World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment

 The Hardy Boyz (1998-2002)
It wasn't until 1998 that the brothers were given a full-time WWF contract. The Hardy Boyz used a cruiserweight, fast-paced high flying style in their matches, often leaping from great heights to do damage to their opponents (and themselves in the process). Although Jeff was better known for his extreme moves, Matt was a prodigious high-flier himself. In 1999, the duo feuded with Edge and Christian and spent a short time in the stable The New Brood. After breaking away from Gangrel, Matt and Jeff were briefly managed by Terri Runnels. Subsequently, their Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches with Edge, Christian, and the Dudley Boyz made them extremely popular and propelled them to five reigns as the WWF Tag Team Champions.

 Singles career (2002-2005)
In 2001, after Jeff Hardy' Intercontinental Championship run, Matt Hardy was given a singles championship push. Matt Hardy was given the European Championship on SmackDown! (where he would become the second longest reigning European champion in history) two weeks before Backlash 2001. Throughout the year, the Hardyz would continue as a tag team, winning the WWF Tag Titles once again and the WCW Tag Titles during the The Invasion. By the end of the year, the Hardy Boyz were having trouble getting along (kayfabe).

At the beginning of 2002, it seemed Team Xtreme had patched things up. However, after the Brand Extension, Matt Hardy was regulated to HEAT while Jeff Hardy wrestled on the main show, RAW. On the August 12, 2002 episode of RAW, Matt turned against Jeff (Matt was frustrated for not receiving a number 1 contender shot against RVD), during Jeff's match against Rob Van Dam. A short time later, Matt joined the SmackDown! roster. On the October 3, 2002 edition of the show, Matt used outside interference from Brock Lesnar to defeat The Undertaker. He would also go on to defeat the Undertaker in several occasions (although it would mostly consist of disqualifications or count outs).

Having now dubbed himself Matt Hardy - Version 1.0, and with his MF'er (Mattitude Follower) Shannon Moore in his corner, 2003 began with Matt frantically trying to lose weight to get under the 220 lb. weight limit to compete for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. After just barely making weight, Matt defeated Billy Kidman at the No Way Out 2003 in Montreal, Quebec to claim the Cruiserweight Title. At WrestleMania XIX in Seattle, he successfully defended it against Rey Mysterio. The Mattitude stable would expand to include Crash Holly as Shannon Moore's "Moore-on" (follower). Matt Hardy would receive the most amount of success in his wrestling career during his stay on Smackdown, but he later disbanded the stable and returned to RAW in order to be able to travel and work with then his girlfriend Lita, who just returned from an injury. He turned on Lita, in kayfabe, on his first night back after teasing a proposal to her. Matt Hardy would once again see little time on RAW, but would later turn face by engaging in a rivalry with then heel, Kane. Lita was also involved in the storyline, and Matt Hardy took time off after a chokeslam from Kane off the stage during Lita and Kane's wedding.

Hardy and Lita were an off-screen couple for six years and used to share a home in North Carolina. However, reports of Lita's pictures being removed from Hardy's website caused much speculation. Their relationship came to an end in late February 2005 (according to Matt's official website) due to Lita's affair with fellow WWE superstar Edge.

 Release and independents (2005)
Along with his friend Rhyno, Matt Hardy was released by WWE on April 11, 2005. His release was confirmed publicly by WWE.

Edge and Lita received jeers from the crowds at WWE events, sometimes resulting in chants, "You screwed Matt," and, "We want Matt." Paul Heyman, in a shoot promo, mocked Edge for his actions at One Night Stand 2005. Lita, for the first time in over five years, turned heel as a result of the affair becoming public knowledge.

Matt Hardy released two character promotional vignettes, that he was planning to use before he was offered a new contract by WWE. Hardy called himself The Angelic Diablo with the tagline "the scar will become a symbol" in reference to the way in which he has been treated by Lita and WWE.

On the June 20, 2005 edition of RAW, during the storyline wedding of Edge and Lita, Matt Hardy's entrance music and video were played when the priest asked if anyone had a reason why Edge and Lita should not be wed. On the July 11, 2005 episode of RAW, Matt Hardy made his return, attacking Edge as he made his way to the ring. On the July 13, 2005 edition of WWE's webcast Byte This!, which featured Lita as its guest, one of the callers was Matt himself. The two engaged in a huge argument which led to Lita walking off the set.

Matt appeared at a scheduled Ring of Honor (ROH) event on July 16, 2005 in Woodbridge, Connecticut where he defeated Christopher Daniels via submission. Hardy also cut a brief promo where he continued in full 'worked shoot' mode, attacking WWE and John Laurinaitis. Following his official return to WWE, Hardy was met with a backlash that saw him get booed out of the arena at another ROH event following a match with Homicide, which Hardy won. The next day at his final ROH appearance, he lost to Roderick Strong.

 Return to WWE (2005-2010)
On July 11, 2005 (which was also the day that his no compete clause expired), Hardy posted on thematthardy.com that he was finally "free" (as in his clause expired) and stated to the fans that they have not seen the last of Matt and that he's got a surprise for his fans who supported him. That night on RAW, Hardy attacked Edge while Edge made his way to the ring from the backstage area. During Edge's match with Kane, Hardy once again attacked Edge, leaving the commentators speechless during the whole ordeal. Hardy was taken out by security, but not before stating that Edge and Lita would pay for their actions, and told the fans that they could see him at Ring Of Honor. He also called out Johnny Ace as he made his way out. This caused an uproar amongst fans, who were confused and wondered if the whole thing was a work or a shoot. This repeated for the next two weeks.

On August 1, 2005, Vince McMahon came out on RAW and officially acknowledged Hardy's return to WWE, adding that Hardy would face Edge at SummerSlam 2005. On August 8, 2005, Hardy made his in-ring return, defeating Snitsky on RAW. Seconds after the victory, Matt was attacked by Edge, and as he was being carried backstage, Matt counterattacked Edge in a locker room. On August 21, 2005, at SummerSlam, their match came to a premature end when Edge dropped Hardy onto the top of a ring post, causing him to bleed heavily. The referee ended the match on the grounds that Hardy couldn't continue, and Edge was declared the winner. After SummerSlam, the two continued fighting on RAW, including a Street Fight that resulted in both men falling off the stage into electrical wires after Matt applied a Side Effect to Edge. At Unforgiven 2005 Edge faced Matt Hardy in a steel cage match. Hardy, despite Lita's interference, won the match with a leg-drop off the top of the cage.

Hardy and Edge faced each other at WWE Homecoming in a Loser Leaves RAW ladder match. Edge's briefcase holding the contract for his WWE World title shot was suspended above the ring. The winner of the match got the contract and the loser was forced to leave RAW. After a contentious match, Edge tied Matt's arms in the ropes, and Lita trapped Hardy in a crucifix hold, leaving Matt only able to watch Edge win. When the match ended, Edge and Lita gloated over the victory, but Matt took it in stride and left the arena. With his defeat at the hands of Edge, Hardy was moved back to SmackDown!. He re-debuted with a win over Simon Dean on October 21, 2005, in Reno, Nevada.

Matt was among five SmackDown! superstars - along with Christian, JBL, Rey Mysterio, and Hardcore Holly to be voted on by fans to compete at Taboo Tuesday 2005 against Edge and Chris Masters. Hardy led the voting with 31% overall, and along with Rey Mysterio (29%), defeated Chris Masters and Snitsky, who filled in for Edge when he legitimately suffered a torn pectoral muscle [4] (which was kayfabed to Edge "not caring" about Hardy or Mysterio, the fans, or the RAW brand).

Back on SmackDown! Hardy started a program with MNM (Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury) and their manager Melina when Melina approached Hardy, seemingly wanting Hardy to join with her team. Hardy refused the offer, which led to him facing the then tag team on several occasions with a variety of partners. One of his partners, The Road Warrior, brutally attacked him after they were defeated - sick of "pulling all the weight in tag teams". The Road Warrior and Hardy feuded for a while after this, with Hardy picking up several wins over the veteran, including a qualifying match for the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 22.

Hardy next competed in the SmackDown! King of the Ring 2006 tournament, losing to eventual winner Booker T in the opening round thanks to a low blow and distraction from Sharmell. Matt Hardy also became the first man to defeat Mr. Kennedy. On July 25, after the SmackDown! taping, Hardy was taken out of action after doctors found the remnants of the staph infection that had plagued him the previous year. He was sidelined until August 25 while he healed.

Hardy made a surprise appearance backstage at Unforgiven 2006 after Jeff's match against Johnny Nitro. Lita joined the two in the segment, making this the first time the three had been seen together on WWE television since February 2003. Matt Hardy then began a rivalry against Gregory Helms not too much later which saw both winning over each other time and time again. Then at No Mercy, in both of their hometowns of Cameron, North Carolina, Matt Hardy would beat Helms to gather a big win raising his singles career. The two would meet again once more later at Survivor Series. On the November 21, 2006 episode of ECW on Sci Fi, Matt and Jeff competed in a match together for the first time in almost five years. They had their old titantron video and entrance music, and defeated the Full Blooded Italians. At Survivor Series 2006, the Hardy Boyz were matched to go with CM Punk as part of Team DX vs Team Rated-RKO (which included Edge, Randy Orton, Johhny Nitro w/ Melina, Mike Knox and Gregory Helms) in a traditional co-captains match. Team DX won by case of a shut out, last eliminating Orton for the win. At December to Dismember 2006, the Hardy Boyz issued an open challenge to any tag team who wanted to face them. MNM answered their challenge by reuniting at December to Dismember, but ultimately lost to the Hardy Boyz. At Armageddon 2006, Matt & Jeff competed against Paul London and Brian Kendrick, MNM, and Dave Taylor and William Regal in a fatal-four-way Ladder Match but lost. Subsequently, he and Jeff feuded with Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro after the legit incident where they injured Mercury's face at Armageddon 2006. It became a bitter long term rivalry. At the 2007 Royal Rumble Matt & Jeff defeated MNM. Mercury and Matt would continue to feud throughout February. The feud ended in March when Mercury was released from WWE. However, before Mercury's release, Matt defeated him to earn a spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 23, which was ultimately won by Mr. Kennedy.

The next night on RAW, the Hardys competed in a 10-team battle royal for the World Tag Team Championship. They won the titles for the sixth time after last eliminating Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. After briefly feuding with Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch, the Hardys retained their World Tag Team Championships in their first title defense at Backlash 2007. The Hardys would continue their feud with Cade and Murdoch, once again retaining the Tag Team Championship at Judgment Day 2007. During his latest title reign, Matt has also been competing on Smackdown! as a singles competitor picking up victories over Booker T and Mr. Kennedy. On the June 4 edition of RAW Matt and Jeff lost the World Tag Team Championships to Cade and Murdoch.

On the July 6 edition of SmackDown!, Matt Hardy won a non-title match against Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), which resulted in a feud between the two. Hardy was unable to defeat MVP at The Great American Bash for the WWE United States Championship. MVP then claimed that he was "better than Hardy at everything", which led to a series of contests between Hardy and MVP, such as a basketball game and an arm wrestling contest. MVP then challenged Hardy to a boxing match at Saturday Night's Main Event, however MVP was legitimately diagnosed with the heart condition Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Since MVP was unable to compete, Hardy faced his replacement, former world champion boxer, Evander Holyfield. The match ended in a no-contest after MVP entered the ring to verbally abuse Holyfield, who then knocked him out.

After a segment involving MVP inadvertently choosing Hardy as his tag-team partner, Theodore Long promptly set up a match for the WWE Tag Team Championship which the duo were able to win, therefore setting up Matt's first reign as WWE Tag Team Champion. It is the first time Hardy has held a Tag Team championship with someone other than his younger brother Jeff.  Hardy and MVP retained the titles at the Unforgiven PPV in a rematch against former champions Deuce 'N Domino. Hardy and MVP wrestled on the October 12th edition of Smackdown against the Brothers of Destruction. 

Matt was scheduled to face MVP at Cyber Sunday, but due to a head injury sustained on the previous episode of SmackDown!, he was not medically cleared to compete.

On the November 16, edition of SmackDown!, Matt & MVP lost the Tag Team titles to John Morrison and The Miz.  Despite the fact that Matt was hurt, MVP immediately invoked the rematch clause.  After the rematch, which Matt Hardy was forced to tap out, MVP attacked Hardy, repeatedly targeting his knee.  It was later confirmed by WWE.com that Matt had suffered an injury at his former partner's hands and that he might not be able to compete at Survivor Series.  Despite his absence at the pay-per-view, his team was able to win the match.

On November 21, WWE.com reported that Matt underwent an emergency appendectomy in Tampa, Florida, and would be out of action for 1 to 3 months. A CT scan revealed an inflamed appendix after Matt was feeling extreme pain.  Later, surgery revealed that his appendix had already burst.

According to Hardy himself on his MySpace, on December 8 doctors back in North Carolina found an abscess of infection that had not been caught, and he had it drained, spending an additional several days in the hospital. Hardy made an appearance at the December 31 edition of Raw supporting his brother Jeff. However, he was (kayfabe) attacked by Randy Orton, who was making a point to Jeff. Hardy made his return at a live event in Muncie, Indiana on March 1, 2008.

On March 30, at Wrestlemania XXIV, Hardy made his televised return to WWE programming in the Money in the Bank ladder match by cutting through the crowd and preventing MVP from grabbing the briefcase. He made his official in-ring return the next night on RAW, losing a singles match to WWE Champion Randy Orton. On the April 4 edition of SmackDown!, Hardy faced MVP in a non-title match, which he won, re-igniting their feud. On April 27, 2008, Hardy defeated MVP to win the United States Championship at Backlash.

After some sporadic feuds for the title, Hardy was drafted to the ECW brand on the June 23, 2008 edition of Raw during the 2008 WWE Draft, in the process making the United States Championship exclusive to ECW. He dropped the United States Championship to Shelton Benjamin at the Great American Bash on July 20, 2008, which meant that the title returned to SmackDown. On the July 22 edition of ECW, Hardy became the number one contender to Mark Henry's ECW Championship after defeating John Morrison, The Miz and Finlay in a Fatal Four-Way match. He won the title match at SummerSlam by disqualification due to interference from Henry's manager, Tony Atlas, thus he failed to win the title. Due to the ending of the pay-per-view match, Hardy received a rematch for the title on the next edition of ECW, but again failed to win the title when Henry pinned him after a distraction by Atlas. At Unforgiven, Hardy won the ECW Championship during the Championship scramble, defeating then-champion Henry, The Miz, Finlay and Chavo Guerrero by pinning the Miz with three minutes left, thus making Hardy the first person in history to win a championship scramble in WWE.Hardy lost the title to Jack Swagger on the January 13, 2009 episode of ECW, which was taped on January 12.

At the 2009 Royal Rumble pay-per-view, after losing an ECW Championship rematch to Swagger, Hardy turned into a villainous character when he hit his brother Jeff with a steel chair, allowing Edge to win the WWE Championship. On the January 27, 2009 episode of ECW, it was announced by General Manager Theodore Long that Hardy had requested, and been granted, his release from ECW, and re-signed with the SmackDown brand.

He was then traded to the SmackDown brand on June 29, and underwent surgery for the torn abdominal muscle on July 2.  He made his return on the August 7 episode of SmackDown as the special guest referee in the World Heavyweight Championship match between his brother, Jeff, and CM Punk, and helped Jeff retain the championship by counting the pinfall.  The following week Hardy saved his brother when CM Punk and The Hart Dynasty attacked both Jeff and John Morrison, turning into a fan favorite again. On the August 21 episode of SmackDown, after apologizing for his past actions towards Jeff, he had his first match back after his injury when he teamed with Jeff and John Morrison to defeat The Hart Dynasty and CM Punk.

In early 2010, Hardy began an onscreen relationship with Maria; the relationship was short-lived, however, as Maria was released from her WWE contract. On the February 16, 2010 episode of ECW, it was announced that Hardy would be mentoring Justin Gabriel on WWE NXT.  On the March 5 episode of SmackDown, Hardy qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXVI by defeating Drew McIntyre, but was unsuccessful at WrestleMania, as the match was won by Jack Swagger.  Hardy was kayfabe suspended by Vince McMahon because he attacked Drew McIntyre after McIntyre lost to Kofi Kingston at Over the Limit.  He was able to get his revenge on McIntyre during the Viewer's Choice episode of Raw when chosen as the opponent for McIntyre, with Theodore Long stating that Hardy was suspended from SmackDown but not from Raw.  On the following edition of Smackdown however, McIntyre announced per orders of Vince McMahon, that Hardy had been suspended from all WWE programming.  At Fatal 4-Way however, Hardy prevented McIntyre from regaining the Intercontinental Championship, thus continuing their feud.  On the following edition of SmackDown he was reinstated by General Manager Theodore Long and had a match with McIntyre which Hardy won. After the match, it was announced that McIntyre's visa had legitimately expired and was sent back to Scotland, thus ending their feud.

On September 12, WWE confirmed they had sent Hardy home from a European tour. Following this Hardy began posting videos on his Youtube channel expressing his disinterest in the WWE product and insisting that he wanted to be released from the company. On October 15, 2010, WWE announced that Hardy had been released from his contract.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2011)
On January 9, 2011, Hardy made his debut for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) at the Genesis pay-per-view, as part of the heel stable Immortal. He was the surprise opponent for Rob Van Dam, and defeated him to prevent Van Dam from receiving a match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, held by Hardy's brother Jeff. In the main event, Hardy attempted to interfere in Jeff's World Heavyweight Championship match with Mr. Anderson, but was stopped by Van Dam, which led to Jeff losing both the match and the championship. On the January 13 episode of TNA Impact! the Hardy Boyz reunited to defeat Anderson and Van Dam in a tag team match, following interference from Beer Money, Inc.. Two weeks later, Hardy suffered his first loss in TNA when he was defeated by Mr. Anderson. On February 13 at Against All Odds, Rob Van Dam defeated Hardy in a rematch.

On the following edition of Impact!, Hardy aligned himself with Ric Flair, as he turned on Fortune and jumped to Immortal. On March 13 at Victory Road Hardy was defeated by Flair's previous protege, A.J. Styles. On April 17 at Lockdown, Immortal, represented by Hardy, Abyss, Bully Ray and Ric Flair, was defeated by Fortune members James Storm, Kazarian and Robert Roode and Christopher Daniels, who replaced an injured A.J. Styles, in a Lethal Lockdown match. On the April 21 episode of Impact!, Hardy faced Sting for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, Hardy's first World Title match in TNA, but was defeated. The following month Hardy was granted a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship against James Storm and Robert Roode, Beer Money, Inc. While the champions looked to defend the title against the Hardy Boyz, Matt instead introduced the returning Chris Harris, Storm's old tag team partner, as his partner for the title match. The match took place at Sacrifice, where Storm and Roode retained their title. On June 20 Hardy announced that he was taking a few weeks off from TNA. The following day, it was reported that the promotion had suspended Hardy for his repeated lateness. On August 20, Hardy was released from TNA following a DWI arrest that occurred earlier that same day.

Semi-retirement (2011-present)
Hardy announced his retirement from full time professional wrestling due to injuries on September 1. However, Hardy announced that he will make some wrestling appearances for Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling starting on January 28, 2012.

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