High Road/Low Road - Matt Hardy in TNA

[Lynas]

Posted by Sat & Chad Nevett on 01.21.2011 FOR 411MANIA.COM
A brief explanation of the column: Sat takes the High Road (positive view) on angles, gimmicks, and other wrestling related "stuff" while Chad Nevett takes the Low Road (negative view).

In this week's edition of the High Road/Low Road, we look at Matt Hardy in TNA. Will TNA benefit from having Matt Hardy on the roster or will it turn out to be a huge mistake? Find out what we think inside...



High Road:
When I first heard about this mystery opponent for Rob Van Dam, I was not looking forward to it. I was not expecting anybody major to be the mystery opponent and I was thinking that it would probably be another Immortal member. Given what was expected, Matt Hardy was an excellent choice for the mystery opponent.

Low Road:
Matt Hardy was the obvious choice. Despite what people tried to say, Hardy was the only choice that made any sense and was one thrown out as a guess by everyone. There was no surprise, but also no promotion. If everyone knows it's Matt Hardy, why not just say so and at least promote that he's coming? Typical TNA: wanting to ‘surprise' the fans despite not surprising anyone and losing out on drawing some attention through proper promoting.

High Road:
Introducing Matt Hardy as a heel was a smart move for many reasons. First, nobody was going to buy Matt Hardy coming in as a baby face while Jeff Hardy was a heel. Matt Hardy also needed to be a heel cause you can argue that Matt Hardy is pretty hated right now by the IWC. Finally, whenever a new wrestler comes to TNA they always come in as a baby face. I am sick of that, so it is nice to see somebody come in as a heel.

Low Road:
Is Jeff Hardy as a heel working? Why squander the resource of the Hardyz reunited as heels? They're one of the most over tag teams in history and are over as faces. Making them heels seems like such a waste. (And Mr. Anderson debuted as a heel, I believe. But, point taken.)



High Road:
I like that TNA decided to add Matt Hardy to Immortal. It would have made no sense to have him be aligned with Jeff Hardy, but not a part of the group. The only negative I see for Matt Hardy in Immortal is that the group got bigger, but that is something I can live with because the addition of Matt Hardy makes sense in this case.

Low Road:
Why not have Matt arrive and oppose his brother? I know that Hardy feuds have failed in the past, but that was when Matt inexplicably turned on Jeff. Here, they could have had Matt arrive with the goal of bringing Jeff back to the side of the angels. Fighting him to save him, you know? That would have been far more interesting and would have made for a good out for Jeff to turn face. With both brothers as heels, the inevitable face turn will no doubt be much more awkward.



High Road:
Matt Hardy is definitely going to benefit from the TNA schedule. Late in his WWE run, Matt Hardy was getting injured quite a bit and he was definitely not in the best of shape. TNA is known for having a lighter schedule than the WWE and that should be beneficial to Matt because he should be able to stay in shape.

Low Road:
He should get less run down, but ‘stay in shape'? He's had the lighter (or nonexistent) schedule since his release and he's not in any better of shape. If he couldn't keep in shape during the more hectic, work-intense schedule, why would a lighter schedule accomplish that? From an injury perspective, yes, TNA's lighter schedule is a good thing, but, with regards to staying in shape, I don't think so.



High Road:
Whenever a new arrival shows up to TNA, there is the potential for some great new matchups that we have not seen. Granted with Matt Hardy, there are not as many great matchups as when Kurt Angle or Jeff Hardy joined, but we should get a few good matchups. Also, the matchups will be worthless is Matt does not get in decent shape. Still, I think at the end of the day we will see some interesting feuds with Matt Hardy and that is all you can ask for.

Low Road:
I'd agree if this was a Matt Hardy that looks like he can deliver great matches or interesting feuds, but it isn't. His work with RVD and in the tag match on Impact was awful. It was sloppy and slow. I don't want to see him wrestle period, new match-ups or no new match-ups. He brings little to the table beyond his name.



High Road:
Matt Hardy in TNA is definitely going to be interesting to see because he is going to be motivated to do a good job. He definitely has to be feeling slighted and this should lead to him wanting to prove the doubters wrong.

Low Road:
And yet his debut and follow-up weren't just lackluster, they were godawful. If he isn't motivated right now, I doubt he ever will be.



High Road:
TNA did not waste any time getting the Hardys teamed up. I personally would have waited a bit, but it doesn't really matter at the end of the day. The Hardys tag team has a ton of potential because there are some great matchups that I would love to see. This is definitely a year or so down the road, but it would be great to see Beer Money against the Hardys, the Machine Guns against the Hardys and even Generation Me against the Hardys.

Low Road:
Again, you want the Hardyz that were great. The Hardyz I saw on Thursday were shadows of their former selves. Seeing them wrestle the new great tag teams will drive that point home even further, especially if they were put in the ring with Generation Me, a team that is basically a younger version of the Hardyz.

High Road:
There is some potential for a Jeff and Matt feud to happen in TNA. While the WWE did this a few years ago, I don't think it was very good. Some of the things that the WWE did with Matt killing Jeff's dog was not very interesting and it ended after two or so matches. TNA has managed to create a good feud with Team 3D which nobody expected, so imagine what they could do with the Hardys.

Low Road:
I agree, but that would have only worked if Matt debuted as a face to counter his brother with the hopes of turning him good again. Now, what's the motivation? A senseless turn? That's what made the WWE feud so awful. TNA had the chance to feud the brothers without a senseless, illogical turn, and they chose not to do it.

[Big Red Machine]

Both sides make great points