Broken or Not: Hardy Boyz's 2nd Act Is Revitalizing WWE's Raw Tag Team Division

At this time two months ago, no one could have ever imagined The Hardy Boyz being back in the WWE fold, at least so soon. Now, they are in the midst of an entertaining run as Raw tag team champions with seemingly no end in sight.

The decision to bring back the brothers was unquestionably a wise one, as WWE's tag team scene has needed a shot of adrenaline for a long while. The timing could not have been better, either, considering Matt and Jeff had embarked on their own expedition of gold elsewhere in the wrestling world.

At the onset of 2017, The Hardy Boyz began capturing championships in countless promotions from TNA to Ring of Honor to CMLL, but the one set of twin titles that alluded them were the Raw tag team titles. They finally achieved that milestone when they made their shocking return at WrestleMania 33 and won a wild ladder match to become the new champions.

Of course, there is a definite difference in The Hardy Boyz compared to a few months ago: They are no longer as "broken" as they once were. Matt, more so than Jeff, still displays "broken" tendencies from time to time, including his unique look and mannerisms, but they have yet to be officially acknowledged as such by WWE.

It can certainly be argued that it was their run as The Broken Hardyz that led to them becoming a hot commodity in the first place and subsequently them coming home to WWE when they did. Furthermore, WWE would be foolish to not tap into those characters considering the immense amount of merchandise it can produce along with its creative potential.

Credit: WWE.com

Reintroducing The Hardy Boyz to the WWE Universe as their Attitude Era personas will be fine for the foreseeable future, but it will have a relatively short shelf life. The Dudley Boyz failed to evolve, and that is exactly what Matt and Jeff will need to do if they aim to stay at the top of the tag division on Raw.

Although they have yet to become "broken," there is hope for fans anxious to see them bring the characters they created in TNA to WWE, considering Matt has been teasing elements of his beloved moniker on WWE TV as of late.

That said, it might be some time before we see The Broken Hardyz in WWE with Impact Wrestling and Matt currently involved in a war over the "Broken" trademark. At last word, Matt's previously applied trademark for the term was denied, per Wrestle Zone, but he will likely continue to pursue what he believes he has rightful ownership of until something is settled.

In the meantime, The Hardy Boyz should remain a unit on WWE TV and not branch off into one-on-one competition anytime soon. Matt and Jeff still have plenty left to offer on their own, but they are far more valuable at the moment as a tandem than as singles competitors.

Tag team wrestling has been more relevant on Raw these past two months than it has been in several years. The Hardy Boyz have contributed quite a bit to that success, despite how they haven't been "broken" during their latest WWE stint.

Shortly after capturing the Raw Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania, Matt and Jeff entered a rivalry with Sheamus and Cesaro, which has been beneficial for both teams so far. Following their enjoyable encounter at the Payback pay-per-view, the European duo turned heel and will challenge for the straps again at Extreme Rules next Sunday in a steel cage match.

What has been most refreshing about The Hardy Boyz in this rivalry is how Matt and Jeff have been heavily protected in all of their matches. For example, neither of them has suffered a single loss up to this point, consistently maintaining that momentum on a weekly basis as a result.

Again, this is completely unlike The Dudley Boyz, who failed to reinvent themselves coming off their hot return to WWE in 2015 and were largely positioned as enhancement talents. Their role was to get young up-and-comers over, but The Hardyz are better than that and thankfully have been properly showcased since WrestleMania.

Looking ahead, a program pitting The Hardyz against The Revival is only inevitable and should do a great deal in elevating the former NXT tag team champions. Matt and Jeff should stick together through the remainder of 2017 at the very least, regardless of if they are in possession of the tag titles or not.

Time will tell as to whether The Broken Hardyz will ever surface in WWE, but for now, fans should appreciate their ability to revitalize Raw's tag team division and restore importance to the lost art of tag team wrestling.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumni and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.