By WWE dominates the wrestling world today, though indie and international promotions like Ring of Honor, Lucha Underground, New Japan, and Chikara offer some excellent alternatives. Yet these are relatively niche; even WWE’s indie-ish developmental promotion NXT draws bigger numbers than the previously mentioned companies through WWE Network subscriptions alone.
WWE’s only major competition these days is TNA (Total NonStop Action). Competition is a relative term. TNA poses as much threat to WWE in ratings as I do to Serena Williams on a tennis court. To be fair, TNA’s current difficulties fall heavily on the (mis-)management and writing team rather than the talent on its roster. At least TNA allows its wrestlers greater creative freedom than WWE, which can occasionally yield some strange results.
Last week, Max Landis and a number of other people online buzzed about a gimmicky TNA match between former WWE stars Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy, now known as Brother Nero and Broken Matt Hardy for reasons. (Because wrestling.) Billed as The Final Deletion, the match can only be described as pro-wrestling in the style of Tommy Wiseau’s cult masterpiece The Room. Watch it below.
Guys, that aired on TV somehow. (Given, it was on Pop TV, but still.)
Let’s get something straight: this was not a good match, it was not a good promo, and it wasn’t even that good a wrastlin’ short film. And yet there’s something about it that’s almost badgood. I found it watchable because I couldn’t look away. Hardy v Hardy: Dawn of Dilapidated Boat is a sort of minor kitsch masterpiece in the vein of bad 80s action movies and earnestly made but ultimately execrable indie films (e.g., The Room, the work of Neil Breen).
I don’t like it. I don’t love it. I don’t know.
What do you think about this match? Let us know in the comments, and say hi to the doggy.
[via YouTube]