Every WWE To AEW Defection Ranked From Worst To Best

11. Matt Hardy

Matt Hardy left WWE in 2020 due to overwhelming creative differences.

He was essentially only being used on TV as an enhancement talent around this time to get over new stars like Ricochet and Buddy Murphy. Matt felt he had a lot more left in the tank, so announced his departure from the company through his official YouTube channel, leaving his brother Jeff to swim on his own in WWE.

On the March 18th episode of Dynamite, Matt debuted in AEW with his Broken character. Whilst it was nice to see him in a new setting, there was criticism online that the Broken gimmick had become stale and sluggish at this point. Nevertheless, it still produced highlights like the creative Stadium Stampede match at Double or Nothing where Matt teamed with The Elite to take on The Inner Circle, which involved a fun spot involving the stadium pool (stand-in for the Lake of Reincarnation).

Then there was the Broken Rules match with Sammy Guevara at All Out where he somehow avoided a major injury when his head hit the concrete floor from high above a scissor lift. Then there was the Elite Deletion match held between the two at the Hardy Compound which was fun and nostalgic but also very divisive.

He’s recently switched gears and gone straight with his gimmick as ‘Big Money’ Matt managing Private Party. It’s like MVP instead of Michael Hayes managing The Hardy Boyz in the late ‘90s. He’s turned heel in the process and fought with Adam Page, losing to him at Revolution.

Matt’s been entertaining in his new role, but most of his time spent in AEW has been a tiring rehash of his time as Broken in TNA.