New Mattitude Commentary

[Guest Polish_Rifle]

THE LATEST VERSION

Jan. 30, 2004

 

Hello again. This is the Sensei of Mattitude hoping that everyone is making it through this brutal winter weather and torturously cold time of the year. May warm summer thoughts circulate through all of our heads. I personally keep reminding myself that I only have a couple more months of this nonsense left to put up with. My last three weeks of travel have been overloaded with snow, ice, slush and freezing temperatures. Enough is enough already. I barely made it home last Tuesday as the road that I live on was completely covered with two inches of ice. Springtime can’t get here soon enough.

 

A lot of people ask me about the meaning of "Matt Hardy Version One." More specifically, what does the "Version One" part mean? Well, here’s your answer: I originally came up with the concept shortly after the now-famous No Mercy 1999 tag team Ladder Match. "Version One" commonly describes the idea behind a computer program or anything being the pioneering blueprint of a future line of products. I thought it would be cool if myself, Jeff, Edge and Christian could have formed a stable and claimed to be the prototypes of what modern-day sports entertainers should be. The four of us would deem ourselves "Version One" and have a very catchy hand sign. At the time, all four of us were good guys and I thought a battle between V1 and DX would have been entertaining. But as we all know, things didn’t go down like that in WWE history. I kept the V1 concept in the back of my mind and planned on using it later.

 

After doing just about everything a tag team could do together, it was time for Matt and Jeff Hardy to go their separate ways. Now that I was going to become a singles wrestler and change character directions, it was time to put my idea to work. It was like starting from scratch in several ways, because I was going to be a completely different personality. I deemed myself Matt Hardy Version One, and now claimed that you were seeing the "real" Matt Hardy. No longer were you seeing an extension of Matt the Hardy Boy–you were seeing the genuine, full-fledged Matt Hardy. I wanted to be a new and first version of what a sport entertainer should be that is my size, has my abilities and has a similar persona. As time passed, more and more of my true personality has been utilized to entertain as V1. Some of those actions have been booed, but some have been cheered. Regardless, I feel like I put together an entertaining shtick by being the "real" me–Matt Hardy Version One.

 

This Sunday, the Super Bowl takes place and the Carolina Panthers make their first-ever appearance in the game of all games. I’m not a huge football fan, but I would love to see the Panthers upset the Patriots for the win. If there is one thing I do have, it’s Carolina pride. I am very proud of being a born and bred North Carolinian and like seeing the state thrive. Claiming home to the Super Bowl champs couldn’t be a bad thing for us tar heels.

 

I was reading an old Latest Version from November 1999 (before it was the latest version, actually) and ran across the following paragraph...

 

Have any of you ever listened to the song, "Long Road," by Pearl Jam? Some of the lyrics in the song include, "I have wished for so long, now I wish for you today," and "We all walk the long road." I always think back to this song whenever I see young and up-and-coming independent wrestlers, or people just trying to break into the business. I know what it's like to put all your hopes and dreams and faith into something. It seems almost completely unattainable. But it is not impossible. Once again, I am living, breathing proof of that. I want all these guys and/or gals to know that it is possible. Through hard work and determination and believing in yourself, you can accomplish your goals. At one point in my life, I was exactly like you. I was the same person who questioned myself -- if I was wasting my time, if I was stupid for believing I could fulfill a dream. Or for trying to scrounge up a little more hope to keep me going. The most important thing is to never stop … believing. Eddie Vedder says in one of his songs, "When you trade magic for fact, there are no tradebacks." I believe that to a degree. When you give up on your dreams and goals, and accept where you are at, you become complacent and lose the drive and dedication it takes to get to the next level. That's something that I still have to continue to instill in myself, in forms of drive and inspiration. I *REFUSE* to become complacent and happy with where I'm at. At the risk of sounding arrogant, you can never settle for what you have. You have to constantly update, try to make your life better, try to become a better person, and try to achieve more accomplishments. It's hard to do. But it's a formula for success. So now I say to everyone who is trying to fulfill the dream, "I have wished for so long, now I wish for you today."

 

After reading some of my old wise words, it reiterated how much that advice means in being successful–in anything. Not just sports entertainment, not just wrestling, but in everything. I’ve never been given anything in my life; I’ve had to bust my ass for everything. I had to bust my ass to get a job with WWE. I had to bust my ass to help the Hardy Boyz become one of the greatest tag teams ever. I had to bust my ass to become a successful singles wrestler, and I’m still busting ass. You can’t ever stop -- you can’t ever give up -- just because things get tough. I could sit here and type barrier after barrier that I’ve had to overcome with little or no help. I’ve knocked down so many blockades that my fist should be constantly bloody. I refuse to stop battling for Matt Hardy and my dreams and ideals. Neither should you. I have wished for so long, and I’m still wishing–but I also wish for you as well. If you’re like me, and believe like me, everything will work out because we’re too stubborn to accept things otherwise.

 

RANDOM COMMENTS SECTION:

-Make sure to tune into Sunday Night HEAT, as I face Booker T in what promises to be a great match.

 

-Make sure to purchase one of my new Matt Hardy pendants at ShopZone because I’ve got kids to feed (well, not yet, but one day).

 

-In April, it will be six years ago that I signed a contract with WWE.

 

-In May, it will be 10 years ago that I first wrestled on WWE programming.

 

-I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback on the personal pictures I’ve put up on the site. I’m going to try and continually update those with new photos.

 

-I think that Christian is highly underrated and possibly the best bad guy in the business right now.

 

-I miss getting to hang out with my good pal Shannon Moore.

 

-It’s currently 5:20 in the morning as I’m finishing my commentary.

 

-I did an hour of cardio on my elliptical machine at 2 this morning.

 

-I have a very odd sleeping schedule–as I’m sure you’ve just realized.

 

I have a big day of preparation tomorrow as I get ready to leave for the road this weekend and Japan next week. As I’ve stated before, I love wrestling in front of the Japanese fans–they are awesome. It should be a tough but enjoyable trip, but you can rest assured that I’ll enjoy some sushi and miso soup while there. By the way, did I mention that they love me in Japan? I’m being silly–they love me everywhere! Wish for me, and I’ll wish for you. Be well, and until then....

 

Matt Hardy V1

The Sensei of Mattitude

V-Oonnneeeee-uuuhhhhhh!

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Matt is awesome. And "Long Road" is an awesome song.