Best Booking for Woken Matt Hardy at WWE Royal Rumble 2018

On Monday's episode of Raw, Woken Matt Hardy announced he will enter the 2018 Royal Rumble with the intent of becoming the champion of the multiverse.

For the last several weeks, Hardy has been embroiled in an odd feud with Bray Wyatt, with the two men cutting bizarre promos on each other and laughing continuously.

Instead of building depth to the characters and adding layers to the story, it's abundantly clear WWE Creative is waiting until after the Royal Rumble on Jan. 28 to focus on the program.

At the annual January pay-per-view, Hardy should enter the 30-man Battle Royal in the middle of the pack to generate an excitement in a notorious lull period of the match. After the excitement from his arrival wears off, Wyatt should also enter the ring, and they should come to blows for the very first time.

With the WWE Universe exploding for the Hardy vs. Wyatt angle finally getting physical, the two men should eventually eliminate each other from the Royal Rumble and continue to fight even when they hit the floor. As referees try to pull them apart, the camera should follow the two Superstars as they beat each other up all the way to the backstage area.

It's clear neither Hardy nor Wyatt is going to win the opportunity to main event WrestleMania, so adding an instant fire to their storyline is the smart booking heading into the most important time of the WWE year.

While WWE has done a good job building a foundation for each character, the angle has stalled over the last two weeks due to no further development. By eliminating each other from the Royal Rumble, the heat will be intensified immediately, and the true feud can finally begin.

Both Hardy and Wyatt have characters built on a supernatural aura. While the Woken gimmick is still looking to be established in the WWE Universe following its success in Impact Wrestling, Wyatt needs this storyline just as much to reinvigorate his persona and build credibility heading into the future.

Regardless of where WWE Creative goes with the feud between Hardy and Wyatt following the Royal Rumble, it is imperative to the success of both Superstars and their storyline that they fight during the Battle Royal and cost each other a victory.

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