I began this morning reviewing the Wrestlemania 25 match between these two (here) and this week will be bringing double features every day. Following up a Wrestlemania match with its immediate rematch. For how much people complain about Wrestlemania rematches flooding the events after, I actually didn't find too many exact rematches. An example I already reviewed is the Wrestlemania and Extreme Rules (event, not stipulation) matches between Sheamus and Daniel Bryan in 2012.
Just 3 weeks after their Wrestlemania clash The Hardy Boyz faced off against each other again. Extreme Rules weren't enough for these brothers, this time facing off in an old school “I Quit” match. It's a match type that lends itself to sibling feuds like this, with the only road to victory is making the other man say the titular words. Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole are on commentary tonight.
Before the match Michael Cole thanks The Veer Union for their song “Seasons” tonight's official theme song. The preview of this match showed Wrestlemania's sick finish to the match, with Matt explaining that even beating Jeff and proving he was the superior Hardy wouldn't be enough. Sending him home on a stretcher wasn't enough, so Jeff made the challenge for this match. Jeff enters first, with his pop being 85% of this feud. Really, they could have worked Jeff never winning at Wrestlemania in too, but that's just me. Jerry Lawler puts over how much more humiliating it is saying “I quit” than losing a match by pinfall or submission. Moreso between brothers. The bigger, statistically better Hardy makes his way out if it was an older crowd maybe the “Die Hardy Die” chants might have been brought back, but they more seemed to boo him because he was against Jeff in this match.
MATT HARDY VS. JEFF HARDY (“I Quit” match)
WWE Backlash 2009 (26th April 2009)
They circle and talk sports at the beginning of the match before Matt misses with a right hand. Matt ends up in the corner and Jeff hits him with right hands, Matt falls so Jeff stomps him. Jeff sends his brother into another corner of the ring and kicks him in the gut. Matt takes a walk out of the corner but gets decked, midsection leg drop by Jeff doesn't hurt his advantage, he rolls through and dropkicks Matt down. Matt scrambles away from an ankle lock and bails to the floor, but Jeff uses the ropes for momentum on a dropkick sending Matt across the floor. Jeff takes the scenic route to the floor with a slingshot plancha, he hits Matt but the momentum sends him into the barricade. Jeff gets to his feet first and sends Matt into the security barrier. Jeff Hardy moves his other regular tag team partner, the ring steps and gets run-up. Matt gets to his feet just in time for a one man Poetry in Motion sending him back into the barricade.
Jeff stun guns Matt's jaw on the top rope to give himself time to get in the ring as we get back from the replay, I missed the bit before that. Matt staggers to the corner and Jeff hits a clothesline. The second clothesline slumps Matt in the corner again for the dropkick. Jeff stomps Matt as we see a replay and hits three standing dropkicks in a row before going to the middle rope for another. The referee asks Matt if he wants to quit but he doesn't, so Jeff continues the attack. Jeff jumps on Matt's back with a sleeper hold but Matt still doesn't quit. He runs Jeff's head into the top turnbuckle to counter as he starts fading, dropping to his knees in the corner to breathe. Matt Hardy goes on the attack but Jeff avoids going into the turnbuckle a second time, climbing to the top rope. Matt shoves him down to the floor and Jeff starts favouring his leg! Matt Hardy goes back on the attack as Michael Cole mentions he attacked a defenseless Jeff on Smackdown.
Matt Hardy puts Jeff back in the ring as the crowd chant for tables. Matt throws Jeff's leg into the ring post and the referee asks Jeff if he wants to quit, he defiantly says no. It was actually pretty patronising.... Matt applies a Figure Four around the ringpost, pulling on Jeff's left ankle. Matt hits a chop block and applies a Figure Four in the ring, getting a “Woo” chant. Jeff still refuses to quit so Matt switches strategy to high impact but still focusing on the left knee and keeping Jeff Hardy grounded. Matt goes back to the Figure Four but Jeff doesn't quit, reversing the pressure on the hold. Matt refuses to quit also, rolling back to release the hold. Matt Hardy holds Jeff's leg as he makes it to his feet using the ropes. Jeff tries to counter with an enziguri but Matt dodges back, Matt drops to the canvas to apply a tight boston crab, Jeff doesn't quit so Matt bridges over. Jeff's resilience annoys his brother. Matt drops his leg over the back of Jeff's neck and demands that he quits.
Matt hangs Jeff Hardy in the Tree of Woe, going outside the ring to pull back on the neck. Jeff still doesn't quit after his spine being stretched so Matt climbs to the middle rope, Jeff desparately hits Matt with right hands, dropping him to the mat with a back elbow. Jeff Hardy hits Whisper in the Wind on one good leg! Jerry Lawler notes that it was a good move, but it won't make Matt quit. Jeff Hardy gets the best of an exchange of right hands, but his kick is caught, he mule kicks Matt down, locking in a modified Texas cloverleaf. Matt taps out but it does nothing, he doesn't quit when the referee asks him and gets to the ropes. Jeff releases although he doesn't have to. There's a miscommunication on a twist of fate, so Jeff hits a leg drop to the back of Matt's neck, he hits the Twist of Fate this time and climbs to the top rope, Matt refuses to quit after a Swanton bomb, so Jeff hits a second and brings a table into the ring, because he remembers the fans.
Matt shows he's definitely thesmart Hardy, rolling out of the ring. Jeff follws but is caught with a right, Jeff Hardy counters a Twist of Fate with one of his own, hitting it. Jeff sends Matt in the ring and sets him up on the table. Jeff goes back outside and gets duct tape and rope to secure Matt. Jeff tapes up Matt's ankles and wrists before tying him to the table, Matt refuses to quit again as Jeff grabs a ladder. Matt tries to reason with his brother as the crowd scream in anticipation. Jeff climbs the ladder so Matt pleads with him on the microphone, using their parents in saying they don't want this to happen. Matt finally quits as Jeff makes it to the top of the ladder. Jeff climbs down to the turnbuckle, hitting Matt with a leapfrog legdrop to put him through the table.
WINNER: JEFF HARDY
Jeff Hardy stands tall and leaves to cheers from the crowd, as Matt is left laying in the debris in the ring.
This match was the right finish to the feud. I think Matt Hardy can be a great dastardly heel when he wants to be, and although in earlier years their work against each other wasn't particularly cared for, this brought out the best in them both. Even the finish being downplayed from Wrestlemania was good, showing Matt didn't want to go through as much punishment as he had put Jeff through recently. It was a “Greatest Hits” match if I ever saw one, but an enjoyable one that exceeded my expectations. – WORKRATE: 2/5 PERSONAL ENJOYMENT 2/5 OVERALL 4/10
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