wrestling / Columns

Extreme: Why Willow & The Angelic Diablo May Be Matt & Jeff Hardy’s Last Hope

March 1, 2015 | Posted by Dino Zee

It’s been a rough few months in the world of wrestling. Well, I guess I shouldn’t speak so generally when that leaves the opening for one whole person to be like “I’ve enjoyed the last few months!” So, to start again, the last few months of wrestling have been, for me, pretty rough. I anticipated the usual autumn malaise in WWE, and was fully prepared for everything to get better (not necessarily “good” or “great,” but definitely better) once the Rumble came and went. Instead, we’re coming off a Fast Lane event that was, for me, almost entirely unwatchable. The high point was a heel tag team winning the belts off a popular face act. And yes- YES– some of my lack of enjoyment absolutely comes from watching Roman Reigns beat Daniel Bryan. I know, I know, I’m the first (and only) fan to root for a wrestler and be bummed when he loses. At least I can admit it.

Now we head into a WrestleMania that, at least on paper, does not look like it’s going to be fantastic. The Wait and See! crowd are probably licking their lips to repeat their mantra, but let me say that I’m absolutely okay with being proven wrong. I even admit it when I’m wrong. That doesn’t mean that I’m never going to react to anything as it’s happening because there’s a chance that, three months down the road, something cool may come from the current crap. I just can’t work that way.

Elsewhere, Lucha Underground has been pure fun, sure. CMLL has been hit or miss week by week, and TNA is enjoyable, though losing Joe has been a dampened things, even if he’s still going to be on TNA TV for like another two months.

So what’s a fan to do? Gripe for the sake of griping? Eh, I can get into that from time to time, but overall, I do try to enjoy the wrestling that I choose to spend my time watching. To that end, I started brainstorming ideas that would entertain me. And, oddly enough, the one that got me the happiest has to do with a character that I once thought was freaking stupid, only to come around and love it before it came to an end.

My name is Dino, and I was a Willowholic. I never saw it coming, either, as I’ve always been tepid to Jeff Hardy, and his TNA run where he’s some completely unbeatable juggernaut has never sat right with me. When the Willow videos first started last year, I had a great laugh. This is going to be so deliciously horrible, I’d think to myself. And for a while, I hated Willow. Slowly, with time, I began to actually look forward to a Willow match, or even just a Willow interview. His ridiculous cadence while cutting promos found its way to my heart, and by the time we had Kurt Angle begging for Willow to bring back Jeff Hardy, I was all in as a fan of Willow.

After leaving Willow behind, Jeff would find himself teaming with his brother Matt as they entered into a series of matches against The Wolves and Team 3D. A Hardys reunion was fun to see, as they definitely were still able to go (even Matt – who knew??), delivering fun, chaotic car crash matches each week.

And while The Wolves won the feud, The Hardys were not even close to being done with their run. After James Storm used his Feast or Fired briefcase to activate his tag title shot and take the belts from Davey and Eddie (with Abyss as the partner), the champs found themselves defending the titles against Matt and Jeff at Lockdown 2015. After a spirited contest, the champs retained, and Jeff Hardy was taken out.

With Jeff Hardy out of action for the time being, Matt Hardy is working alone. He’s teamed up with The Wolves to take on The Revolution in six man tag action. Even after getting the win, Matt and The Wolves were left laying following an attack by their opponents. It’s clear that, for now, Matt Hardy doesn’t have the backup that he needs. On top of that, I feel like Matt Hardy is not in the right frame of mind to take on someone like James Storm. Storm may not be the most intimidating physical presence, but he is clearly on an evil tear, and the usual suspects trying the usual tactics just isn’t going to get it done.

That’s when I remember that, much like his brother, Matt Hardy created a darker alter-ego a few years ago, and now, in this time of need and preservation, perhaps would be the time to go back to that persona. Maybe now is the time to tap into the same dark place that once sent Jeff Hardy to the sanctuary of Willow.

Maybe now it’s time for an Angelic Diablo.

Would it increase ratings? Would it help TNA finally overtake WWE? Would it revolutionize wrestling?

No, no, and again, no. But who cares? It’d probably be pretty entertaining, and that’s fine with me. Having already seen Jeff tap into his dark side, I think that it’s absolutely necessary that he return to that place if he’s going to have any luck in getting vengeance on The Revolution. James Storm has taken things to a new level, and if Matt or Jeff think that dancing, screaming, and making guns with their hands is going to get the job done, then they have another thing coming entirely.

However, if Jeff can get back to his sadistic side, then we have a start. If he can convince Matt to also revisit his dark side… to get angry… to get violent… then we could have a tag team title feud that’s worth writing home about. We could see Willow and the Angelic Diablo return to TNA not with tag gold on their minds, but simply seeking revenge. The blood of their opponents will be the only titles with which they are concerned.

On top of that, it gives a nice rejuvenation to Matt and Jeff as an act. The Hardys are popular, there is no doubt about that. But that doesn’t mean they’re incapable of getting stale. And The Hardys- specifically Matt, but Jeff should absolutely be counted in this as well- have felt a little stale for a while. They only talk about what they accomplished, and not what they look to do now. There’s a bit of a “what have you done lately” feel to them, which is only magnified when they reference matches from 15 years ago.

Leaving “Matt Hardy” and “Jeff Hardy” at home while Willow and Angelic Diablo run a violent wave over TNA could be the shot in the arm the two need to reinvigorate themselves, while also showing us a side we don’t necessarily see in Hardys matches.

Even as a solo act, Willow was able to distinguish himself from Jeff Hardy quite simply. There wasn’t a complete overhaul of the moveset or anything super drastic – it all seemed quite cosmetic, actually. But Jeff Hardy worked hard to make Willow work for us. And it did. In all of its goofy nature, Willow worked. The interviews were incredible. The matches were still fun. And, buried beneath it all, you still have fans cheering for Willow because they know that, deep down, it’s still Jeff Hardy. Wouldn’t this all still hold true for Willow and Angelic Diablo?

At the very least, these two have proven for the last near 20 years that they have little fear inside of them. They’re willing to destroy their bodies- and the bodies of their opponents- for our enjoyment. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could see them take enjoyment in hurting others? If they left the nice guys at home, and unleashed the monsters inside of them?

James Storm and Abyss aren’t looking to win with an Oklahoma Roll. They’re looking to hurt everyone that stands in their way. And while Matt and Jeff are great wrestlers and a Hall of Fame tag team, they just didn’t have that extra level of brutality in them to get the job done last time. And the longer Jeff is out, the longer Matt is going to suffer.

So let’s end the suffering. Let’s bring back Willow. Let’s team him up with the Angelic Diablo. Let’s see what happens when The Hardy Boys lose their minds. Some may say that I lose all the credibility I never should have had in the first place because I’m not a journalist for saying this, but I want to see this. I want to see a different side of The Hardys. I want them putting people through tables not because the fans cheer it, but because they want to hear the bones of their opponents snap.

I honestly never thought I’d advocate anything involving the Hardys, but that’s what’s so great about wrestling – it can leave you wanting things you always thought you’d hate. I’m ready for an extreme run from “Team Extreme.”


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article topics :

Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Dino Zee