Matt Hardy is celebrating a decade since the Final Deletion, the groundbreaking cinematic match that he credits with completely reviving his and Jeff Hardy’s careers.
Speaking on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, the veteran reflected on the 10th anniversary of the 2016 classic, marveling at how often fans still bring it up. “Every time we do a meet and greet, it comes up at some point,” Hardy said, noting that of all the cinematic matches the brothers have done, the Final Deletion remains the one people reference most.
More than a viral moment, Hardy said the match and the “Broken” characters it birthed gave the Hardys a career resurgence when they needed it. “It totally reinvigorated our total careers, and it gave us new life,” Hardy said. “I really can’t put into words how important the Broken Matt Hardy and Brother Nero characters were to our career. It made us white hot again.” He explained that the buzz put the brothers back on WWE’s radar and led to a return run that Jeff, in particular, had wanted.
For Hardy, the whole saga underscores a lesson he believes every wrestler should take to heart. “It shows, if you are a pro wrestler, how important it is to think out of the box and be willing to reinvent yourself and go a new direction,” he said.
Hardy also takes pride in how he and Jeff have evolved wrestling storytelling over the decades, from being the “forefathers” of the ladder, tables, and TLC style to pioneering cinematic matches. “Now we’re telling stories where we’re making movies, and kind of tricking everyone to think it is a wrestling match, while making a small film,” he said. “It’s cool how we’ve had those different ways of telling stories.”
