10 Times WWE Wrestlers Were WAY Better Together Than Apart

5. The Hardy Boyz

The Hardy Boyz
WWE.com

Although a singles feud was partially responsible for completely reimagining their ailing careers to such a degree that they ended up in a high profile spot at this year's WrestleMania, Matt and Jeff Hardy had a torrid record in feuds with one another before TNA let them loose creatively and allowed Matt Hardy's #BROKEN universe to spring to life.

Running out of steam (along with the era that birthed their incredible popularity), the North Carolinians were issued a forced parting in late-2001 that drastically failed thanks to the lack of a believable disconnect and an absolutely abysmal first match at December's Vengeance pay-per-view. Casting Matt as the subtle heel without fully committing to the bit and forcing Lita to be the guest referee as if to demonstrate an unsolvable divide buried deep within 'Team Extreme', the contest failed critically and creatively to establish either as the solo stars they were destined to become.

A 2009 reissue fared little better, only highlighting the almighty chasm that had by then developed between bonafide WWE headliner Jeff Hardy and his lesser spotted older brother.

2016's 'Final Deletion' completely subverted fan expectations, not only of a feud between the siblings but of professional wrestling's broadening limitations in general. Whether WWE can recreate something similar for their global 'Universe' is not only an outlying question, but currently still a matter for the courts.

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