Ever since the Hardy Boyz returned at WrestleMania 33 this year, fans have been clamoring for the act that made Matt Hardy the hottest performer in wrestling in the year 2016. After their legal battle with Anthem now appears to be over, we are getting "Woken" Matt Hardy. Matt teased it on Raw last week and has apparently been a huge hit on house shows. Although WWE has changed the act to ‘Woken’ so they can own it, fans should be excited we get it at all (especially if he brings Vanguard 1). With all the excitement, however, that makes us wonder, who should the Woken One battle first? Whether it be at the war zone in the Hardyz yard prepared by Senor Benjamin himself or in whatever arena Raw is in, these are five wrestlers we can’t wait to see Woken Matt Hardy face.
Bray Wyatt
It was a loss to Bray Wyatt that began the story of Woken Matt on WWE television, and as the two share similar type gimmicks, Wyatt is the one person fans have earmarked as a favorite to face Matt, and it looks like he will be the first opponent for Matt when his transformation is complete. We don’t know how similar Hardy will be to his run in Impact as Broken Matt, as WWE may censor a lot of his ideas, but if these two are given creative reign, it could be one of the weirdest yet most entertaining feuds in recent memory. If this indeed does happen like reported, it will be unfortunate for Wyatt as he has gained a reputation for losing all of his big matches, but it would be a great stepping stone to give legitimacy to the Woken Matt character.
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The New Day
We know he is out until 2018, but it’s likely Brother Nero will join Matt when he returns. If anyone can match the duo for comedic/entertainment value, it’s The New Day, and that’s a rivalry we are dying to see. We know that they are on opposite shows, but The New Day vs. Woken Hardyz or even a story where they team up would be absolutely incredible, and the matches wouldn’t be too bad either. As we’ve said, these guys would all need creative influence on the rivalry, but we’ve seen The New Day involved in some hilarious segments. If they took it as far as Impact did with the Final Deletion, this rivalry would be one for the ages.
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The Miz
The Miz is easily the best talker on the Raw roster, and when he returns to following his current absence, he needs a big rivalry. So why wouldn’t the A-Lister come back to take out a ‘D-Grade movie Villain’ (or however Miz decides to phrase it)? The incredibly odd nature of Woken Matt and his many character nuances would work perfectly with the arrogant Miz, and if they both put their heart and soul into it, this could even be a big WrestleMania match. This one is definitely going to happen because it would feature the most popular act in wrestling from 2016 against the most hated man on Raw, and if WWE let Matt make the decisions surrounding his character, this could get really weird, and that’s a good thing.
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Elias
Elias is probably the last person you’d expect to see on a list like this, but he would be great for the simple reason that he generates incredible heat from the fans by simply playing guitar. Imagine what could happen in some pre-taped segments with Woken Matt. His character still needs development, but Woken Matt needs to step over some people to get to the top of wherever the WWE wants to push him, and Elias would provide the best opposition on the current Raw roster. If the WWE is serious about Elias and his future as a top-flight heel on the main roster, this would be a great challenge for him, and it would no doubt provide some real entertainment value.
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The Fashion Police
The Fashion Police, consisting of Tyler Breeze and Fandango have emerged as the most consistently entertaining part of Smackdown Live over the past six months. Although they aren’t serious title contenders at this point, they are absolutely hilarious, and the difference in characters between them and The Woken Hardyz would make for some must-see TV. It’s unlikely this one will happen, but this would be a battle of pre-taped segments and who does it best, so with some time put into those segments, this could be some of the funniest stuff WWE has ever done. If the WWE truly put time into this rivalry, it could be some of the best stuff on TV, and it’s one we NEED to see sometime over the next 12 months.