WWE: Matt Hardy unlaces boots for (possibly) final time

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Speculation has been swirling for weeks, but it appears the WWE's Matt Hardy has wrestled his last match.

Growing up, way back in the late 1980's, when professional wrestling entered my world, those late Saturday nights when what formerly was the WWF (now WWE) came on, I was kid in complete awe.

There was Andre the Giant dominating opponents. I dreamed of one day having 24-inch pythons, all thanks to eating my vitamins. Snakes being brought out and being placed on fallen opponents and the insurmountable presence of "Rowdy" Roddy Piper all piqued my interest.

These were much simpler times, ones in which naivete about the world of wrestling, not realizing the outcomes had been scripted, allowed awe and an infinite suspension of disbelief.

By the time my late teens and early 20's rolled around, I'd handed over my fandom of the WWE for others to love. I'd outgrown the sport enough to not watch the shows anymore (but still occasionally read up on).

Matt Hardy was part of the reason I came back.

He was part of the now idolized Attitude Era of the WWE. Wrestlers like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Christian and Edge, and Mick Foley were all favorites of mine (to name a few) during this new era of WWE.

And of course, Hardy was one-half, along with his brother Jeff, of the iconic duo The Hardy Boyz. It was in their TLC match at Wrestlemania 17 in which my fandom was won over once again.


The rise and fall (and rise again) of both Hardy brothers has been well documented. Though I missed much of their TNA (now Impact Wrestling) careers, I did my best to keep up-to-date with what they were up to, including their epic Hardy compound match.

The rumors have been flying for the past month or so about Matt transitioning from an in-ring role to something backstage. Matt seems to have finally confirmed as much last night:

The Matt Hardy Brand

We all might have assumed that when the Hardy Boyz returned at Wrestlemania 33 the upcoming years were going to be a swan song for the duo. Their high-flying, risk-taking style of wrestling took their physical toll on both men.

They provided fans a few final memories as a tag team, winning the title upon their return. Both were given a singles run, with Matt and the WWE finally obtaining the rights to use the WOKEN character outside of Impact Wrestling.

While Jeff continues to put his body on the line -- he has a match against Randy Orton in the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view -- it appears Matt has finally seen the end of the line.

Most of the time, fans take a retirement in the WWE with a grain of salt. It seems there is always one more match, one more run, or one more time of taking a bump in the ring.

With the dedication to the craft Matt put forth it's entirely possibly he no longer wants to put his body through that.  Hopefully a long career behind the scenes -- if that's what's in store for him -- will continue Matt's life within the WWE. No matter the case, he has a Hall-of-Fame selection coming his way in the future.

In the end, Matt Hardy was much more than a brand. He was a hard-worker, a dedicated performer, and a master of words. Importantly, he was an inspiration. And he will never be obsolete.

photo credit: flickr.com

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