Over the last three decades, Matt Hardy has had an undeniably successful career as a pro wrestler, which has included Hardy implementing various versions of himself. Following his initial tag team run with his brother Jeff, Matt debuted his “V1” character on WWE TV, and speaking on “Busted Open Radio,” Hardy recently looked back at that time in his life.
“I’ve tried very hard to be ahead of the curve,” Hardy said. “I was so happy because when Jeff and I first separated … and Jeff was a babyface on ‘Raw’ and I was a heel on ‘SmackDown,’ and I got to do Matt Hardy ‘Version 1,’ that was much more in my lane. … It was character work. I got to be over the top, a little delusional, full of myself.”
Looking back on his time tagging with his brother, Matt noted that Jeff had a clearly defined identity as the high-flyer of the duo. “I was kind of like the meat and potatoes of the team, and Jeff was the guy that would do all the amazing rock star stuff,” Matt stated. Breaking off on his own, Matt had the chance to do something totally original, and he leapt at the opportunity.
Working alongside WWE’s creative team, Hardy integrated digital iconography into his presentation and began presenting “Matt Facts,” poking fun at both himself and the emerging online culture. In many ways, V1 Matt Hardy served as a precursor to some of his later swings, including the recently-returned “Broken” Matt Hardy character.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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