10 WWE Battles With Fascinating Backstories
3. Edge Vs. Matt Hardy (SummerSlam 2005)
It's ironic that Lita played such a pivotal role in the positivity of the previous entry, because she was vital to the negativity surrounding this one. The long-term girlfriend of Matt Hardy, she started seeing Edge behind her lover's back in 2005. This wasn't an on screen story, it was very much real.
As a result of this betrayal, Hardy appeared to lose his mind. Ranting online about the situation, he was released by the company in April, 2005. Edge and Lita received nuclear heat from wrestling fans over the situation, and it was clear this was something WWE couldn't just sweep under the carpet.
Months later in July, Matt shocked everyone by attacking Edge on Raw. The whole thing was treated as though it was unscripted. In reality (bizarrely), it was all part of the story and the men were set to clash at SummerSlam.
The match didn't go long, ending in less than 5 minutes with a defeat for Hardy via stoppage. It's incredible that he was willing to set aside his personal animosity towards Edge and Lita to work his pain into an angle.