Matt Hardy: ECW Champion - The best he'll ever do?

For the first time in his career, Matt Hardy is an owner of major singles gold. When I say major singles gold in this sense, I mean that he is one of the three main title holders amidst the Raw-SD-ECW crowd. Yes, dispute it if you must, the ECW title is major singles gold. It can be considered a piece of trash since it has no resemblance to what the original ECW stands for, but it is a major singles title in the eyes of the WWE, and since they are the biggest show in town, they can do whatever they want along those lines. So, inherently, this is a big plus for Matt Hardy, and sadly, a big minus as well. Now, why would I say that? Easy. When you compare the World Title to the WWE Title to the ECW title, one thing remains clear: the ECW title, as major as it is, is still a third string title for a third string show in the shadow of two major wrestling brand juggernauts. You're comparing the ECW title that you see now to the WWE title on SD, which has a lineage back to the late 1960s, and has been the #1 title in the world of wrestling for a good amount of time during the wrestling wars. You're also comparing the ECW title to the World Title on Raw, which might not have the same lineage as that of the WWE title (the World Title is only 6 years old), it still has the same symbolic importance. It's the belt or a replica of the belt vied for in WCW and in the NWA. That's important. Now, this ECW title might or might not be considered the same belt that was fought over in Philly, but when you're the WWE, you know where the belt belongs: below the radar and in the shadow of the other two belts. Matt Hardy has been in the shadow of many people and below the radar as well, but because of his loyalty, passion, and great fan following, he deserves to be rewarded. So, the WWE threw him a bone and gave him the ECW title. Sadly, this bone will most likely be Matt Hardy's greatest accomplishment.

Now, let me continue by saying that I'm not blogging this to trash the ECW title of old, or the ECW title of new. I'm just telling you how it is in the eyes of the WWE hierarchy. You'd be a fool to think that the ECW title means something now or that it meant something if you work for the WWE as a staunch WWE loyalist. I could go into how the WWE sees ECW, but that's just about evident today and it would take a long time to put it all out there. This blog is just to tell you that no matter how hard Matt Hardy works, no matter how much of a pop he gets, the best singles title he'll amount to in the WWE is the ECW title. This isn't because Matt Hardy isn't a good wrestler, great worker, or charismatic entertainer, because in my opinion, he is. This is because the WWE doesn't think that Matt Hardy can amount to more than a title like the ECW title.

See, the ECW title's purpose has many folds and meanings, just like ECW's existence (I'll share that mindset with you on 11/16, to follow up on the Tales of the Tape). Its two main purposes are to give the ECW brand something of value and to give the wrestlers on ECW something to work for. Basically, if you are on ECW at this point in time or ever, it's because you're new and need to start small, or you're a veteran and were never considered good enough to cut it on the two main shows of Raw and Smackdown. Sure, you're a great worker, but, you aren't major title material on those shows. So, stay on ECW and amount to a title that will guarantee you a PPV spot, since it's the only ECW match on any PPV. Matt Hardy has a guaranteed spot on PPVs with this belt, but if you notice, it's always at the beginning of the show, in the under-card. Wow! The WWE must really care about the ECW champion to have him on that early, while Raw and SD are on later.

However, the true insult, is the fact that Matt Hardy is the ECW champion and will never see gold better than this. Some people will say that it's only a matter of time. Others will say that he's just not quite there yet as a big time player to merit a title like the WWE or World titles. Oh, I'm sorry, I should have seen it that way. Oh wait? C.M. Punk has been here for 2 years, and he walks out a world champion because of a guaranteed contract for an anyplace, anytime title shot that was supposed to be given to Jeff Hardy had he not been so foolish. All the while, Jeff is back, receiving WWE title matches left and right, despite the fact that he's one strike away from unemployment, his wrestling technique is very sloppy, and his promos come off rather weak at times. He's the exact opposite of his brother, Matt, in those areas, and he gets more pop and flair than him. Is it his hair color, his body paint, his ability to take sick bumps and crazy stunts to get the girls swooning and the dudes cheering for more? Sadly, all of those qualities are the reasons we see Jeff over Matt. All the while, new guys like Vladimir Kozlov, Brian Kendrick, and MVP are also in line for title shots. Now, don't get me wrong. I like the aforementioned new guys, including C.M. Punk. However, Matt has been in the WWE for 10 years already. He's given up a heel push for his girl, who cheated on him, and lost his job over the whole situation. The fans clamored for his return. The WWE responded. And what did he get for his trouble? 2 years of mid-card redundancies where he would come out on the short end of the stick more times than needed. Matt Hardy and these new guys have a lot in common when it comes to work ethic and technique. So, why them over Matt, who is a veteran now? The answer is this: he's Matt Hardy, the overly passionate wrestler/wrestling fan who wants to fulfill and maintain his dream of being a wrestler. The only thing is, that's it. No bling, no accent, no Hollywood bad boy mentality. He's just Matt Hardy. Politically speaking, in the wrestling biz, that's a big no-no.

Remember, this is the WWE thinking this, not me. If the world were perfect, Matt Hardy would have become the world champion by defeating Edge at Wrestlemania 24 as the ultimate revenge for taking Lita away from him. That would be good booking, in my view. However, the WWE doesn't want this, because Matt Hardy doesn't have "it". His promos aren't perfect, his look does come off as sort of plain, and superficially speaking, his hair isn't blond. He's a plain Jane with a heart of a lion for this business and the fan support to keep him going. The only thing is, the fans don't decide if he does or doesn't reach that historical brass ring, that Jeff, his brother, is being offered almost all the time, despite his flaws and problems. So, Matt has to be content with being ECW champion, filling in the void that C.M. Punk left when he was drafted to Raw, and later, when he became world champion. If Matt Hardy is on a card, it will be in the middle of it. If he's at the top of it, it will be because he is holding a major title, despite it being #3.

Now, I'm about to try and refute the point that a plain Jane can't be a champion with one very great example from some recent memory. I was going to use Chris Benoit, but I'm pretty sure that would raise a lot of eyebrows in negativity, so my example: Bret Hart. No, Bret wasn't the Rock on the mic. He wasn't Hogan in build. He was about 240 pounds, spoke eloquently enough with some nervousness on the mic, and his signature color was the non-manly color of pink. So, how did he become a five time champion? His "it" factor was his technical prowess. He could legitimately out-wrestle any of his opponents, with very few exceptions. He didn't let his size be a factor at all. He found ways to utilize his skill to win matches against just about anyone. He did get pounded in the ring for it, but he hung on till the end and found a way to win. Plus, he was a tough guy, without question. He knew how to hurt you and his fists were, for the most part, closed when he punched you. This is what fans were clamoring to: a pure wrestling style as a change of pace. Now, Matt Hardy is no Bret Hart in the ring, but he is in his demeanor. He has heart, determination, ingenuity, and toughness. So, why not give Matt what you gave Bret? Simple. When Bret left, and with Shawn Michaels becoming less effective in the ring, there was no one to fill those huge shoes. If there was, the WWE didn't want it. It's still a world where big and powerful men will flourish over technical ones, thanks to Vince's love for strong men. Matt just doesn't have it. Did Punk have it? According to the pundits, not really. He and Matt are in the same boat. Punk was just a good choice as a transitional champion, due to his popularity and ability to sell merchandise. Matt, probably not so much.

This might not be a very good piece of work as an analysis due to the fact that I have some trouble writing about a wrestler I like not getting what he deserves. It touches base with me because I know that feeling. Perhaps, I should take a page out of Matt's book and just deal with it. I'm sure he's not whining backstage about being underutilized, or being squashed. The reason: he's a model worker and knows that this is his dream. As long as he has a place somewhere he can showcase his talents in the ring, with the preference being the WWE, he'll be content. It's his dream to be a wrestler and the WWE is his home first and foremost for helping him discover that dream, and for giving him a chance to keep his dream alive there. We all know he'd be on TNA or ROH right now had Vince not decided to hire him back due to the fallout in 2005 over his breakup with Lita. It's good business in Vince's eyes because of all the fans who have supported Matt all these years. Now, Matt had to pay some dues for that incident, but he was well aware of that and mindful of it. He didn't care as long as he got a chance to keep the job he never should have lost. Now that he has it, he can't complain. He can just make the most of it, and hope that another big opportunity comes along within a span of 10 years as he continues to be a model employee.

The sad truth is that his being ECW champion is the best opportunity he will ever have in the WWE, despite his ex-friend Edge's rise to the top, his brother Jeff's endless chances, or even C.M. Punk's being in the right place at the right time. Unfortunately, I have a feeling he knows that this is the best he can do. All he can do now, is do what the title of his theme song says: live for the moment.