10 Incredible Last Minute PPV Changes You Never Saw Coming

9. The Hardy Boyz (WrestleMania 33)

triple h kurt angle
WWE.com

As rewarding a return in real life as it blatantly was for fans of the characters, Matt and Jeff Hardy’s explosive WrestleMania 33 comeback was some genuinely heart-felt mutual wish fulfilment.

Having both exited WWE via acrimonious side exits following various battles with drug and alcohol addictions, the future looked bleak for the brothers as they continued on simultaneously dangerous paths in TNA.

Thankfully, it wasn’t just their creative life that hit rock bottom working for the Orlando outfit. Suffering unfortunate public lows on mediums from YouTube to pay-per-view main events, Matt and Jeff eventually broke free of their addictions and launched into characters that unexpectedly propelled them back into the North American wrestling mainstream.

As #BROKEN Matt, the elder Hardy was a revelation as a deranged version of his former self, and when Jeff entered the world following viral sensation ‘The Final Deletion’, the two were firmly on the long road back. One of the loudest WWE pops of the year vindicated so much of work it took to get them back where they so desperately wanted to be. Literally climbing a ladder to tag team gold on the same night concluded their fabulous redemption.

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