Matt Hardy made his return along with his brother Jeff back at Wrestlemania 33. Matt, who was just off the cusp of one of the more creative gimmicks in years with the BROKEN universe which was an idea conceived back in IMPACT Wrestling. Hardy took the gimmick to Ring Of Honor for a short time and a spin-off of the character was back in WWE but as the WOKEN one. Like many gimmicks that aren't the creation of WWE's however, the gimmick had little focus as compared to when Hardy was in IMPACT Wrestling where he could fully be creative with the character.
The gimmick itself was so successful that the idea and marketability of its debut with the Final Deletion which drew over 400,000 viewers at the time. A significant boost in viewership for the company. Up until that point the company had not seen this many viewers since its days with SPIKE TV. Zoom several years later, and Matt Hardy is back in a similar situation where his creative juices are flowing more than ever and he has his BROKEN gimmick and realizes the true potential of the character.
The landscape of professional wrestling has changed, and for the better though. This is thanks to a second major company now being alive and well in All Elite Wrestling. A company led by Tony Khan and his team of EVPs Kenny Omega, Cody, and the Young Bucks, who have close ties to the Hardy Boyz which go back years. Hardy has been releasing videos entitled "Free The Delete" which seems to be a sign that he is looking to bring back the character, hopefully on WWE Television, however, in the way it should have been presented as. What that way is only Hardy would know.
But, could Hardy be releasing these youtube videos as a way to bring his creation as a marketing strategy for when his contract ends with WWE and can go anywhere else. With AEW's production value and creative freedom that the talent has, this would be a perfect spot for Hardy to thrive in. What could Hardy do while in AEW though?
The answer is many things, but, could AEW already have something for Hardy? The Dark Order has recently been making waves throughout the company and through the excellently produced videos and the speaker of the group Evil Uno calling for a higher leader of sorts with "The Exalted One", this could be a great way to introduce the return of BROKEN Matt Hardy.
Hardy's current WWE contract expires on March 31st, 2020, which would mean that he would be free to go anywhere he would like after that date as he is close to fulfilling his contract entirely without any question. Could we see Matt Hardy soon after AEW Revolution? What would you like him to do if he leaves WWE?