Exactly a year ago at WrestleMania Sun, Matt and Jeff Hardy made their triumphant return to WWE as the surprise fourth tag team in the Ladder Match for the RAW Tag Team Championships. It was one of the most memorable comeback moments in recent years, especially because it appealed to both hardcore and casual fans from across different generations. If you were at Skinny Mike's Sports Bar for WrestleMania last year, then you probably lost your shit along with the rest of us.
Following the Hardys' return, many of us expected them to bring the #BROKEN gimmick with them. Unfortunately for all of us, that didn't happen until November last year. By then, Jeff Hardy was already on the shelf with an injury.
It took a while for Matt Hardy to eventually become #WOKEN Matt Hardy. It wasn't until January 31, 2018 when Matt finally acquired the rights to the gimmick after a legal battle with Anthem. all the pieces finally came together when he got his entrance theme for the WWE iteration of the gimmick that made him relevant again in the 2010s.
If you're not familiar with the #BROKEN Matt Hardy gimmick outside of the Final Deletion from 2016, then you probably won't be too familiar with the theme music that Matt used in TNA and ROH. So to fully understand the origins of "The Deletion Anthem," we have to, as Jessica Jones always says, start at the beginning.
Matt Hardy's first theme as the #BROKEN character was a rendition of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" performed by Nicolas James. Specifically, the part used for Hardy's theme is from somewhere in the middle of the original "Moonlight Sonata." It's a very weighty part of the piece and sounds a lot like emotions coming together in an overwhelming manner. Not too surprising, given that the character's completely gone off his rocker.
When Brother Nero eventually joined #BROKEN Matt, they became The Broken Hardys.
That's when they got this creepy-ass theme, performed by Queen Rebecca herself, Reby Sky. "Obsolete Suite" is a departure from the Matt's first TNA theme as the #BROKEN character in the sense that this one is less upbeat and more regal and elegant. Despite this, there's a haunting nature in the composition of the track. The song totally sounds like you can play it in the background as you enter a haunted house. Or imagine yourself playing one of those horror first-person shooter games, and as you go through the boss stages, you could hear this right before the final boss scares the holy shit out of you.
"Obsolete Suite" isn't my first choice for a song that announces my entry into a huge arena. But it certainly stands out in a sea of generic rock songs that we hear as stock entrance music. For that, it gets some props.
Now, we come to "The Deletion Anthem," which quickly addresses the problem that the first two themes had, which is that they can be drowned out by the sound of a rowdy crowd. #WOKEN Matt's current theme has the hook of him laughing maniacally, which immediately grabs your attention. And then you've got the keys coming in a la "Moonlight Sonata," followed by him emphatically yelling, "I WILL DELETE YOU!" along with him making more crazy sounds.
And then that's when the orchestra comes in, and it is beautiful. The song is pretty much a rock opera with how the elements come together, from the keys, to the guitars, bass, and drums playing in concert with one another. Much like whatever's going on inside #WOKEN Matt's head, "The Deletion Anthem" is a beautiful mess—organized chaos, if you will. It's as if a conductor is actually directing the whole thing with how all the different instruments come into play. They all have their individual moments to shine throughout the track, and yet seem to blend together well, especially during the hook.
I'm not even going to hate on the fact that the song is another CFO$ loop. It's a fun theme that gets you out of your seat, ready to mark out for your favorite crazy wrestler. It's memorable because of the hook that makes it distinctly Matt's. And most importantly, it's the type of theme that just commands attention and properly announces your entrance.
Dare I say, this track is absolutely DEEEEEELIGHTFUL!
What's your favorite among the #BROKEN/#WOKEN Matt Hardy themes?
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Stan Sy (@_StanSy) is the Editor at Large of Smark Henry, and is also a radio DJ on Wave 89.1, an events host, a freelance writer, and one of the hosts of The Smark Gilas-Pilipinas Podcast. He also used to be one of the hosts and writers of The Wrestling Gods on FOX. He enjoys watching WWE, NXT, Lucha Underground, and the occasional New Japan match. You can ask him questions about wrestling, Survivor (yes, the reality show), or whatever you like on his CuriousCat account.
