By Melissa Antoinette Garza
If asked a month ago, I would’ve sung an unending praise of IMPACT WRESTLING and their overall roster. Sadly, thanks to IMPACT’s resident douchebag Jeff Jarrett and ANTHEM SPORTS VP (of screwing people over) Ed Nordholm, the show I came to love is dead.
I’ve been a wrestling fan since I can remember. Half of my school papers were about Roddy Piper, Bobby Heenan and Jimmy Hart. That said, I hadn’t watched in quite some time. Then May of last year, I heard of Broken Matt Hardy.
I watched a few YouTube clips and was hooked. I always liked the Hardy Boyz, but this new persona was brilliant. Wrestling fans rejoiced for something that sang to old-school fans while also being refreshingly original.
It was because of Broken Matt Hardy and Brother Nero Jeff Hardy that my husband Steve and my brother Geno got back into wrestling. Up until two weeks ago, Steve and I would go over Geno’s every Thursday night to watch IMPACT. The collective Hardy family; Matt, Jeff, Reby, King Maxel, and Senor Benjamin prompted us to rent a wrestling PPV for the first time in well over a decade! We all even went to a local indie show where we had a meet & greet with Broken Matt and Brother Nero. It’s significant to know that this show was not related to IMPACT/TNA in any way shape or form. The Hardy Boyz would go all over the globe to different venues as these awesome characters; characters THEY created.
For a while, IMPACT was amazing! It was a topic of conversation for me and my inner circle all week long! Whether discussing how cartoonish and hilarious Maria Kanellis and Mike Bennett were or how Rockstar Spud and Aron Rex shined in their homage to Liberace. Only Jeff Jarrett would take someone as charismatic and hilarious as Rockstar Spud and make him an announcer! JJ is envious of anyone with a shred of talent.
Before Jarrett and Nordholm had their secret meetings and ruined IMPACT, wrestling was FUN again. What these tools don’t understand is that fans don’t want every performer to be a badass or carry themselves seriously. UFC and boxing exist. We have enough serious sports! We want action mixed with hilarious segments and interesting storylines. We want dedicated men and women; and none are as dedicated as Matt, Jeff and Reby.
At any time, especially in the last year, the Hardy Boyz could have left IMPACT. They were the attraction that kept the viewer glued to their seats. Matt and Reby Hardy were so devoted that they held numerous events at their own compound and put their money into producing some of the best segments in wrestling history. WWE would have scooped the family up in a second, but in interview after interview, Matt conveyed his desire to save IMPACT, and he did – numerous times! He chose loyalty and love of the craft over money and the company repaid him by fraudulently claiming ownership over his creation and subsequently bilking him out of revenue he could earn at his new company.
When it was revealed that Jeff Jarrett was coming back and the Hardy Boyz along with quite a bit of the roster were checking out of IMPACT, I knew I was done with the show. I knew it was going to get ruined. Jeff Jarrett is a talentless hack who ruins everything he touches. Every gimmick he has ever attempted were rip-offs of others or just trash! I believe he still sells merchandise that says “SLAP NUTS” on it. That is the level of idiocy we are dealing with! Good job, Ed Nordholm! Choose the guy who has destroyed the company numerous times to lead it. If not for Jarrett’s daddy, he would have never been involved in wrestling. He’s the furthest thing from self-made, unlike Matt and Jeff who began in their own backyard and achieved success due to their dedication and methods to reinvent themselves. Worse, Jarrett is a hypocrite. He claims to be a Christian, yet is controlled by envy and hatred for anyone who makes it in the sport.
Now I wasn’t worried about the Hardy family. I knew they would easily find work at any wrestling venue and before I could guess which, they had the biggest contract in history with RING OF HONOR. I had never watched ROH, but now I certainly had reasons to start. If the rumors swirling about them returning to the WWE are true, I’ll be starting a membership to their streaming service.
As for IMPACT, the changing of the guard should have been the end of the story. Matt took to Twitter and in his typical class-act approach, wished the roster well. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, IMPACT wasn’t as graceful. Not satisfied with producing an unwatchable program that is sure to fail and pissing off every true wrestling fan. They opted to bite the hand that fed them for the last year. Yep! These corrupt and dishonorable trolls are attempting to stake claim on the Broken Universe.
These mindless cheats claim that they, not Matt and Jeff, own the personas and all it encompasses. I’m shocked Jarrett and Nordholm aren’t trying to take over the Hardy compound! These sleazeball dimwits threatened lawsuits to companies that air the duo on ROH. Thankfully, only DISH Network bent over, but it’s the principle, something Ed and JJ know nothing about.
If that weren’t low enough, now these scums of the earth are attempting to trademark the Broken Universe in Youtube videos. They have edited the synopsis of all the Broken Hardy videos (many shot by Reby Hardy) to include ™ after any mention of Broken Matt, Brother Nero, etc. They can use TM all they want, I have two letters for Jeff Jarrett and Ed Nordholm – FU!
Anyone watching IMPACT the last year, know it was the Hardy family who created the Broken Universe. It wasn’t even hidden! It was common conversation among the IMPACT crowd. Jeremy Borash said as much on Twitter. Matt Hardy (as Broken Matt Hardy) would go on podcasts and openly discuss in interviews relaying the process of creation. No one ever corrected him! This is HIS baby!
It wasn’t just the Hardy family that emphasized this either. Other wrestlers or commentators within the business would express the same sentiment, again and again. Credit was always rightfully given to the Hardy family, until JJ and Ed took over. Everything that built the Broken Universe is owned by the Hardy family; the lake of reincarnation which is on the Hardy’s property, Vanguard 1 which is Matt’s drone, the dilapidated boat on the Hardy compound. I could go on and on, but the point is that it all of it belongs to Hardy Boyz. Not to mention, Matt and Jeff have been creating videos for years! The Hardy Show illustrates perfect examples of their collective stylings and sense of humor. Those recordings alone make it clear, who the mastermind behind the Broken Universe was.
And let us not forget, Reby Hardy’s father Senor Benjamin! Hell, IMPACT wasn’t even paying him, yet constantly profited off of his persona. On social media and advertisements for the show, they went as far as to promote his appearances. How does Ed and JJ explain that one? Did someone from the company say, “Hey Mrs. Hardy, let’s get your father in a role. We’ll have him play a gardener and help with the matches that we are plan to do at your house, and often at your expense! Also, we’re not going to pay him.” Is that the story they’re going with? I’m not sure because in-between Nordholm’s condescending and degrading Tweets and JJ’s faux professionalism, their lies consistently contradict one another. I seriously hope Reby destroys these scumbags in court. I know the whole Hardy bunch are in the fight together but as a woman, I admire Reby through and through. Her strength, passion, loyalty and vigilance in protecting her family is inspirational.
Taking only the evidence I’ve already mentioned under consideration, the truth is obvious. Still, there’s so much more. Most telling is the contract Matt and Jeff had with IMPACT. There was a caveat that allowed them to go to any other venue. When they did, they weren’t different personas. No, the 7 deities were there providing premonitions as deletion after deletion occurred. They were introduced as Broken Matt and Brother Nero. I saw them in action firsthand!
On October 21, 2016, I went to Fall River MA with Geno and Steve to see The Hardy Boyz. Matt and Jeff made it one of the best moments of my life! They were sincerely kind and gracious despite me acting like a starstruck teen. There was a huge line of fans waiting and far more people paid to see them than the venue anticipated. Still, Matt and Jeff spoke with each person showing them a level of decency and goodwill that fans take with them for the rest of their life. They didn’t rush people away or act as if anyone was a burden. The night was so profound that I still talk with one of the girls I met there. Kenzie is a cool chick who adores wrestling probably more than I do. Though, I didn’t know her before then, we now share this remarkable experience of speaking with two of the greatest wrestlers of all time.
When it was my turn to meet Matt and Jeff, I thanked them for what they were doing for professional wrestling. Though modest and in character, Broken Matt conveyed he was trying to keep things new and fresh. He succeeded magnificently! When they got into the ring, they sold the match in a manner beyond professionalism. Not only did they help the indie wrestler get over with the crowd, but they acted as though this small gym filled with a few hundred people was WRESTLEMANIA.
The Hardy Boyz are wrestling gold! If JJ and Ed had a shred of intelligence they would have made things work with Matt and Jeff. They breathed life into IMPACT and resuscitated it more than once. Still, even if they couldn’t have a meeting of the minds contractually, the Hardy family were more than willing to leave the company amicably. Rather than securing a positive professional relationship with the hottest men in wrestling, Jarrett and Nordholm opted to act in the sleaziest way possible. It baffles me how they sleep at night.
On principle alone, I’ll never watch another IMPACT show unless Jarrett and Nordholm are gone and their successors repair the disgusting actions that are currently taking place. That said, I don’t think IMPACT will make it that far. It’s already dead in the hearts of countless wrestling fans, it’s only a matter of time before the nail is put in the coffin.
The good news is that ROH will still be standing and ready to take its place. In fact, POP TV would fare better with advertisers if they canceled IMPACT now and picked up ROH. Airing The Young Bucks vs. The Hardy Boyz will bring in a much larger audience than anything JJ and Ed throw together!
In the end, good will prevail over evil. JJ and Ed are already exposed for the charlatans they are. Wrestling fans are not stupid, but we are loyal – and no one deserves our loyalty more than The Hardy Boyz!
Bonus Videos: I refuse to link to anything on the IMPACT WRESTLING Youtube channel, but enjoy some of the Hardy Boyz brilliance via the RING OF HONOR channel and the MATT HARDY BRAND (MATTHARDYBRAND) channel.
