10 Best Matt Hardy Matches

It's A WONDERFUL Life

matt hardy final deletion
ImpactWrestling.com

Matt Hardy's complex legacy within pro wrestling was rather earnestly documented by WWE before hsi recent decision to step away from the company due to mounting injuries.

Alongside brother Jeff, the multi-time Tag Team Champion was the subject of an enlightening '24' special on the WWE Network that chronicled their personal highs and lows ahead of a genuinely magnificent 2017 return. The story mirrored their professional career - one heroic climb up a ladder or to the top rope would ultimately end with a dramatic and painful plunge.

This particular documentary thankfully had a different ending. Though older brother Matt expressed lingering worries for Jeff's addiction battle, he bravely predicted long-term victory in his own. Furthermore, whilst injuries perhaps expedited his decision to walk away whilst he still could, the clear joy he had for his wife and children away from wrestling as his first love was infectiously joyous to behold.

Hardy's career wasn't without tumult and turmoil, but his self-belief remained strong when many others predicted his story ending with the weakest possible conclusion. Unlike the terrifying stunt matches that defined an entire half of his career, Matt Hardy stood firm at the top of the ladder in the end - tributes (including this list) following his announcement pay respect to a man that never stopped applying graft to his craft.

10. Vs. Edge (Unforgiven 2005)

Matt Hardy Edge
WWE.com

After a SummerSlam 2005 misfire got Edge and Matt Hardy's blood feud off to a stuttering start, the pair turned up the Sports Entertainment for their weapons-heavy battles on Monday Night Raw either side of an iconic cage match victory for the wronged man.

It was only really in these circumstances Matt was permitted a win. In truth, his return had done more to further Edge's singles trajectory than his own, with the feud comprehensively going the way of the 'Rated-R Superstar' by the close of the year. Miraculously, their ability to put understandably tense personal differences to one side resulted in the programme being one of the stronger shoot-to-work series', and the cage match was the undisputed highlight of their run.

With a top-of-the-cage legdrop conclusion Matt presumably regrets in 2018, Hardy laid many of his personal demons to rest in the most cathartic manner possible. The mesh provided the ideal background for their conflict too. Lita - the woman between the men - was forced to bear witness to the violence she'd helped create. Fury at love (and briefly, livelihood) lost burst out of Hardy's every pore in what was up to that point his most convicing ever singles display.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett