10 Things We Learned From Post-Payback WWE Raw (May 1)

4. DELETE

Matt Hardy
WWE.com

Following their shock WrestleMania return, relentless speculation has surrounded the Hardy Boyz in relation to the #BROKEN storyline that captivated the wrestling industry in 2016.

Some ugly legalities between Matt and Impact Wrestling following their departure seemed to foster shaky ground that WWE were unwilling to walk on, but the prior 48 hours strongly implied that the beloved gimmick would eventually find a home on Monday nights.

The company's experimentation with the pre-tape format that suits the gimmick was on display in the woeful 'House of Horrors', which, if nothing else, highlighted how much creative control should be given to the North Carolinians to ensure the universe they carefully cultivated last year isn't rapidly destroyed by WWE's hamfisted student film-making.

On top of that, Matt and Jeff's retort to newly-minted heels Sheamus and Cesaro was permitted to build to the 'DELETE' catchphrase as an on-camera crescendo before 'Team Extreme' hit the ring to wage war with their new rivals.

It will be interesting to track if WWE persists with the shift, especially with originator Matt having the best handle on the persona via his Twitter schizophrenia and ability to perform a 'greatest hits' version of himself on television in the meantime.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, 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