50 Ruthless Aggression Era Superstars Ranked From Worst To Best

32. Matt Hardy

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Pros:

1. Well-rounded wrestler

2. His ‘Mattitude’ gimmick was actually very entertaining

3. Excellent midcarder

Cons:

1. Wasn’t his brother Jeff

2. Wasn’t his brother Jeff

3. Wasn’t his brother Jeff

While his brother Jeff was flying high, enjoying considerable popularity and flirting with the main event, Matt was stuck in the mid-card, despite being a more technical wrestler and more controlled personality. Everyone constantly compared Matt to his younger brother, and when they found that he had less charisma and ‘it’ factor, he became nothing more than a lifestyle guru with his ‘Mattitude’ gimmick.

However, life is full of intrigues, and Matt suddenly became a white hot act when his long-time girlfriend Lita cheated on him with Edge. Matt’s sudden reappearance, legit assault and shoot promo were awesome because they were realistic, and suddenly, Matt was arguably the most sympathized person on RAW. 

WWE finally had their golden opportunity to raise Matt to a higher level…and they screwed it up by making him lose to Edge in 5 minutes.

Just like that, Matt Hardy’s best chance of greater stardom disappeared so that Edge could ride the coattails and become an even bigger heel. Afterwards, he returned from whence he came: the mid-card, never achieving the popularity his brother had or the success he’d soon achieve.

Final Rating: ***1/2

Contributor

Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.