Breaking Down WWE's Most Controversial, Shocking Stories for the Week of March 2

Matt and Jeff Hardy are free agents, per Mike Johnson of PWInsider (h/t WrestlingInc), as the countdown begins to their possible return to WWE. The company is no stranger to bringing back Attitude Era stars in The New Era. In fact, one of its biggest stars, Goldberg, seems on the verge of capturing the Universal Championship en route to headlining WrestleMania 33 on April 2. 

Broken or not, The Hardy Boyz can add much-needed depth and star power to the tag team division on either Raw or SmackDown. 

SmackDown's roster is anchored by John Cena, who recently joined forces with Nikki Bella as the two prepare to fight The Miz, Maryse and possibly Twitter. And while this mixed tag team match may be inspired by reality TV, the drama going on behind the scenes of a rumored matchup between The Big Show and Shaquille O'Neal could prove to be more fitting for the E! Network. 

Matt and Jeff Hardy WWE-Bound?

Matt and Jeff Hardy are officially free agents as a mass exodus in TNA is taking place, per Mike Johnson of PWInsider (h/t WrestlingInc). There have been rumbles that the legendary WWE tag team could come home to the promotion that made them rock stars. Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline (h/t WrestlingInc) reported it is likely that the Hardys resurface in WWE, while Matt Hardy has resumed his Twitter banter with current WWE champion Bray Wyatt. 

Matt and Jeff were reinvigorated as Broken Matt and Brother Nero, respectively, in one of the most revolutionary angles in modern professional wrestling. But, as WWE proved through the vintage run of The Dudley Boyz, the promotion sees more value in nostalgia than TNA reincarnations. 

The Hardy Boyz will be just two miles from Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, the day of WrestleMania, and it should be considered a legit disappointment if they don't show up on WWE programming during WrestleMania weekend. 

Jack Swagger and WWE Parting Ways?

Jack Swagger recently called into former UFC star Chael Sonnen's podcast, You're Welcome!, and claimed he had asked for his release from WWE. Swagger has seldom appeared on WWE programming over the past year and never quite found his footing as a top star after a brief, somewhat sabotaged, run as world heavyweight champion in 2010. 

If these are Swagger's final days as a WWE Superstar, his story will be one of what could have been. Swagger has always been an immense talent, with all the physical tools to become a top star. WWE was on to something when it paired him with the controversial Zeb Colter during his brief resurrection in 2013, where he challenged Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 29. Swagger continued to show flashes of brilliance during an unlikely babyface run opposite fellow damaged WWE Superstar Rusev. 

Swagger has always been an immense talent, with all the physical tools to become a top star. WWE was onto something when it paired him with the controversial Zeb Colter during his brief resurrection in 2013, when he challenged Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 29. Swagger continued to show flashes of brilliance during an unlikely babyface run opposite fellow damaged WWE Superstar Rusev. 

Now, apparently on his way out, Swagger has the tools to make a name for himself outside of the WWE, something that typically results in the promotion bringing back released talents down the line. 

Big Show's Match Against Shaquille O'Neal at WrestleMania Falling Apart?

The Big Show and NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal have been going back and forth on social media, promoting a once-inevitable showdown at WrestleMania 33 as a follow-up to their brief tussle last year in Dallas.

After months of Big Show training to get in the best shape of his life, the clash of the giants seems to be in jeopardy. Big Show recently commented on his frustrations with the match potentially falling apart, telling Brian Fritz of Sporting News: "This is a situation where, obviously, it's above my pay grade. It's between Shaq and WWE. Whatever their situation is, who knows. Either that or he says the fact that I was starting to get in really good shape, and he got scared and decided that he wants to bail out."

Shaq followed up on his podcast (h/t WrestlingInc), also acknowledging that the match might be in jeopardy. A Shaq-Big Show matchup comes with relatively low risk in terms of injury, as the two could work a basic big-man style a la the spectacular Big Show-Braun Strowman main event from last week's Raw. It would be a shame if Big Show's intense training regiment to get himself in tip-top condition at age 45 was for naught, especially for a match that would garner significant mainstream buzz for WWE.  

John Cena and Nikki Bella Seal 'TotalMania' with a Kiss

After a blistering opening segment between John Cena and The Miz that followed the familiar format of "villain antagonizes Cena with flawed accusations; Cena verbally defeats villain," Cena and longtime girlfriend Nikki Bella shared their first on-screen kiss in WWE. 

After finally joining forces in the ring, a match between Nikki, Cena, Miz and Maryse seems all but guaranteed. Many wrestling purists will groan about "TotalMania," but all parties involved are all very talented former champions and will work hard to make this a captivating match. 

The popularity of shows like Total Divas and Total Bellas likely has a lot to do with WrestleMania's answer to the reality show, and a possible proposal by Cena to Nikki has only furthered the buzz for this couple's combat. 

Randy Orton Turns on Bray Wyatt in Long, Confusing Segment

WWE appeared to capture lightning in a bottle with Orton joining The Wyatt Family. He gelled surprisingly well as a Wyatt through a subtle mix of brooding that wasn't too much of a departure from his normal character.

Even as fans expected Orton to come to his senses and eventually RKO and/or challenge Bray Wyatt to a WrestleMania match, there was a certain intrigue. But through incompetent onscreen management, and Orton doubling down on his newfound sorcery, this matchup has taken a clunky turn.

Orton's long, drawn-out explanation, and subsequent arson of the Wyatt compound, caused confusion as to who the heel is in this feud. To be honest, I kind of felt bad for Bray. With about a month until WrestleMania, WWE already shot an angle where Orton burned down a house. Now what? Unfortunately, that's the least of this storyline's problem. 

After botching the finish from last week's Battle Royal, and following up with a one-on-one match that needed two falls to be decided, new No. 1 contender AJ Styles will likely have his world-title opportunity stripped away. As of this writing, the WrestleMania website poses the question "who will challenge WWE champion Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania?" 

Styles, who is a heel, will be justified in his frustration if and when he gets bumped from the main event of WrestleMania. This will likely lead to a rumored match against SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon, but WWE will need to work overtime in presenting McMahon as the sympathetic figure.  

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.