The greatest WWE return of all time - The Hardy Boyz [Opinion]
Disclaimer: As this is an editorial, the opinions stated below are of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Sportskeeda or its staff.
The surprise return of Edge at the Royal Rumble was greeted with delight, shock and surprise by the WWE Universe. The 11-time World Champion had been forced to retire at the top of his game in 2011 following neck surgery and it was presumed that he would never be able to return.
The comeback of the Rated-R Superstar got me thinking about my favorite comebacks in the history of the WWE - and for this writer there can only be one winner: The triumphant return of Hardy Boyz at WrestleMania 33.
The brothers have had Hall of Fame careers -- they established themselves as one of the greatest tag teams of all time, and both Matt and Jeff enjoyed periods of individual success as well. After drifting in and out of WWE between 2003 and 2009, both men found themselves gone for much longer. Jeff left WWE in August 2009 and Matt followed in October 2010.
Matt had a difficult stretch following his release from WWE, spending only 6 months in TNA in 2011. He eventually found himself having a career renaissance on the independent scene and Ring of Honor, which led to his return to TNA in 2014 after a 3-year absence. Things became stable for both men at that point, successfully teaming, and feuding with each other, for the next 3 years.
The seven years that would follow Jeff's excusion away from WWE were much more successful. He experienced a couple of bumps in the road, but Jeff became a mainstay in TNA, enjoying three reign as TNA World Heavyweight Champion. He arrived at the very beginning of 2010 and remained until early 2017, when he and Matt both left the company shortly before WrestleMania 33.
In mid-2016, before their departure from TNA, the brothers transformed themselves and started the critically-acclaimed "Broken Hardys" gimmick. In their final stretch with the company while things were getting tumltuous (they were on the verge of leaving due to contract disputes), the Broken Hardys embarked on the "Expedition of Gold". The men had the ambition of becoming the greatest tag team in history of the world, (as well as all of "Time and Space").
This period would see the TNA Tag Team Champions win tag titles in The Crash, a Mexican promotion, as well as House of Glory, MCW Pro Wrestling, New Dimension Wrestling, OMEGA, and Ring Of Honor. All in all, they concurrently held seven tag team championships.
After enjoying so much success, I don't think anyone was expecting a return to WWE at any point in the near future, particularly as controversy had followed the brothers during their first spell in the company (and for Jeff, his first and second stints).
Often going into major events such as WrestleMania, there are rumors and even out-and-out leaks that WWE can't hide, which leads to "suprise" appearances being less-than-surprising. Between that as well as hints during in the build up to matches, fans have a pretty good idea of how the event is likely to pan out and any returns that may happen. That wasn't the case with the return of Matt and Jeff, who explained in a 2017 interview just how closely things were kept under wraps.
Matt explained:
"The other three teams that were in that match only knew two days before. There were a handful of people in the office that knew about it. I would say there was probably under 15 people that knew about it at that time, maybe under 20 at the most. It was so contained. In this day and age, in age of technology and the age of social media, it’s amazing to have something stay under wraps that long."
The original match at Wrestlemania was supposed to be a triple threat ladder match featuring Enzo Amore and Big Cass, The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus), and RAW Tag Team Champions Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.
As the match was due to begin, the hosts of WrestleMania, The New Day, came out and said that the match was now going to be a Fatal Four way match. The crowd was excited, expecting The New Day to join the fray as they slowly made their way towards the ring.
It wasn't themselves they were referring to, however, and when that iconic music hit, the crowd went wild:
I've been watching WWE for over 20 years I can't remember a crowd reaction quite like it. It was excitement mixed with sheer stunned shock at what had just occurred. As someone watching it on TV, the reaction of Michael Cole was also a vital part of what made this such a goosebump-inducing moment.
"Oh myyyyyyyyyy. Things are about to be broken! Team Extreme is back! Matt and Jeff, The Hardy Boyz are here!"
It wasn't just the fans and commentary team that were stunned. Matt and Jeff were also taken aback by the reaction.
During that same interview from 2017 Matt added:
"It was one of the most exhilarating, exciting things I’ve ever done for sure in my career. The payoff of that crowd and just returning home under those circumstances and getting that reaction was absolutely amazing."
They won the titles that night and have also enjoyed another reign as Smackdown Tag Team Champions.
Whatever they go on to accomplish in the future their career will be defined, and perhaps most remembered, for that amazing WrestleMania moment.