Early life

Son to Gilbert and Ruby Moore Hardy, he is the older brother of Jeff Hardy. Their mother died of brain cancer in 1987. Hardy played baseball as a child and throughout high school, but had stopped by his senior year. He also played football, either as a linebacker or a defensive end. Hardy was a good student at Union Pines High School in North Carolina, and was a nominee for the "Morehead Award", a scholarship to any university in North Carolina. Hardy attended University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he majored in engineering; after a year, however, he dropped out due to his father being ill. He then attended Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst to gain his associate degree.

Professional wrestling career

Early career

Hardy, along with his brother Jeff and friends, started their own federation, the Trampoline Wrestling Federation (TWF) and mimicked the moves they saw on television. They later created their own wrestling promotion, OMEGA Championship Wrestling, in which Hardy competed under the name High Voltage. Shortly after Hardy sent in a tape for the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Amateur Challenge using the ring name High Voltage, a tag team named High Voltage began competing in WCW, causing Hardy to change his name to Surge. A few years later, it was revealed to him by Chris Kanyon that the tape had been kept in the WCW Power Plant, watched multiple times, and that the name High Voltage was blatantly stolen from it.

The Hardys also wrestled for several other North Carolina-based wrestling organizations and adapted a number of alter-egos. As The Wolverine, Hardy captured the New England Wrestling Alliance (NEWA) Championship in May 1994. As High Voltage, he teamed with Venom to claim the New Frontier Wrestling Association (NFWA) Tag Team Championship in March 1995. A month later, High Voltage defeated the Willow for the NFWA Championship.

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1994-2005)

The Hardy Boyz (1998-2001)

Main article: The Hardy Boyz

Hardy worked as a jobber for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1994 up until he signed a full-time contract. His first WWF match was against Nikolai Volkoff on May 23, 1994, which he lost by submission He wrestled sporadically throughout 1994 in the WWF, losing matches against Crush, Razor Ramon, Hakushi, Owen Hart and the imposter Undertaker. Hardy continued wrestling with the WWF sporadically, including matches against Hunter Hearst Helmsley and "The Ringmaster" Steve Austin. It was not until 1998, however, (at the height of the attitude era) that the Hardy brothers were given full-time WWF contracts, and sent to train with former wrestler Dory Funk, Jr. 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, Hardy was a prodigious high-flier himself. In 1999, while feuding with Edge and Christian, the duo briefly picked up Michael Hayes as a manager. On July 5, they won their first WWF Tag team Championship by defeating The Acolytes, but lost it to them a month later. However, they soon dumped Hayes, and joined the short lived stable The New Brood with Gangrel. After breaking away from Gangrel, Hardy and Jeff were briefly managed by Terri Runnels, after they won her services in the first ever tag team ladder match.

In 2000, the Hardy Boyz found a new manager in their real-life friend Lita. Together, the three became known as "Team Xtreme". Throughout 2000 they continued feuding with Edge and Christian, defeating them for the WWF Tag Team Championship on two occasions. Hardy won the Hardcore Championship on April 24, 2000, on Raw Is War, by defeating Crash Holly, but lost it back to Holly three days later on SmackDown!. At SummerSlam, The Hardy Boyz competed in the first ever Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, for the WWF Tag Team, Championship against The Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian, but were unsuccessful.

Version 1 (2001-2004)

In 2001, after Jeff's Intercontinental Championship run, Hardy was given a singles championship push. He won the European Championship on SmackDown! four days before Backlash. Hardy believes that he was pushed to win the title because of Jeff winning the Intercontinental Championship, and because of the effort he put into his previous storyline with Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin. He became the second-longest reigning European Champion in history and the longest-reigning American-born European Champion.

Throughout the year, the Hardy Boyz continued to win as a tag team, winning the WWF Tag Team Titles two more times, and the WCW Tag Team Championship during the Invasion. By the end of the year, the Hardy Boyz began a storyline where they were having trouble co-existing. This culminated in a match between the two, with Lita as the guest referee, at the Vengeance pay-per-view, which Jeff won.

At the beginning of 2002, it seemed Team Xtreme had patched things up. After the Brand Extension, however, Hardy was relegated to Heat while Jeff wrestled on the main show, Raw. On the August 12 episode of Raw, Hardy turned against Jeff during Jeff's match against Rob Van Dam, because Hardy was frustrated at not receiving a match against Van Dam for the number one contendership for the Intercontinental Championship, making Hardy a heel in the process. A short time later, Hardy joined the SmackDown! roster. On the October 3 episode of the show, Hardy took advantage of a run-in from Brock Lesnar to defeat The Undertaker in a falls count anywhere match.

Hardy began dubbing himself "Matt Hardy: Version 1", complete with a "version 1" hand signal. Along with his MF'er (Mattitude Follower) Shannon Moore in his corner, 2003 began with Hardy frantically trying to lose weight to get under the 220 lb (100 kg) weight limit to compete for the Cruiserweight Championship. After just barely making weight, Hardy defeated Billy Kidman at No Way Out to win the Cruiserweight title. At WrestleMania XIX, he successfully defended it against Rey Mysterio. The Mattitude faction then expanded to include Crash Holly as Moore's "Moore-on" (follower). He later disbanded the group in November and returned to Raw in order to be able to travel and work with his then girlfriend Lita, who just returned from an injury. On his first night back, he turned on Lita in storyline after teasing a proposal to her. Hardy spent little time on Raw until he turned into a fan favorite after saving Lita from getting attacked by Kane in April 2004. After losing a match against Kane at Summerslam, Lita was forced to marry Kane on the August 23 episode of Raw, Hardy was chokeslamed off the stage by Kane. Hardy then spent almost a year off from wrestling due to a severe knee injury.

Release and sporadic appearances (2004-2005)

Along with his friend Rhyno, Hardy was released by WWE on April 11, 2005. Edge and Lita received jeers from the crowds at WWE events, often 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. Lita, for the first time in over five years, became a heel as a result of the affair becoming public knowledge. Fans began a petition on the internet, wanting WWE to re-sign Hardy, and amassed over fifteen thousand signatures.

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 had been treated by Lita and WWE. On the June 20 episode of Raw, during the storyline wedding of Edge and Lita, 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 episode of Raw, Hardy made his return, attacking Edge as he made his way to the ring. On the July 13 episode of WWE's webcast Byte This!, which featured Lita as its guest, one of the callers was Hardy himself.

Ring of Honor (2005)

Hardy 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 backlash following a match with Homicide from the fans at a subsequent ROH event, which Hardy won. The next day at his final ROH appearance, he lost to Roderick Strong.

Return to WWE

Feud with Edge (2005-2006)

On July 11, 2005, Hardy posted on his website that he was finally "free", that wrestling fans had not seen the last of him, and that he had a surprise for the fans who had supported him. That night on Raw, Hardy attacked Edge backstage and again later during Edge's match with Kane, leaving the commentators speechless. Before being escorted out of the building by security, Hardy stated that Edge and Lita would pay for their actions and told fans that they could see him at Ring of Honor while security officials and event staff were trying to restrain him. Hardy also called out Johnny Ace as security had him in handcuffs taking him out of the arena. This caused an uproar amongst fans, who were confused and wondered if the whole thing was a work or a shoot. Similar occurrences repeated during the following two weeks.

On the August 1 episode of Raw, Vince McMahon officially announced Hardy's return to WWE, adding that Hardy would face Edge at SummerSlam. Hardy made his in-ring return, defeating Snitsky on the August 8 Raw. Seconds after the victory, Hardy was attacked by Edge, and as he was being carried backstage, Matt counterattacked Edge in the locker room. On August 21 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 could not continue, and Edge was declared the winner. After SummerSlam, the two continued fighting on Raw, including a Street Fight that resulted in Hardy performing a Side Effect on Edge off the entrance stage and into electrical equipment below. At Unforgiven, Edge faced Hardy in a steel cage match. Hardy caught an interfering Lita with the Twist of Fate and 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 received the contract and the loser was forced to leave Raw. After a contentious match, Edge tied Hardy's arms in the ropes, and Lita trapped Hardy in a crucifix hold, leaving Hardy only able to watch Edge win. When the match ended, Edge and Lita gloated over the victory, but Hardy took it in stride and left the arena. With his defeat at the hands of Edge, Hardy was moved to the SmackDown! brand where he re-debuted with a win over Simon Dean on October 21 in Reno, Nevada. One week later, Hardy won the fan vote to represent Team Smackdown (alongside the second-highest vote-getter Rey Mysterio) to challenge team RAW (Edge and Chris Masters) at Taboo Tuesday. Edge, however, refused to wrestle and sent Snitsky in place of him in the match, which Hardy and Mysterio would win.

Back on SmackDown!, Hardy started an angle 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 tag team on several occasions with a variety of partners. One of his partners, Road Warrior Animal, brutally attacked him after they were defeated - sick of "pulling all the weight in tag teams". Animal, who was renamed 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 a spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 22. The match would be won by Rob Van Dam.

Hardy next competed in the SmackDown! King of the Ring tournament, losing to eventual winner Booker T in the opening round thanks to a low blow and distraction from Sharmell. Hardy also became the first man to defeat Mr. Kennedy in singles' competition. 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 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. Hardy then began a rivalry against Gregory Helms which saw both winning over each other time and time again. Then at No Mercy, in both of their hometown, Cameron, North Carolina, Hardy beat Helms. The two met again one more time at Survivor Series, where Hardy's team won in a clean sweep.

The Hardy Boyz reunion (2006-2007)

On the November 21, 2006 episode of ECW on Sci Fi, Hardy and Jeff competed in a match together for the first time in almost five years, defeating The Full Blooded Italians. At Survivor Series, the Hardy Boyz competed with CM Punk and D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) as part of Team DX versus Team Rated-RKO (which included Edge, Randy Orton, Johnny Nitro with Melina, Mike Knox, and Gregory Helms) in a traditional Survivor Series match. Team DX won in a clean sweep, last eliminating Orton. At December to Dismember, 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, a match that the Hardy Boyz would be victorious in. At Armageddon, Hardy and Jeff competed against Paul London and Brian Kendrick, MNM, and Dave Taylor and William Regal in a Ladder match for the WWE Tag Team Championship but lost. Subsequently, he and Jeff feuded with Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro after the legitimate incident where they injured Mercury's face at Armageddon 2006. This led to a bitter long term rivalry, and at the 2007 Royal Rumble, Hardy and Jeff defeated MNM. Mercury and Hardy continued to feud until Mercury was released from WWE in March. Before Mercury's release, however, Hardy 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 night after WrestleMania 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 from then WWE Champion John Cena and Shawn Michaels after last eliminating Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. After briefly feuding with Cade and Murdoch, the Hardys retained their World Tag Team Championship in their first title defense at Backlash. The Hardy Boyz would also successfully retained their titles at Judgment Day. One month later at One Night Stand, they defeated The World's Greatest Tag Team to retain the titles in a Ladder match. The following night on Raw, Vince McMahon demanded that The Hardys once again defend their championships against Cade and Murdoch. The Hardys were defeated after Murdoch pushed Jeff's foot off the bottom rope during Cade's pinfall, causing the three count to continue. They invoked their rematch clause against Cade and Murdoch at Vengeance: Night of Champions, but were unsuccessful.

Feud with MVP (2007-2008)

On the July 6, 2007 episode of SmackDown!, Hardy won a non-title match against United States Champion Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), which resulted in a feud between the two. Hardy was unsuccessful to defeat MVP at The Great American Bash for the 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, an arm wrestling contest, and a chess match which MVP "sneezed" on and ruined when Hardy put him in check. MVP 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. MVP also challenged Hardy to a beer drinking contest at SummerSlam, but as revenge for what happened at SNME, Hardy allowed Stone Cold Steve Austin to replace him; Austin simply performed a stunner on MVP then kept drinking.

After a segment involving MVP inadvertently choosing Hardy as his tag-team partner, Theodore Long promptly set up a match against Deuce 'n Domino for the WWE Tag Team Championship which the duo were able to win, therefore setting up Hardy's first reign as WWE Tag Team Champion. It was the first time Hardy held a tag team championship with someone other than his brother. Hardy and MVP retained the titles at Unforgiven in a rematch against former champions Deuce 'n Domino. Hardy 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. As part of the storyline, Hardy continually asked MVP for a shot at the United States Championship but MVP refused stating that he was more focused on the Tag Team Championship. During this time, MVP teased a babyface turn as he seemingly got along better with Hardy during matches, even when they were on opposite sides.

On the November 16 episode of SmackDown!, Hardy and MVP dropped the WWE Tag Team Championship to John Morrison and The Miz. Despite the fact that Hardy was hurt, MVP immediately invoked the rematch clause. After the rematch, in which Hardy was forced to tap out, MVP attacked Hardy, repeatedly targeting his knee. It was later confirmed by WWE.com that Hardy had suffered an injury at his former partner's hands and that he might not be able to compete at Survivor Series. But his team however won the match despite his absence. Despite his absence at the pay-per-view, his team was able to win the match. On November 21, WWE's official website reported that Hardy underwent an emergency appendectomy in Tampa, Florida. A CAT scan revealed an inflamed appendix after Hardy was feeling extreme pain. Later surgery revealed that his appendix had already burst. According to Hardy himself, 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 episode of Raw supporting his brother Jeff. To further Jeff's storyline with Randy Orton, however, Hardy was attacked by Orton. Hardy made his return at a live event in Muncie, Indiana on March 1, 2008.

On March 30, 2008, 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 attacking MVP to prevent him from winning the match. 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 episode of SmackDown!, Hardy faced MVP in a non-title match, which he won, re-igniting their storyline rivalry. On April 27, 2008, Hardy defeated MVP to win the United States Championship at Backlash, and successfully retained his title against MVP five days later on Smackdown.

After some sporadic feuds for the title, Hardy was drafted to the ECW brand on the June 23, 2008 episode of Raw during the 2008 WWE Draft, in the process making the United States Championship exclusive to ECW. After a successful title defense against Chavo Guerrero at Night of Champions, he dropped the United States Championship to Shelton Benjamin at the Great American Bash pay-per-view on July 20, 2008, which meant that the title returned to SmackDown.

ECW Champion (2008-2009)

On the July 22 episode 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 episode 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 match, 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, and marking his first world heavyweight championship win. He continued to feud with Henry until No Mercy, where Hardy successfully retained the title. After successful defenses against Henry, Chavo, Finlay, and Evan Bourne, Hardy lost the title to Jack Swagger on the January 13, 2009 episode of ECW, which was taped on January 12.

Feud with Jeff and departure (2009-2010)

At the 2009 Royal Rumble pay-per-view, after losing an ECW Championship rematch to Swagger, Hardy turned on his brother when he hit Jeff with a steel chair, allowing Edge to win the WWE Championship turning him heel for the first time since 2004. 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 had re-signed with the SmackDown brand. On the January 30 episode of SmackDown!, Hardy explained that his actions at the Royal Rumble were due to him being fed up with "sharing the spotlight" with Jeff and taking care of Jeff when he was nothing more than a "self-destructive screw-up" and a "constant mistake", and that, from that point onward, he no longer considered Jeff as a partner or sibling. As part of the buildup to this feud, Hardy implied that he was responsible for all of Jeff's accidents leading back to November, including an assault in a hotel stairwell that prevented him from appearing at Survivor Series, an automobile accident and a pyrotechnics accident, in an attempt to stop Jeff holding the WWE Championship, and, on the March 3 episode of SmackDown!, he also implied that he was responsible for the fire that burned down Jeff's house, going so far as to reveal that he had in his possession a dog collar that supposedly belonged to Jeff's dog, who perished in the fire, that he supposedly salvaged from the wreckage of the house, which provoked Jeff into viciously attacking him. At WrestleMania XXV, Hardy defeated Jeff in an Extreme Rules match, and in a stretcher match on the following episode of SmackDown.

Matt and Jeff began their rivalry at the 2009 Royal Rumble, and it culminated with a match at WrestleMania XXV

On the April 13 episode of Raw, Hardy was drafted to the Raw brand as part of the WWE draft. Two weeks later, in a rematch from WrestleMania, Hardy lost to Jeff in an "I Quit" match at Backlash, in which he broke his hand. Hardy continued to wrestle with his hand in a cast, incorporating it into his persona and claiming that he was wrestling under protest. He reignited his feud with MVP on Raw again for the United States Championship; this time with Hardy as the heel. He also formed a tag team with William Regal, and the two acted as henchmen for General Manager Vickie Guerrero. At the June 22 taping of WWE Superstars, Hardy suffered yet another injury, when his intestines "exploded" through his abdominal wall, during a triple threat match against MVP and Kofi Kingston. Hardy had suffered a tear in his abdominal muscle two years previously, but had not needed surgery until it worsened, and became a danger to his health.

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, when Matt pinned Punk.

In early 2010, Hardy began an on-screen relationship with Maria; but was brief and the relationship ended when 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 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 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 episode of SmackDown, however, Vickie Guerrero announced that, per orders of Vince McMahon, Hardy had been suspended from all WWE programming. However, at Fatal 4-Way, 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. Hardy would then qualify for the Money in the Bank pay-per-view's Smackdown ladder match, which would be won by Kane.

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. Hardy later stated that his release had been in effect two weeks before WWE made the announcement.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2011)

Main article: Immortal

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 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 episode of Impact!, Hardy, along with the rest of Immortal and Ric Flair, betrayed Fortune. On March 13 at Victory Road Hardy was defeated by Flair's previous protégé, 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 actually suspended Hardy. On August 20, Hardy was released from TNA following a DUI arrest that occurred earlier that same day.

Independent circuit (2011-present)

Hardy announced his retirement from full-time professional wrestling due to injuries on September 1, 2011. He issued a challenge to his long-time rival MVP, who was wrestling in Japan at the time, to one final match at "Crossfire Live!" in Nashville. The event was held May 19, 2012 and benefited the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Hardy won the match.

Throughout 2012, Hardy would wrestle sporadically on the independent circuit, working with promotions such as Mid Atlantic Championship Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Syndicate and Northeast Wrestling. On September 22, 2012, Hardy defeated Sami Callihan at Northeast Wrestling's Under the Stars event. On October 5, Hardy was defeated by Kevin Steen at Pro Wrestling Xperience's An Evil Twist of Fate. On October 19, Hardy was defeated by Eddie Edwards at Scuared Circle Wrestling's V2 event. On October 26, Hardy defeated Chris Masters in the Big Time Wrestling 16º Anniversary Show. On November 11, Hardy, as the masked wrestler Rhaway Reaper, defeated the Pro Wrestling Syndicate Kevin Matthews, winning the championship. On November 17 in the main event of Extreme Rising Remember November iPPV Hardy wrestled Shane Douglas to a no contest after Luke Hawx interfered and pushed Hardy off the top rope to the floor, legitimately injuring him. At Extreme Rising's third iPPV on December, 29 Hardy defeated Sabu. On February 9, 2013 Hardy lost the Pro Wrestling Syndicate Championship back to Kevin Matthews.

On January 15, 2013, Hardy announced the return of OMEGA in Durham, North Carolina the main event featured Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, James Storm and Shane "Hurricane" Helms defeating Lodi, Gunner, Steve Corino and C.W. Anderson. On February 16, at Family Wrestling Entertainment's No Limit, Hardy wrestled a TLC match for the FWE Heavyweight Championship against the champion Carlito and Tommy Dreamer, but he was defeated. On October 12, Hardy defeated C.W. Anderson to advance in the finals of the OMEGA Heavyweight Championship tournament. After the match, Willow would appear saving Hardy and the rest from an after match beatdown. On November 9, 2013, Hardy and Devon defeated Homicide and Eddie Kingston at House of Hardcore 3. On November 30, 2013, at WrestleCade, Hardy defeated Carlito to become the first ever WrestleCade Champion. On December 28, at Extreme Rising Unfininished Business iPPV, Hardy was defeated by Luke Hawx in a steel cage grudge match, ending their year-long feud.

On April 26, 2014, at OMEGA Chaos in Cameron The Hardys defeated The Briscoe Brothers. On May 3, 2014, following a match between Christian York and Drolix, Hardy defeated Drolix to become the new MCW Heavyweight Champion. On June 14, 2014 at House of Hardcore 6, Hardy defeated Tommy Dreamer and Carlito in a three-way TLC match. At Maryland Championship Wrestling's Shane Shamrock Cup, Hardy defeated Luke Hawx in a TLC match for Hardy's MCW Heavyweight title and Hawx Extreme Rising World title. Hardy won the match, but he gave back the title to Hawx. On October 4, Hardy lost the MCW Heavyweight Chamapionship back to Drolix, following outside interference from Kevin Eck. On November 1, 2014, Hardy made his debut for the Japanese Wrestle-1 promotion, losing to Seiya Sanada in a three-way match, which also included Tajiri.

On February 9, 2015, Hardy appeared on FWE's "No Limits 2015" iPPV, challenging Drew Galloway for the ICW World Heavyweight Championship, but was defeated.

On November 21, 2015, Hardy won the OMEGA Heavyweight Championship for the second time, defeating former student Trevor Lee. Following this, Hardy (upon regaining the TNA World Title as part of his villainous egotistical "Iconic" gimmick) began proclaiming himself to be the only world champion that matters, and the only "true" world champion in wrestling, as he held both the TNA and OMEGA Championships, which (according to him) put him above any other promotions' world champions.

On November 28, 2015, Hardy lost the WrestleCade Championship to Jeff Jarrett at WrestleCade IV in Winston-Salem, NC after taking two guitar shots to the head, which opened a six-inch gash on his head, which later required 38 stitches to close.

In 2016, Hardy would defend the TNA and OMEGA Titles jointly at OMEGA events as part of his "only true world champion" gimmick.

Return to ROH (2012-2014)

Main article: S.C.U.M.

On September 11, 2012, ROH announced that Hardy would be returning to the promotion, with his first appearance being at Death Before Dishonor X: State of Emergency. At the pay-per-view, Hardy confronted Adam Cole and challenged him to a match for the ROH World Television Championship, thus establishing himself as a babyface character. On December 16 at Final Battle 2012: Doomsday, Hardy defeated Cole in a non-title match.

At the following iPPV, 11th Anniversary Show on March 2, 2013, Hardy joined the villainous S.C.U.M. stable. On April 5 at the Supercard of Honor VII iPPV, Hardy unsuccessfully challenged Matt Taven for the ROH World Television Championship in a three way elimination match, which also included Adam Cole. On June 22 at Best in the World 2013, Hardy defeated former S.C.U.M. stablemate Kevin Steen in a No Disqualification match to become the number one contender to the ROH World Championship. Hardy received his title shot at the following day's Ring of Honor Wrestling tapings, but was defeated by the defending champion, Jay Briscoe. Later that same day, S.C.U.M. was forced to disband after losing a Steel Cage Warfare match against Team ROH. On December 14, 2013 at Final Battle 2013, Hardy defeated Adam Page in a singles match, later on in the main event Hardy aided Adam Cole in retaining his title and forming a tag team with him.

After Hardy's client Adam Cole defeated Jay Briscoe to become the Undisputed Ring of Honor World Champion, Cole presented Jay Briscoe's custom made world championship belt (Briscoe claimed to still be the Ring of Honor champion as he forfeited the title due to injury and never officially lost it) to Hardy as a show of appreciation, Hardy re-branded the belt as the Ring of Honor Iconic (Innovative Creator and Originator of a New-Found Industry Champion) Championship, however, the title has not been sanctioned as an official championship by Ring of Honor. On June 22, 2014 at Best in the World, Hardy and Michael Bennett were defeated by The Briscoe Brothers in a no disqualification tag team match. In July, Hardy opted out of his ROH contract and went back to TNA.

Return to TNA

The Hardys reunion (2014-2015)

On July 24, 2014, Matt returned to TNA as a face and reunited with Jeff Hardy to reform The Hardys. At the Destination X episode of Impact Wrestling, The Hardys were defeated by The Wolves in a match for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. The next week, Matt was one of many TNA wrestlers who stopped Dixie Carter from running away from Team 3D, which led to Carter being put through a table. On the August 14 episode of Impact Wrestling, Team 3D (formerly the Dudley Boyz) challenged The Hardys to a match, which Team 3D won. At the Hardcore Justice episode of Impact Wrestling, The Hardys and Team 3D talked about a match involving themselves and The Wolves. When The Wolves were asked by the two teams, they agreed. Later that night, Kurt Angle announced all three teams would compete in a best of three series for the TNA World Tag Team Championship with the winners of the first match choosing the stipulation of the next one. The Hardys won the second match of the series on the September 10 episode of Impact Wrestling in a tables match and choose a ladder match for the third match of the series. The Hardys were unsuccessful in winning that match on the September 17 episode of Impact Wrestling, as the Wolves won that match. The Wolves then went on to pick the final match of the series to be a Full Metal Mayhem match to take place on the October 8 episode of Impact Wrestling. The Hardys were unsuccessful in that match as the Wolves won that match.

On October 22, The Hardys entered a number one contenders tournament for the TNA World Tag Team Championship defeating The BroMans (Jessie Godderz and DJ Z) in the first round of the tournament. On the October 29 episode of Impact Wrestling, The Hardys defeated Team Dixie (Ethan Carter III and Tyrus) in the semifinals to advance to the finals of the tournament, where they defeated Samoa Joe and Low Ki to become number one contenders for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. On the January 16, 2015 episode of Impact Wrestling, The Hardys defeated the Wolves. At the Lockdown episode of Impact Wrestling, The Hardy Boyz were defeated by The Revolution in a six sides of steel cage match for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. On the February 20 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy and The Wolves defeated The Revolution in a six-man tag team match.

On March 10, 2015, TNA announced that Hardy has signed a full-time contract with the company. In March, The Hardys participated in a tournament for the vacant TNA World Tag Team Championship. On March 16, 2015, Matt and Jeff won an Ultimate X match for the titles. On May 8, 2015, Hardy vacated the TNA World Tag Team Championship due to his brother Jeff being injured.

TNA World Heavyweight Champion (2015-2016)

On June 28, 2015, Matt was among the five wrestlers who competed for the TNA King of the Mountain Championship at Slammiversary, with Jeff Jarrett ultimately emerging victorious. On the July 8 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy requested a world title shot against Ethan Carter III, but was denied and forced to face the Dirty Heels (Austin Aries and Bobby Roode) in a handicap match, which he lost. On the July 22 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy defeated Roode in a Tables match to become the #1 contender for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On the August 5 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy got his shot at the title against EC3 in a Full Metal Mayhem match, but failed to win the title. On the August 5 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy defeated Tyrus. On the September 2 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy got another shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against EC3, but again failed to win the title; as part of the storyline, Jeff Hardy was forced to act as Ethan Carter's personal assistant. On the September 30 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy was added to the Ethan Carter III vs. Drew Galloway main event match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Bound for Glory after he and Galloway defeated Carter and Tyrus, making it a three-way match, following which Jeff, who EC3 had just "fired" in the previous episode, was revealed to be the special guest referee.

On October 4 at Bound for Glory, Matt won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship by pinning Galloway, making Hardy the third man in professional wrestling history to win the ECW Championship and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship since Rob Van Dam and Lashley. However, EC3 filed an injunction (kayfabe) that banned Hardy from appearing on Impact Wrestling for a month, which forced Hardy to relinquish the title in order to stay on the show. However, Hardy has been participating in the TNA World Title Series for the vacant title. He qualified to the round of 16 by defeating Davey Richards, Robbie E and Eddie Edwards. He then advanced to the round of 8 by defeating the King of the Mountain Champion Bobby Roode and then to Jessie Godderz to continue his winning streak. The semifinals and finals were held on the January 5, 2016, live episode of Impact Wrestling during its debut on Pop TV, in which he defeated Eric Young to advance to the finals round. However, in the main event, Hardy was unable to win the TNA World Title Series tournament and therefore unable to win the vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship as the match was ultimately won by Ethan Carter III.

On January 19, 2016 episode of Impact Wrestling, Hardy won the title back from EC3 and became the first man to defeat him in a one-on-one match in TNA, and during the match a double turn took place; Hardy turned heel after Tyrus betrayed EC3. The following week on Impact Wrestling, Jeff Hardy had confronted him about last week and issued a challenge to Matt for the World Heavyweight title in the main event and Matt accepted. However, later before the main event could begin, Eric Young and Bram would attack Jeff from behind. Kurt Angle would then come out to try save Jeff and Matt would have Tyrus attack Angle from behind. While Matt watched from the ramp, Young hit Jeff with the Piledriver off the apron through a table. The following week, he successfully retained his title against Kurt Angle. At Lockdown, he retained his title in a Six-side of steel match against Ethan Carter III, with the help of Rockstar Spud. He lost his title against Drew Galloway, after a match featuring EC3 and Jeff Hardy. Two weeks later, he had his title match, but again in a losing effort. Angry with Jeff for it, he wanted an I Quit Match and had it after defeating Jeff and Drew Galloway in a tag team match. At the main event, an I Quit Match, the match eventually ended up in a no-contest as both Matt and Jeff were badly injured and Matt was taken out to the hospital on a stretcher, ending the show.

Imposter Willow (2016-present)

Matt Hardy returned on May 17 episode of impact revealing himself to be one of the imposter Willows and behind the attacks on his brother Jeff. He would later attack Jeff at after the main event, pushing him off the turn buckle when he was going to hit the Swanton Bomb on Mike Bennett.

Other media

In 1999, Hardy, along with his brother Jeff, appeared as an uncredited wrestler on That '70s Show episode "That Wrestling Show". Hardy and Jeff also appeared on Tough Enough in early 2001, talking to and wrestling the contestants. He appeared in the February 25, 2002 episode of Fear Factor competing against five other World Wrestling Federation wrestlers. He became the eventual winner, and won $50,000 for the American Cancer Society. Hardy also appeared on the October 13, 2009 episode of Scare Tactics, as a mental patient who threatens to attack the prank's victim.

In 2001, Hardy, Jeff and Lita appeared in Rolling Stone magazine's 2001 Sports Hall of Fame issue. In 2003, Hardy and Jeff, with the help of Michael Krugman, wrote and published their autobiography The Hardy Boyz: Exist 2 Inspire. As part of WWE, Hardy appeared in their DVD, The Hardy Boyz: Leap of Faith in 2001. On April 29, 2008, WWE released "Twist of Fate: The Matt and Jeff Hardy Story". The DVD featured footage of the brothers in OMEGA and WWE. Hardy also appears on The Hardy Show, an internet web show which features the Hardys, Shannon Moore and many of their friends.

Hardy plays himself in the 2013 film Pro Wrestlers vs. Zombies in which he and his real-life wife Reby Sky battle the undead.

Personal life

His brother Jeff Hardy is also a professional wrestler, currently competing in Total Nonstop Action. Hardy is good friends with Marty Garner, Shannon Moore and Gregory Helms. Hardy was in a six-year relationship with former WWE Diva Amy Dumas, known by the ring name "Lita". They first met in January 1999, at a NWA Mid-Atlantic show, but did not begin dating until a few months later. The couple broke up when she had an affair with one of Hardy's close friends, fellow wrestler Adam "Edge" Copeland in February 2005. Hardy previously dated former WWE Diva Ashley Massaro.

In February 2011, Hardy stated he was dating Rebecca "Reby Sky" Reyes. Hardy married Reyes on October 5, 2013. On December 5, 2014 Hardy announced that he and Reby were expecting their first child, a boy. On June 23, 2015, Hardy and Sky welcomed their first child, a boy named Maxel. Reby and Maxel were in attendance at Bound for Glory in 2015, in Hardy's home state of North Carolina, when Hardy won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and were seen celebrating with him afterwards.

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Twist of Fate (WWF/E, TNA) Twist of Hate (TNA) (Front facelock cutter, sometimes from the top rope)
  • Ice Pick (TNA) White Light Experience (Independent circuit) (Double underhook with bodyscissors)
• Signature moves
  • Corner clothesline followed by a running bulldog
  • Corner sitout powerbomb
  • Diving elbow drop, sometimes to the back of a bent-over or kneeling opponent's head, with theatrics
  • Diving leg drop, with theatrics
  • Forearm smash
  • Inverted DDT
  • Moonsault
  • Northern Lights suplex
  • Ricochet (Belly to back suplex lifted and dropped into an elbow drop to the opponent's midsection) - 2003
  • Russian legsweep
  • Side Effect (Sitout side slam)
  • Splash Mountain (Sitout crucifix powerbomb)

• Managers
  • Gangrel
  • Lita
  • Michael Hayes
  • Reby Sky/Hardy
  • Ric Flair
  • Terri Runnels
  • Tyrus
• Nicknames
  • "Version 1 (V1)" (WWE)
  • "The Sensei of Mattitude" (WWE)
  • "The Angelic Diablo" (WWE)
  • "The Man Who Will Not Die" (WWE)
  • "(Arguably) Everyone's Favorite Wrestler" (WWE)
  • "Broken" (TNA)
  • "Big Money Matt" (TNA)
  • "The (self-proclaimed) Icon(ic)" (ROH, TNA)

• Entrance themes
  • World Wrestling Entertainment
    • "Loaded" by Zack Tempest (Independent Circuit; used while teaming with his brother Jeff)
    • "Live for the Moment" by Monster Magnet (2002 - September 7, 2010)
  • Ring of Honor
    • "Another White Lie" by Voodoo Johnson
    • "Dirty Angel" by Voodoo Johnson (used while part of SCUM)
  • Independent Circuit
    • "Unbroken (Hotel Baby)" by Monster Magnet
  • Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
    • "Rogue and Cold Blooded" by Dale Oliver (January 9, 2011 - August 20, 2011, January 19, 2016)
    • "Immortal Theme" by Dale Oliver (used while a part of Immortal)
    • "Reptillian" (Creatures Intro) by Peroxwhy?gen (July 31, 2014 - January 19, 2016; used as a member of The Hardys)
    • "SPUD Theme" (I Am Iconic Intro) by Dale Oliver (February 4, 2016 - present)

Championships and accomplishments

• Future Stars of Wrestling
  • FSW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• Maryland Championship Wrestling
  • MCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • Extreme Rising World Championship (1 time)
• National Championship Wrestling
  • NCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NCW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• New Dimension Wrestling
  • NDW Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NDW Tag Team Championship (1 time)1 - with Jeff Hardy
• New England Wrestling Alliance
  • NEWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NEWA Hall of Fame (Class of 2012)
• New Frontier Wrestling Association
  • NFWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • NFWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Venom
• NWA 2000
  • NWA 2000 Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jeff Hardy
• OMEGA Championship Wrestling
  • OMEGA Heavyweight Championship (2 times, current)
  • OMEGA Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jeff Hardy
• Pro Wrestling South
  • PWS Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current)
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Feud of the Year (2005)
  • Match of the Year (2000)
  • Match of the Year (2001)
  • Tag Team of the Year (2000)
  • PWI ranked him #17 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2003
• Pro Wrestling Syndicate
  • PWS Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
• Remix Pro Wrestling
  • Remix Pro Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Facade
• Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
  • TNA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • TNA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jeff Hardy
  • TNA World Tag Team Championship #1 Contenders Tournament (2014) - with Jeff Hardy
• World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment
  • ECW Championship (1 time)
  • WCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Jeff Hardy
  • World Tag Team Championship (6 times) - with Jeff Hardy
  • WWE Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)
  • WWE United States Championship (1 time)
  • WWF European Championship (1 time)
  • WWF Hardcore Championship (1 time)
  • WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Montel Vontavious Porter
  • Bragging Rights Trophy (2009) - with Team SmackDown
  • Terri Invitational Tournament - with Jeff Hardy
• WrestleCade
  • WrestleCade Championship (2 times, current)
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Best Gimmick (2002)
  • Worst Feud of the Year (2004)

Luchas de Apuestas record

See also: Luchas de Apuestas

Winner (wager)	Loser (wager)	Location	Event	Date	Notes
Edge (Money in the Bank/brand contract)	Matt Hardy (brand contract)	Dallas, Texas	Raw Homecoming	000000002005-10-03-0000October 3, 2005	This was a ladder match.
Matt Hardy (hair)	Billy Blade (hair)	Santa Maria, California	Terror Rising	000000002012-10-27-0000October 27, 2012	This was a ladder match.
Matt Hardy (contract)	Ethan Carter III (championship)	Bethlehem, Pennsylvania	Impact Wrestling	000000002016-01-08-0000January 8, 2016	Aired 000000002016-01-19-0000January 19, 2016. This was a last man standing match.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]