This is something that changed people's opinions of all three involved, for better or for worse. Everyone knows the story by now... Matt Hardy was dating Lita, and was very good friends with Edge. Somewhere along the way, Lita and Edge began fooling around, and then began dating, leaving Matt to be heartbroken. Matt could have handled things in any number of ways. He could have found Edge backstage and physically attacked him. He could have done the same to Lita (that isn't an advocating man-on-woman violence, by the way). He could have felt that they deserved each other, did nothing, and moved on. He could have tried some sort of "revenge plot", attempting to sleep with someone that Lita or Edge were close to. What he finally decided to do was complain on the internet, almost non-stop. Matt had taken private business and gone public with it. WWE made a decision... and they fired Matt. Lita was one of the biggest female stars of all-time, and Edge was an up-and-coming talent that was destined for the main event scene. Matt was viewed as the "disposable" one of the trio, already out with a major knee injury, so he was let go. That helped to build heat for Edge and Lita, with Lita's character basically being called a "slut" or "ho" by fans until the day she retired. Three months after being released, Hardy would return to WWE, and his mini-feud with Edge was underway. He would attack Edge, then make comments about Ring Of Honor (he would appear at an RoH event days later), leading viewers to wonder if they were witnessing a work or a shoot. We got a few matches between the two, but eventually, Edge would defeat Matt in a "Loser Leaves Raw" match, and Matt would be sent to Smackdown, back when WWE actually used a "brand split". With Matt taking the events so personally, and being so emotionally worked up about it, you have to give him credit for staying professional during his return matches with Edge. Everyone watching was expecting the matches to turn into shoots, with both men trying to take legit shots at each other. The matches were harder hitting and more intense than the average Edge or Matt Hardy match was, yes, but both men were able to reign in any real emotions and deliver entertaining work. Backstage had to have been something different entirely, though. If you've ever been cheated on, picture how you would react if you ran into your ex and the person they cheated on you with for the first time, and picture how insane the atmosphere would be.
Columnist/Podcaster/Director at LordsOfPain.net for nearly seven years, with nearly 2000 total columns written. Interviewed and/or involved in interviewing the likes of Tyler Black/Seth Rollins (twice), Diamond Dallas Page, Jimmy Jacobs, Christopher Daniels, Uhaa Nation and more.
