Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy – Photo Credit: WWE Raw on USA

Excitement is at a fever pitch that the Broken Universe is about to once again see the light of day. Unearthed from its TNA tomb, no longer shelved and left in purgatory of the sins of Impact past. A single ‘obsolete’ reference by Jeff Hardy on Monday’s edition of WWE Raw was all it took to let imaginations run wild.

What some might not realize however, is the line “I’ll fade away and classify myself as obsolete”, is originally part of the lyrics to track 9 of Jeff’s PEROXWHY?GEN CD release ‘Within the Cygnus Rift‘. Meaning, while the Broken Universe continues to be subtly teased, the line alone does not conclusively mean an agreement regarding the gimmick (if one is necessary from the Hardy’s side) is in place. Jeff is well in his rights either way to use a lyric from his own band and album.

The Origins of Jeff Hardy’s Obsolete Line

Jeff’s band release predates the Broken universe, seeing its release in July 27, 2015. The era of Broken Matt roughly started on the May 17, 2016 edition of Impact Wrestling, sans the bleached streak of hair and accent.

Are there indeed negotiations going on behind the scenes with Anthem/GFW regarding the gimmick? Do the Hardys fully own rights? It’s difficult to say for sure. Perhaps, the WWE wanted to slowly ease newer fans into the gimmick and start off with what WWE faithful remember. If Anthem/GFW at the negotiating table is what’s shelved the gimmick the last few months then we could still be a ways off. Especially with the current Jeff Jarrett twitter feud with Matt/Reby Either way, the question is as Jim Cornette once phrased the idea ‘where does Matt Hardy end and Broken Matt begin’?

“Wrestlers are not actors that play parts, they are who they are, and when they change the way they present themselves and it gets over they become that. You can’t separate a gimmick from a guy if it’s really successful. Somebody else could have been the Undertaker right? Yeah (sarcastically).” – Jim Cornette

The Moment the Broken Universe Stood Still

We’ll see in the coming weeks, maybe months, if the Broken Hardys make a grand return in the WWE. As noteworthy as the ‘obsolete’ line was, there’s still no guarantees unfortunately the Broken Universe is making its televised return… Though it lives on digitally on Matt Hardy’s Twitter.