TNA's The Final Deletion: 8 Things You Totally Missed
It was ridiculous, it was absurd, it was preposterous, it was utterly brilliant.
It will go down as the most polarising wrestling match of 2016, and it'll be a long time before the smoke has cleared over what was called the 'Final Deletion'. It was barely a match, more an abstract trek through absurdist storytelling, history, sibling rivalry and more. It opened with a referee calling for it to start, and it ended with a 1-2-3. That was as 'professional wrestling' as it got.
Some immediately lambasted the match, calling it the height of ridiculousness and the final sign that TNA have well and truly lost the plot. Others called it refreshing, a change of pace and scenery for the company that seems to have been vindicated by the huge spike in ratings that the Final Deletion brought.
Me? I'd firmly put it in the pile of things labelled 'Completely Brilliant'. The Final Deletion was, from start to finish, the most wonderful of absurd wrestling stories, a collection of events and call-backs that genuinely made me interested in Matt and Jeff Hardy for the first time since 2001.
It was also borderline genius, with each turn rewarding the eagle-eyed viewer with a new easter egg. Whether it was Willow's shorter than short appearance, the number of trees surrounding the ring or even the landscaper, there was a hell of lot in the Final Deletion.
Here are eight things you may have missed.
8. Maxel's Hair
There was more to the Final Deletion than the 'match' itself of course. The show opens with Broken Matt and his wife Reby Sky celebrating the first birthday of their son, Maxel Hardy. A little party for the tucker is being held next to a wrestling ring, as the happy family celebrate the first of many birthdays to come for the heir to the Hardy throne.
Señor Benjamin brings a present, a magnificent xylophone, continuing the theme of musical instruments throughout the story. Benjamin and Sky have a brief conversation regarding Matt's health, but the focus soon switches back to Matt and his desired deletion of Brother Nero.
The highlight of it all however, is that lil' Maxel's hair is the same as Papa Matt's. Preposterous, and with a (less prominent) grey streak through it. Adorable.