Opinion: Matt Hardy and AEW are a match made in heaven
One of the most beloved stars in the business, Matt Hardy is in for an exciting 2020. His contract with WWE is expiring sometime in March. The former multi-time tag team champion has been quite vocal about his position in the company and how he would like to contribute more as an in-ring performer.
Hardy has been putting out a lot of content on his YouTube channel under the ' Free the Delete' series, which would indicate that he would be returning to his Broken persona once he leaves WWE.
There have beeen a lot of speculation about where Hardy would head next and as expected, a lot of rumors have indicated a potential move to AEW. Matt is good friends with The Young Bucks and Cody and therefore it would make sense for him to sign with the Florida-based promotion.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that Hardy would be heading AEW once his WWE contract and could potentially be revealed as the leader of 'The Dark Order' stable.
Whether or not Hardy is joining Dark Order, we feel that he would be a perfect fit for AEW. As someone who has worked live TV for over two decades and is one of the most creative minds in the business, Matt would be a huge signing for Cody & Co.
AEW is in dire need of stars who can get more eyes on their product. Dynamite has witnessed a constant decline in ratings with the number fluctuating between 700-900k. While it will be ludicrous on our part to expect the show to hit over a million viewers every week, the fact that Dynamite hasn't been able to grow its viewership and has lost more than a quarter of its audience since its TV debut, which is a worrying sign. The steady decline in the show's live attendance is another indication of how badly the show needs stars.
Matt Hardy is someone who is globally recognized due to his exploits in WWE and IMPACT. He has a sizeable fanbase all across the globe. Him signing with AEW will pique the interest of a lot of casual wrestling fans who are familiar with his work in WWE and IMPACT.
In addition to being an in-ring performer, the Older Hardy can act as a coach/ producer, similar to the role Christopher Daniels has in the promotion, and help out Young talent with performing on Live TV. Matt bringing the Broken Universe or a form of his former persona to AEW would be a huge rating draw for the company.
On the flip side, there is no real incentive for Hardy to stick with WWE unless he wants to slowly transition into the role of producer. The company, at the moment, has a stacked roster and Hardy, despite being a huge name, isn't as agile as someone like a Ricochet or Buddy Murphy. From the looks of it, the company has no intention of pushing him as a top star and we believe that it is time for him to move to greener pastures.
Matt would get a limited schedule in AEW and would be more of a character than a wrestler for the company. He would only need to wrestle a handful of times in a month, which will give him enough time for his body to recuperate. At this point, AEW seems to be a perfect fit for Matt Hardy and if used correctly, The Broken One could turn the Wednesday Night Wars in favor of Cody & Co.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article belong to the writer and doesn't necessarily represent Sportskeeda's stand.