2005: Backstage Heat Between Undertaker and Matt Hardy

[The Rick Jericho]

Does anyone recall this:

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Matt Hardy has some heat on him in the SmackDown locker room. It's mainly from Survivor Series when in the closing scene where Undertaker came in and cleaned house, which Hardy told a road agent he was unhappy with. The original plan was for Taker to give Hardy a choke slam. Hardy's words got back to Taker, and when Undertaker's run in was shown he asked them to rewind the tape for him to see. He saw how Hardy just rolled out of the ring instead of sticking to the original plan.



The Undertaker confronted Hardy about it, and asked Hardy what kind of message he was trying to send to the locker room, and if he thinks he's better than everyone else. It's said that Hardy just kept his head down and took it.

So who was in the right here? If I remember correctly, Matt had just finished feuding with Edge so his momentum would've been lost here being chokeslammed. Also he was the only face in that group of Smackdown heels, so what was Undertaker trying to accomplish here?

Video:

[Deleted]

Taker's gonna take.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

Yeah, he kind of did his penance with a poor showing in the Rumble then he settled in the midcard scene after that.

[Porky's Butthole]

Vince tells you to take a chokeslam, you go out there and take the f***ing chokeslam.

[chronocross]

Nov 1, 2017 21:14:42 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

Yeah, he kind of did his penance with a poor showing in the Rumble then he settled in the midcard scene after that.

I remember Viscera giving him the Visagra before eliminating him that year and the month before he lost to JBL at Armageddon.

[Germansuplex]

"Eyewitnesses confirm that Taker, indeed, proceeded to tape his fists."

[lionheart21]

out of everyone in the company, the last one that you should be showing any kind of disrespect to with regards to booking is The Undertaker

[Stu]

..... this was 12 years ago. Shit.

[Deleted]

I remember this. Matt being out there was dumb in the 1st place, since it was basically jobbersville and Orton.

He was really one of if not the only high mid card guys out there (not the only face, I think S2H was in that mix), probably 2nd only to Orton in significance. Made little sense to be there.

So naturally he had to take a verbal lashing and then get demoted until he left 3 or 4 years later after doing little else.

[freeze Austin]

You always do the job if they tell you to, but it's just another example of WWE almost spitefully failing to strike while the iron is hot with a talent and only wanting them to get over to the level that they think they should be over.

[James Fabiano]

Nov 2, 2017 10:02:57 GMT -5 freeze Austin said:

You always do the job if they tell you to, but it's just another example of WWE almost spitefully failing to strike while the iron is hot with a talent and only wanting them to get over to the level that they think they should be over.

Well the demotion started earlier, actually. When they cut the legs off of V1 to push Albert again.

[chronocross]

I do remember this, they should not have had him out there as he was still very over with the fans, even after losing the feud to Edge the month prior. That said, he should have done what he was told.

[Slanted and Enchanted]

Eh, you know what, screw it. I remember that story and I remember being on the anti-Matt train along with everyone else at the time when this story broke out, but looking back I admire what he did despite how destructive it was for him professionally. Knowing what we know now about WWE's hierarchy issues and how superstars are purposely sabotaged by management despite fan reactions (Hardy was hugely over in 2005 and no his infamous promo did not kill his heat) I think it was awesome of him to take a stand like that. Taker seems to always be left out of the conversation when it comes to backstage politics but he is guilty of several killed pushes and Hardy was looking out for himself. Boneheaded yes, but I respect his principles.

[thecrusherwi]

I think it was stupid to have him out there, but would it really have done any damage to him to have an enraged Undertaker give him a meaningless chokeslam? I mean, after Savage turned on Hogan, an enraged Hogan screamed and shook terrified Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in succession and no one thought they were losers.

It was dumb on WWE's part, but it seemed like a weird hill for Matt Hardy to (I Will Not) die on.

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

It's just a chokeslam from a furious Undertaker

Confront Taker or Vince about it if you feel that strongly

[A Platypus Rave]

Undertaker chokeslamming him would have done nothing against him.

He'd just have been a body among a bunch of bodies and no one would remember who was involved in it a week later outside of Taker.

Ducking Undertaker was way worse for his career than just taking the move.

[nm]

I love how Undertaker is walking to the ring and everyone's acting scared and Matt is just in the corner with his arms up acting like a Pissed Off Cool Teen after his step dad wouldn't let him go to the arcade

[Gummydavidson]

He did end up getting jobbed out pretty hard after this incident, squashed by JBL at the next PPV, losing to Finlay in his debut and basically dry-humped by Viscera in the Royal Rumble.

Wasn't until 2007 that he started picking up steam again.

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

According to Paul London, Taker went to Matt and yelled at him, saying something to the effect of, "why're you acting like a f***ing mark." I found that exchange hilarious.

[Mozenrath]

It was unprofessional when Gail Kim did it, it's unprofessional of Matt at the time, who frankly seemed to be on a self-righteous ego trip, anyhow.