For the last two weeks, Heath Slater has watched his partner Rhyno fight to the very end in an effort to teach The One-Man Band about toughness. Consider the lessons taken to heart: Slater certainly fought hard against “Woken” Matt Hardy, but the former SmackDown Tag Team Champion suffered defeat — or deletion, rather — at the hands of the multi-dimensional Superstar all the same. Despite a strong opening by Slater, Hardy once again obtained the advantage by gnawing at The One-Man Band’s hand and subjected him to the “deletion process,” culminating in a wonderful Twist of Fate.
Credit: WWE.com
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WWE Photos > Weekly & Pay-Per-View Digitals > 2018 > January 15th
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The WWE Universe has seen Matt Hardy progress past his breaking point and ascend to a “Woken” state on the mic. Now, they got their first look at what the reborn Superstar could do in the ring at the expense of Curt Hawkins. The Prince of Queens was unable to shake his T-shirt-certified losing streak, as a newly-aggressive Hardy gnawed on his arm, pummeled him with flailing fists and finally put him down with a neck-wrenching Twist of Fate.
And apparently, this is just the beginning. Hardy already has his eye on 29 more potential deletions, having officially declared for the Men’s Royal Rumble Match. However, the reappearance of his rival Bray Wyatt in the center of the ring moments after his victory cut his celebration short. The two merely laughed in each other’s faces in an otherwise silent confrontation, but Wyatt’s appearance, as well as his own declaration for the Rumble Match, was a stark reminder that while becoming “Champion of the Multiverse” may yet be in the cards for Hardy, there is still one major obstacle in his way.
Credit: WWE.com
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WWE Photos > Weekly & Pay-Per-View Digitals > 2018 > January 8th
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Still reeling from an attack at the hands of “Woken” Matt Hardy last week, Bray Wyatt got himself off to a winning start in 2018 by defeating Apollo Crews, but The Reaper of Souls’ New Year’s celebration was short-lived.
Crews was looking to bring himself to the next level and made it a point to use his athleticism against the former WWE Champion. But even after Wyatt menaced Titus Worldwide’s Dana Brooke on the apron to spur a last-second rally from Crews, The New Face of Fear cut off the Spinning Sit-out Powerbomb and administered Sister Abigail for three.
Unwilling to let Wyatt rest easy, Hardy took a page from his foe’s playbook and appeared on the TitanTron, promising to eradicate Wyatt’s darkness before deleting him. As he began to cackle, Hardy’s image multiplied across the screen, creating an omniscient effect that left Wyatt looking unusually shaken in the ring. Chalk this one up as a good start to Bray Wyatt’s 2018, but as Hardy made clear, there are a lot of Mondays left in the year.
Credit: WWE.com
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21 Screen Captures | 5 Digitals | Match Video
“Woken” Matt Hardy Attacks Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt hasn’t thrown hands with Matt Hardy since before he became “Woken,” but The Reaper of Souls’ back-and-forth with the former Raw Tag Team Champion finally turned physical for the first time in nearly a month this week. Secure that his “fireflies’ outnumbered Hardy’s Woken Warriors, Wyatt and made his way to the ring, only to be surprised when Hardy appeared in the flesh behind him and attacked. Hardy narrowly missed on a Twist of Fate, but he sent The Eater of Worlds running for cover all the same. As the final insult to Wyatt, Hardy led the WWE Universe in a “Delete” chant, turning Wyatt’s fireflies into Woken Warriors before his very eyes.
Credit: WWE.com
Bray Wyatt still isn’t convinced that “Woken” Matt Hardy is anything more than a deranged jester with a funny laugh, but there may be more method to Hardy’s madness than The Eater of Worlds gives him credit for.
After Wyatt likened his rivalry with Hardy to a chess game, Hardy re-emerged later in the show to take the analogy one step further. Not only did he defeat Napoleon Bonaparte — evidently reincarnated as a goldfish — in a game of chess, he presented a new board as a metaphor for “The Great War,” with 16 white pieces to represent Hardy and his Woken Warriors on one side, lined up against two black pieces (a king and queen) — Wyatt and Sister Abigail — on the others. And, as always, the ultimate goal of this game is not checkmate, but deletion.
Credit: WWE.com
