Revisited Rivalries: Matt Hardy vs MVP
The WWE United States Championship, WWE Tag Team Championships, Summerslam with Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Money in the Bank Ladder match and Evander Holyfield are some of the moments and championships that transpired in a feud that took place just as much outside of the ring, as it did inside. MVP, or Montel Vontavious Porter, and Matt Hardy spent nine months battling each other in various scenarios while ensuring that the audience was along for the journey.
The Beginning
Matt Hardy earned the right to face MVP as the number one contender for the WWE United States Championship at The Great American Bash 2007 by pinning the champion in a non-title match on the July 2 edition of SmackDown. While both prepared for their championship match, MVP attacked Hardy and delivered ‘The Playmaker’ while Hardy gained a measure of revenge, eliminating MVP from a World Heavyweight Championship battle royal.
The Great American Bash saw MVP retain the WWE United States Championship, but the SmackDown afterwards, Hardy challenged MVP to a rematch after the champion claimed he was confident that he would never be beaten. MVP accepted Hardy’s challenge but stated the championship wouldn’t be on the line. In retaliation, Hardy said he could and would beat MVP all around the world until he received a proper championship match.
The following week on SmackDown, Matt Hardy successfully challenged MVP to an arm-wrestling match. MVP accused Hardy of cheating after losing and said he could beat Hardy in a wrestling match and if Hardy was ready, he would fight him right there and then. The former tag team champion gladly accepted, and after a back-and-forth match, MVP walked out, giving Hardy the win via count out.
Matt Hardy and MVP arm wrestling during the August 3, 2007, edition of SmackDown.
These challenges between MVP and Matt Hardy would be synonymous with this period, and Matt Hardy has spoken about their competitiveness along with how Vince McMahon was fond of them:
“We were doing that in real life, too. We were competitive. We would go out to a bar later and we would see who could drink the most, pick up the most chicks, or whatever. We were just super competitive and everything and it translated that way on TV. So that was supposed to be a short-term thing for the US title. Then later we added details. I said, ‘Well, what if you decide you want to try and make me your tag team partner and we go after the tag team title? That would give us a way to extend this, and we can make that happen.’”
“There would be lines outside of Vince’s door. There would be eight or nine people just waiting and they were waiting for an hour or 90 minutes outside his door to get in to see him. MVP and I would be in the line. We would shoot him a text and say, ‘Hey Vince, we’re outside.’ He would say, ‘MVP, Matt, come right in’, and we would pass the whole line. We did that almost every single week,”
“We were his favourites at that time. Every time we suggested something, he was always open to it. That was one of the most fun times as far as working with Vince. He was liking what we’re doing, it was succeeding on television, and he was always open to ideas.”
MVP also echoed Matt Hardy’s comments:
“I think almost inarguably that it’s the most memorable run [of his]. Especially during that time on Smackdown when Smackdown was depleted with so many major injuries. And it was cool as hell that Vince had an open-door policy and told me and Matt, ‘Hey, you guys got ideas? Bring them in here.’ So a lot of the stuff that we did was, I mean that whole angle was our idea.”
It was discovered and revealed that MVP was suffering from a heart condition named Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome, which would take him out of action from in-ring competition. While announcing this, MVP challenged Hardy to another contest. He challenged the member of Team Extreme to fight him in a boxing match at Saturday Night Main Event. After Hardy accepted the challenge, MVP announced that since he couldn’t technically compete because of his heart condition, he found a suitable replacement in former heavyweight boxing champion of the world, Evander Holyfield.
Saturday Night's Main Event on Aug 7, 2007 featuring Holyfield, MVP, Buffer and Hardy.
We saw backstage segments of MVP getting Holyfield ready throughout Saturday Night Main Event. Michael Buffer held introductions for the match as MVP joined Holyfield and his entourage in the ring. The first round saw Holyfield quickly outpunch Hardy with Hardy struggling to defend himself from the shots he was taking. Round 2, Holyfield held off, going easier on Hardy. This upset MVP, who was in Holyfield's corner and began to berate Holyfield. The former world champion then knocked out MVP for the way he spoke to him, and the match was declared a no-contest as a beaten Hardy and Holyfield embraced.
MVP spoke about working with former boxing heavyweight world champion Evander Holyfield
“Boxers are in total control of their hands. They can hit you as hard or as light as they want to. So, there was no discussion about him hitting me because boxers, when they go hard, they go hard. Sometimes they have light sparring sessions where they just kind of tap. I wasn’t concerned about his professionalism at all. We didn’t have to have a talk with him about, you know, making it look good. That’s what he does for a living. He throws punches.”
From Foes to Partners
In the next challenge, the two competed in a basketball contest to see who could score the most baskets. Before the challenge, MVP vowed to SmackDown General Manager Teddy Long that he could win all the WWE titles and the WWE Tag Team Championships with whoever walked through the door next. Matt Hardy walked through the door to MVP's dismay. In his infinite wisdom, Teddy Long booked a WWE Tag Team Championship match for the following week with MVP and Matt Hardy facing Deuce and Domino. During the basketball challenge, MVP would stumble on a new catchphrase of ‘Ball In’ as he took shots at the hoop. The challenge was cut short when Deuce and Domino attacked them to give a warning shot to their match.
Before their WWE Tag Team Championship Match, MVP, with the blessing of Vince McMahon, challenged Matt Hardy to a beer-drinking contest at Summerslam. With MVP in the ring, Hardy informed MVP that, like he had Evander Holyfield substitute for him, he had one of his own. Matt Hardy introduced Stone Cold Steve Austin to take his place in the beer-drinking contest. Austin delivered a Stunner to MVP and continued to drink the beer, much to Hardy's delight.
On the August 31 edition of Smackdown, MVP and Matt Hardy defeated Deuce and Domino to capture the WWE Tag Team Championship, causing an unlikely alliance. Hardy delivered a Twist of Fate after doing a lot of the heavy lifting in the match, but MVP tagged himself in, pushing Hardy to the floor and earning the pinfall. A week later, MVP and Hardy argued about who the captain of the team was. Hardy and MVP began to compete in singles action against Deuce and Domino, plus face each other in a chess match. A contest that never finished when MVP threw the board in anger at losing.
Unforgiven 2007 saw Matt Hardy and MVP retain the Tag Team Championships against Deuce and Domino. After the match, Hardy celebrated with the Tag titles along with MVP’s United States Championship. Hardy dropped the belt at the feet of MVP, reminding him that he still wants the championship. SmackDown continued their series of challenges, attempting to throw an American Football through a tire which Hardy won by MVP catching the ball to stop it from going through. Later in the evening, Hardy and MVP lost a non-title match to Deuce and Domino as both argued with each other. Another week saw MVP defeat Matt Hardy in a push-up contest after MVP knocked Hardy arm from under him.
Their final challenge between the pair took place at No Mercy; MVP and Matt Hardy sat down for a pizza-eating contest. Hardy won, but after the contest, he would bring up his pizza, all over MVP. Matt Hardy spoke about the process of making himself sick when needed too.
“So, they get this mix and they do it and you’re supposed to take it. He [the prop guy] said, ‘Okay, like, take it 30 minutes before whatever. So, I drink this stuff, it is f*cking terrible. My stomach’s upset. We’re doing this, we’re eating, and I eventually get to that point where I do regurgitate on him a little bit. There’s a little bit of puke and it’s more spit than anything else. But dude, for the remainder of that night, I was throwing up all night, sick as f*ck all night from all that stuff I took because I feel, in theory, if it was going to make you regurgitate, you should have probably taken a few hours before.”
MVP and Matt Hardy continued to team with obvious dissension between the pair. They faced Deuce and Domino again, The Brothers of Destruction, Kane and The Undertaker and The Major Brothers. But with Hardy demanding a United States Championship match, MVP announced a Tag Title defence for the pair instead. It all came to a head on the November 16 SmackDown when John Morrison and The Miz became the tag team to defeat the unlikely pair. With Hardy suffering a leg injury, MVP held no regard for his partner and demanded their rematch immediately. Miz and Morrison successfully won the second match to MVP’s annoyance. MVP helped his fallen partner up before attacking his injured leg. MVP targetted Matt Hardy's leg before dropping his knee onto the steel steps.
Out with an injury, Matt Hardy wouldn’t be seen until The Money in the Bank ladder match at Wrestlemania 24 in Orlando. Just as it looked like MVP was about to win the match and become Mr. Money in the Bank, Hardy ran through the crowd, climbed the ladder and delivered a Twist of Fate off the ladder to deny MVP the guaranteed shot at a World Championship.
On the April 4th SmackDown, Matt Hardy gained a measure of revenge and finally pinned MVP in his long-awaited match to prove he could pin the champion. The following week, Hardy challenged MVP to finally put his United States Championship on the line against him, and it was announced, after nine months, Matt Hardy would finally get his championship match at Backlash.
At Backlash 2008, Matt Hardy proved what he had been saying for months and that he was better than MVP when he won the United States Championship match to become the new champion. MVP received a rematch on the following SmackDown, but Hardy again pinned MVP and retained his championship to end their 9-month rivalry.
The MVP vs Matt Hardy rivalry was highly regarded during this period of WWE, but perhaps more so for memorable moments between the two that took place outside of actual wrestling matches. Their nine-month feud faced obstacles, but how they worked around them made this rivalry a better version of itself.
As humans, we have evolved to compete; it is in our genes, and we love to watch a competition.
