TNA World Tag Team Champion Matt Hardy has revealed a creative storyline that he pitched to Vince McMahon in 2017 for his “Woken” character, an idea that would have kept his injured brother, Jeff Hardy, on television in a unique way. Unfortunately for fans of the “Broken Universe,” the pitch was not well-received by the former WWE Chairman.
In 2017, following The Hardy Boyz’ return to WWE, Jeff Hardy suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery and would keep him out of action for several months. During that time, Matt transitioned into his popular “Woken” persona and began a feud with Bray Wyatt. In an effort to keep his brother involved and add another layer to his character, Matt pitched a storyline inspired by the television show Dexter.
Speaking on his podcast, The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, with co-host Jon Alba, Matt detailed the creative pitch he made directly to Vince McMahon. The idea was for Jeff to appear to him as a ghostly apparition, a “figment of his imagination,” that only he could see and interact with.
“There was a point where Jeff, when we returned to WWE in 2017, we did our run of the Hardy Boys, and Jeff had got hurt. He’d had shoulder surgery, and he was going to be out for five or six months… And I was starting the program with Bray Wyatt, and there was a point where Vince asked if there were some supplemental things I could add in that could kind of help Broken Matt Hardy. And I said, ‘Well, I have this idea.’ And I was like, ‘Vince, have you ever watched the show Dexter?’ And he’s like, ‘Dexter? Not, not familiar with it.’ It’s like, okay, well, so Dexter’s dad was like his North Star, right? He was kind of like his guiding light. And Dexter’s dad would appear, and he would give him advice. But really, it was like Dexter internally, kind of thinking this thing. It was almost like he was his conscience or his soul.”
Hardy explained how he would adapt this concept for his character, using Jeff as his guide. While he thought the idea had potential, it was clear that Vince McMahon was not a fan of the supernatural concept.
“I said, ‘What if we do a thing where Broken Matt’s here, he’s in this dilemma… and then all of a sudden, Jeff is there, and he’s talking to him, and he’s hurt, you know, he has the shoulder sling on whatever else. Someone walks in the room and they see me talking to someone, but there’s no one there, and Jeff is just a figment of my imagination.’… Vince hated it. Vince was not a fan. He’s like, ‘Oh, he’s not there. It’s a vision.’ It was never a no, but I could tell that it just wasn’t, it wasn’t his cup of tea.”
Matt is currently one-half of the TNA World Tag Team Champions with his brother Jeff. You can hear his full interview on the latest episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
