Snohomish County entertainment
Twist of fame

By Tina Potterf
Seattle Times staff reporter

WORLD WRESTLING ENTERTAINMENT, 2003 Southern charm and killer moves make Matt Hardy a fan favorite. Rather than showboating, Hardy prefers to wallop opponents and give fans their money's worth.

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As a child, Matt Hardy spent hours glued to a television watching professional wrestlers like Ric Flair and "Macho Man" Randy Savage cripple their opponents in the ring.

Awe-struck by the flashy costumes, story lines that swung from serious to silly, and the mind-boggling moves and body blows, Hardy dreamed of one day performing on the mat as a pro wrestler.

"I remember watching it and going, 'Wow, this is awesome,' " Hardy said during a recent phone interview from his home in Cameron, N.C. "There's so much drama involved and ... such a wide scope of entertainment. It had something for everyone.

"And they seemed like real-life superheroes."

Fast-forward 15 years. After honing his skills in the ring, performing mostly at county fairs and in amateur shows alongside his brother Jeff, Hardy became part of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) family.

At 22, Hardy and his younger brother (and future tag-team partner) signed a development deal with the foremost professional wrestling organization in the world.

Get in the ring World Wrestling Entertainment will present "Raw LIVE," featuring Chris Benoit, Kane, Edge, Ric Flair, Matt Hardy and Chris Jericho, at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Everett Events Center, 2000 Hewitt Ave. Admission: $20-$45 (free for children under 2). Tickets: 866-332-8499 or www.everetteventscenter.com.

More than six years and several championship titles later, Hardy, 29, is a bona fide WWE superstar. With his Southern charm and killer moves in the ring, he's a fan favorite. Rather than showboating in the ring, however, Hardy prefers to wallop opponents with an arsenal of moves, such as the Twist of Fate, which he calls a type of "neck-breaker," and give fans their money's worth.

Hardy will be part of a cast of WWE superstars for "Raw LIVE" on Sunday at the Everett Events Center. Fans of this brand of "sports entertainment" can expect a lot of drama from Hardy and company, including Chris Benoit, who battles the towering Kane in a World Title match.

Rock-star-esque wrestler Edge will go head to head with the fiery Ric Flair, while the mouthy (but charismatic) Chris Jericho will battle Christian, who will be joined by Trish Stratus.

For Hardy, becoming a pro wrestler meant a lot of hard work and perseverance. And like most wrestling superstars, he's paid his dues. His first real experience as a wrestler came through what he calls an "outlaw promoter" who booked wrestling matches at county fairs in the South.

Green about the business but hungry to perform, Hardy embraced the opportunity. Eventually, he started promoting shows for himself, his brother and other aspiring wrestlers. Because money was tight and costumes imperative, Hardy taught himself to sew and make tights, which he sold to other wrestlers.

Although those who follow the world of wrestling know Matt and Jeff Hardy as a successful tag team, the Hardy Boyz, the brothers initially saw careers as solo performers, Matt Hardy said.

"It was after a while that we decided to work as a team. We would watch wrestling growing up, and I would wrestle as High-Voltage and he as Wolverine," he said. "As time went on, we looked at it more realistically and thought our best chance to make it would be to work together as a team."

The Hardy Boyz were one of the most dominant tag-team groups in the WWE, winning a host of matches and the title of World Tag Team champs.

Since his brother left wrestling a year ago and after reaching many milestones as part of a team, Hardy is building his own identity and career as a solo competitor. His immediate goal is to compete and win the intercontinental title, then conquer the world — the world title, that is.

As a performer, Hardy strives to give the audience a show high in entertainment value, so fans "can sit back for 10 or 20 minutes and just be entertained."

Reaching out to the fans, especially kids who are as passionate about wrestling as he was as a child, is something Hardy lives for.

On Sunday, he will face off against Garrison Cade, on whom he plans to unleash the Twist of Fate.

"If I hit you with a Twist of Fate," Hardy said, "it's going to be an unfortunate twist of fate because it will end the match for you."

Tina Potterf: 206-464-8214 or tpotterf@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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