF Tag Team Titles on two occasions. At SummerSlam the Hardy Boyz competed in the first ever Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, for the Tag Team Titles against the Dudley Boys and Edge and Christian, but were unsuccessful.
Singles career (2001-2005)
In 2001, after Jeff's Intercontinental Championship run, Matt was given a singles championship push. Matt won the European Championship on SmackDown! four days before Backlash. He became the second-longest reigning European Champion in history and the longest-reigning American-born European Champion.
Throughout the year, the Hardyz continued as a tag team, winning the WWF Tag Team Titles two more times, and the WCW Tag Team Titles during the Invasion. By the end of the year, the Hardy Boyz were kayfabe having trouble getting along.
At the beginning of 2002, it seemed Team Xtreme had patched things up. However, after the Brand Extension, Matt Hardy was relegated to HEAT while Jeff Hardy wrestled on the main show, Raw. On the August 12 episode of Raw, Matt turned against Jeff (Matt was frustrated for not receiving a number 1 contender shot against RVD), during Jeff's match against Rob Van Dam. A short time later, Matt joined the SmackDown! roster. On the October 3 edition of the show, Matt took advantage of a run-in from Brock Lesnar to defeat The Undertaker.
Having now dubbed himself Matt Hardy: Version 1, and with his MF'er (Mattitude Follower) Shannon Moore in his corner, 2003 began with Matt frantically trying to lose weight to get under the 220 lbs. weight limit to compete for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. After just barely making weight, Matt defeated Billy Kidman at No Way Out to win the Cruiserweight title. At WrestleMania XIX, he successfully defended it against Rey Mysterio. The Mattitude stable then expanded to include Crash Holly as Shannon Moore's "Moore-on" (follower). He later disbanded the stable and returned to Raw in order to be able to travel and work with his then girlfriend Lita, who just returned from an injury. He kayfabe turned on Lita on his first night back after teasing a proposal to her. Matt Hardy spent little time on Raw and later turned face by engaging in a rivalry with then heel, Kane. Lita was also involved in the storyline, and Matt Hardy took time off after a chokeslam from Kane off the stage during Lita and Kane's wedding.
Release and independents (2005)
Along with his friend Rhyno, Hardy was released by WWE on April 11, 2005. Edge and Lita received jeers from the crowds at WWE events, often resulting in chants, "You screwed Matt," and, "We want Matt." Paul Heyman, in a "shoot" promo, mocked Edge for his actions at One Night Stand. Lita, for the first time in over five years, turned heel as a result of the affair becoming public knowledge.
Matt Hardy released two character promotional vignettes, that he was planning to use before he was offered a new contract by WWE. Hardy called himself The Angelic Diablo with the tagline "the scar will become a symbol" in reference to the way in which he has been treated by Lita and WWE. On the June 20 edition of Raw, during the storyline wedding of Edge and Lita, Hardy's entrance music and video were played when the priest asked if anyone had a reason why Edge and Lita should not be wed. On the July 11 episode of Raw, Hardy made his return, attacking Edge as he made his way to the ring. On the July 13 edition of WWE's webcast Byte This!, which featured Lita as its guest, one of the callers was Hardy himself. The two engaged in a huge argument which led to Lita walking off the set.
Hardy appeared at a scheduled Ring of Honor (ROH) event on July 16 in Woodbridge, Connecticut where he defeated Christopher Daniels via submission. Hardy also cut a brief promo where he continued in full 'worked shoot' mode, attacking WWE and John Laurinaitis. Following his official return to WWE, Hardy was met with backlash during a match with Homicide from the fans at a subsequent ROH event, which Hardy won. He received the same reaction the next day at his final ROH appearance, where he lost to Roderick Strong.
Return to WWE
2005–2006
On July 11, 2005, Hardy posted on thematthardy.com that he was finally "free", that wrestling fans had not seen the last of him, and that he had a surprise for the fans who had supported him. That night on Raw, Hardy attacked Edge backstage and again later during Edge's match with Kane, leaving the commentators speechless. Before being escorted out of the building by security, Hardy stated that Edge and Lita would pay for their actions and told fans that they could see him at Ring of Honor. Hardy also called out Johnny Ace as he made his way out. This caused an uproar amongst fans, who were confused and wondered if the whole thing was a work or a shoot. Similar occurrences repeated during the following two weeks.
On the August 1 edition of Raw, Vince McMahon officially announced Hardy's return to WWE, adding that Hardy would face Edge at SummerSlam. Hardy made his in-ring return, defeating Snitsky on the August 8 Raw. Seconds after the victory, Matt was attacked by Edge, and as he was being carried backstage, Matt counterattacked Edge in the locker room. On August 21 at SummerSlam, their match came to a premature end when Edge dropped Hardy onto the top of a ring post, causing him to bleed heavily. The referee ended the match on the grounds that Hardy could not continue, and Edge was declared the winner. After SummerSlam, the two continued fighting on Raw, including a Street Fight that resulted in Matt performing a Side Effect on Edge off the entrance stage and into electrical equipment below. At Unforgiven, Edge faced Matt Hardy in a steel cage match. Hardy caught an interfering Lita with the Twist of Fate and won the match with a leg-drop off the top of the cage. Hardy and Edge faced each other at WWE Homecoming in a Loser Leaves Raw ladder match. Edge's briefcase holding the contract for his WWE World title shot was suspended above the ring. The winner of the match received the contract and the loser was forced to leave Raw. After a contentious match, Edge tied Matt's arms in the ropes, and Lita trapped Hardy in a crucifix hold, leaving Matt only able to watch Edge win. When the match ended, Edge and Lita gloated over the victory, but Matt took it in stride and left the arena. With his defeat at the hands of Edge, Hardy was moved to SmackDown! where he re-debuted with a win over Simon Dean on October 21 in Reno, Nevada.
Back on SmackDown!, Hardy started an angle with MNM (Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury) and their manager Melina when Melina approached Hardy, seemingly wanting Hardy to join with her team. Hardy refused the offer, which led to him facing the tag team on several occasions with a variety of partners. One of his partners, Road Warrior Animal, brutally attacked him after they were defeated - sick of "pulling all the weight in tag teams". Animal, who was renamed The Road Warrior, and Hardy feuded for a while after this, with Hardy picking up several wins over the veteran, including a qualifying match for the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 22, which was ultimately won by Rob Van Dam.
Hardy next competed in the SmackDown! King of the Ring tournament, losing to eventual winner Booker T in the opening round thanks to a low blow and distraction from Sharmell. Matt Hardy also became the first man to defeat Mr. Kennedy. On July 25, after the SmackDown! taping, Hardy was taken out of action after doctors found the remnants of the staph infection that had plagued him the previous year. He was sidelined until August 25]while he healed. Hardy made a surprise appearance backstage at Unforgiven after Jeff's match against Johnny Nitro. Lita joined the two in the segment, making this the first time the three had been seen together on WWE television since February 2003. Hardy then began a rivalry against Gregory Helms which saw both winning over each other time and time again. Then at No Mercy, in both of their hometown, Cameron, North Carolina, Hardy beat Helms.> The two met again one more time at Survivor Series, where Hardy's team won in a clean sweep.
The Hardys reunion (2006–2007)
On the November 21, 2006 episode of ECW on Sci Fi, Matt and Jeff competed in a match together for the first time in almost five years, defeating the Full Blooded Italians. At Survivor Series, the Hardy Boyz were scheduled to compete with CM Punk as part of Team DX vs. Team Rated-RKO (which included Edge, Randy Orton, Johnny Nitro w/ Melina, Mike Knox, and Gregory Helms) in a traditional Survivor Series Match. Team DX won with a shut out, last eliminating Orton. At December to Dismember, the Hardy Boyz issued an open challenge to any tag team who wanted to face them. MNM answered their challenge by reuniting at December to Dismember, but ultimately lost to the Hardy Boyz. At Armageddon, Matt & Jeff competed against Paul London and Brian Kendrick, MNM, and Dave Taylor and William Regal in a Ladder match but lost. Subsequently, he and Jeff feuded with Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro after the legitimate incident where they injured Mercury's face at Armageddon 2006. This led to a bitter long term rivalry, and at the Royal Rumble, Matt and Jeff defeated MNM. Mercury and Matt continued to feud until Mercury was released from WWE in March. Before Mercury's release, however, Matt defeated him to earn a spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 23, which was ultimately won by Mr. Kennedy.
The next night on Raw, the Hardys competed in a 10-team battle royal for the World Tag Team Championship. They won the titles for the sixth time after last eliminating Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. After briefly feuding with Cade and Murdoch, the Hardys retained their World Tag Team Championships in their first title defense at Backlash. On the June 4 episode of Raw, however, The Hardys lost their titles to Cade and Murdoch, after Murdoch pushed Jeff's foot off the bottom rope during Cade's pinfall, causing the three count to continue.
Feud with MVP (2007–present)
On the July 6, 2007 edition of SmackDown!, Matt Hardy won a non-title match against Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), which resulted in a feud between the two. Hardy was unable to defeat MVP at The Great American Bash for the WWE United States Championship. MVP then claimed that he was "better than Hardy at everything", which led to a series of contests between Hardy and MVP, such as a basketball game, an arm wrestling contest, and a chess match which MVP "sneezed" on and ruined when Matt put him in check. MVP challenged Hardy to a boxing match at Saturday Night's Main Event, however MVP was legitimately diagnosed with the heart condition Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Since MVP was unable to compete, Hardy faced his replacement, former world champion boxer, Evander Holyfield. The match ended in a no-contest after MVP entered the ring to verbally abuse Holyfield, who then knocked him out. MVP also challenged Matt to a beer drinking contest at SummerSlam, but as revenge for what happened at SNME, Hardy allowed Stone Cold Steve Austin to replace him; Austin simply stunned MVP then kept drinking.
After a segment involving MVP inadvertently choosing Hardy as his tag-team partner, Theodore Long promptly set up a match against Deuce 'N Domino for the WWE Tag Team Championship which the duo were able to win, therefore setting up Matt's first reign as WWE Tag Team Champion. It is the first time Hardy has held a Tag Team championship with someone other than his brother. Hardy and MVP retained the titles at Unforgiven in a rematch against former champions Deuce 'N Domino. Matt was scheduled to face MVP at Cyber Sunday, but due to a head injury sustained on the previous episode of SmackDown!,
On the November 16 edition of SmackDown!, Matt & MVP lost the Tag Team titles to John Morrison and The Miz. Despite the fact that Matt was hurt, MVP immediately invoked the rematch clause. After the rematch, in which Matt Hardy was forced to tap out, MVP attacked Hardy, repeatedly targeting his knee. It was later confirmed by WWE.com that Hardy had suffered an injury at his former partner's hands and that he might not be able to compete at Survivor Series. Despite his absence at the pay-per-view, his team was able to win the match. On November 21, WWE.com reported that Hardy underwent an emergency appendectomy in Tampa, Florida. A CT scan revealed an inflamed appendix after Hardy was feeling extreme pain. Later surgery revealed that his appendix had already burst. According to Hardy himself on his MySpace, on December 8 doctors back in North Carolina found an abscess of infection that had not been caught, and he had it drained, spending an additional several days in the hospital. Hardy made an appearance at the December 31 edition of Raw supporting his brother Jeff. However, he was (kayfabe) attacked by Randy Orton, who was making a point to Jeff. Hardy made his return at a live event in Muncie, Indiana on March 1, 2008.
On March 30, at Wrestlemania XXIV, Hardy made his televised return to WWE programming in the Money in the Bank ladder match by cutting through the crowd and preventing MVP from grabbing the briefcase. He made his official in-ring return the next night on RAW, losing a singles match to WWE Champion Randy Orton. On the April 4 edition of SmackDown!, Hardy faced MVP in a non-title match, which he won, re-igniting their feud. Later that month at Backlash on 27 April 2008 he won the WWE United States Championship.
ECW
Hardy was later drafted to ECW via the 2008 WWE draft, taking the U.S. Championship with him. Hardy then had a small feud with Chavo Guerrero for the title before dropping it to Shelton Benjamin. Hardy
hardy is the ecw champion def. mark henry at unforgiven
