[2000-04-27-WWF-Smackdown] Matt Hardy vs Jeff Hardy (Hardcore)

[soup23]

Brother vs brother for the hardcore title in a bit of dissent I didn’t remember these two having. They start right away with the plunder including trash can shots. In a fun spot, Jeff puts the broom between his legs delivering a top rope leg drop. Matt gives a brutal looking moonsault with the trashcan around Jeff. Dual ladders are introduced as Saturn and Hardcore Holly get a closer look. Slingshot legdrop over the ladder by Jeff as Tazz joins us too. Matt does a dive onto pretty much no one on the outside as everyone brawls. Matt Hardy has the pin when Crash runs in and steals the pin becoming the new Hardcore champion. This set up the six way on the PPV well enough. *1/4

[Loss]

The broom spot made me laugh out loud. These two always work hard against each other, but the match just never clicks despite their best efforts. I'm reminded how tremendous the 24/7 gimmick was for the Hardcore title when it was fresh. Fun segment.

[GSR]

Jeff is challenging his brother, who is carrying a trash can full of weapons to the ring with him, for the Hardcore title. He takes a garbage can lid and hands Jeff a baking tray, however when he tosses it aside wanting no part of the weapons, he clocks him over the head with the lid. Matt wedges the baking tray between the turnbuckles, but Jeff reverses the whip to the corner and Matt is the one who crashes head first into it. Broom assisted double legdrop off the top by Jeff. He collects a fire extinguisher from under the ring, as Perry Saturn walks out to get a closer look of his opponents for Backlash. Jeff’s too slow returning to the ring though and Matt waffles him with the lid again. He has his brother tied in the ‘tree of woe’ and places Jeff’s head in the trash can which he then dropkicks. With Jeff still trapped in it, Matt with a moonsault onto the can which looks like it could’ve crushed Jeff the way it bent! Only a two count though, as Bob Holly has now joined Saturn at ringside. Jeff sidesteps a charging Matt sending him flying through the ropes to the outside. The Hardyz both collect a ladder from under the ring on opposite sides, but Jeff foregoes his in order to dropkick the one Matt was carrying into him. Tazz is next out, and Jeff with a sky high legdrop off the top and over the ladder onto Matt. He signals for the ‘Swanton bomb’ from the top of the ladder, but Matt lets the fire extinguisher off before he’s able to jump. He then launches the garbage can at him, and Jeff falls from the ladder and onto Tazz and Saturn at ringside (Tazz had grabbed Saturn to stop him interfering). The three of them start fighting each other, and never one to miss out on a ruck, Holly gets involved too. Plancha off the top to the floor by Matt, although he doesn’t really connect with anyone. He rolls his brother back inside leaving the others to fight amongst themselves. Crash Holly appears from nowhere, breaks up the pin and then hits Matt over the head with the trash can. He covers him for the three and to reclaim the Hardcore title, before collecting the belt and sprinting to the back.

 

I’m higher than everyone else with this. I thought the effort from both was excellent, some innovative spots (broom assisted legdrop, ‘tree of woe’ with Jeff’s head in the trash can and Matt’s moonsault) and it was nicely structured to build for the Backlash six way. Especially liked the way Crash was in, out and left with the title at the end. Real fun stuff here.