Will WWE Be Able to Reignite 'Broken' Matt Hardy Gimmick After Lengthy Layoff?

What once was broke is now awake.

Matt Hardy may finally be on the eve of transitioning into his wildly popular Broken gimmick. Hardy and Brother Jeff have been back in WWE since WrestleMania 33, and since that time, the company has only teased Matt's Impact Wrestling character.

But after months of rumors and speculation, it could be that WWE is now moving ahead with its interpretation of Hardy's over-the-top persona. So will it work?

The easy answer is "yes." Hardy completely revitalized his professional wrestling career with this gimmick and rediscovered his love for the business along the way. His creativity spawned one of the most original concepts that fans had ever seen, and though it probably shouldn't have worked, it got him over like never before.

Many believed he was the only reason to watch Impact Wrestling during his run in 2016. He was just so good at what he was doing and had embraced it to the point that he made even the most ardent critics stand up and take notice. 

He operated somewhere between brilliance and ridiculousness. Fans ultimately decided it was the best mix of both.

The key is Matt himself. His Twitter account has exploded recently as he seems to be preparing fans for the transformation ahead. He's gone far beyond teasing the return of his Broken character; he's done everything but guarantee that the change is indeed going to come.

He's planting the seed, and he's putting in the work. He does not need WWE to tell him how to proceed, and he doesn't need any help in getting this over. He knows what works for his character, and no amount of direction from WWE Creative is going to further his cause. It could be that any type of any direction would hinder him.

Hardy has this. He's good.

As long as he's allowed to flesh this out for the WWE audience, everything should go his way. The beauty of the original Broken gimmick was that he could take it anywhere at any time and make it as ridiculous as he wanted. He could go places that no one had gone before, and he could do it with utter confidence because he was in total control.

With that in mind, if WWE decides to micromanage him, this could fall apart before it even begins.

Hardy is unique because he can be silly and it's okay. He can be bizarre, and no one will complain. He can stare into the camera and deliver the wildest promo that a WWE audience has ever heard without fear of bombing. Nothing he does is out of bounds, and everything somehow always clicks together. 

When was the last time that was said of any WWE Superstar? 

But Matt had free rein on the independent circuit, and fans know that will surely not be the case in WWE. He will be directed, and the company will obviously be part of the process. However, he must be the one at the heart of it all in order for it to be successful. Of course, that's assuming fans are ready for it to actually happen.

From the moment The Hardy Boyz returned, fans have waited for Matt to become Broken. They've waited. They've wished. They've wondered. Have they moved on?

Did this take too long to happen? If Hardy becomes Woken Matt, are fans going to buy in and accept it? The WWE faithful as a collective certainly understand the length of time it took to get to this point was not Hardy's fault. Turning on him because of impatience makes no sense as it was never really up to him.

This is why WWE can only set the scene for Hardy. He must be the one to play the part.

He must come at this with the same reckless abandon that he did with the original gimmick. He must embrace it, live it and push it like he's never done before. The Monday Night Raw roster is rife with top talent and main event players that dominate WWE programming every week. Hardy must not only stand out; he must rise above.

If fans accept him as they did before he came back to WWE, then the company could be on the verge of doing big business with him in the coming months. Hardy could potentially make Raw must-see TV for pro wrestling fans outside of WWE and possibly even draw the casual fanbase back to the product. All he needs is WWE's support and the opportunity to shine. 

Woken Matt is about to take fans on a strange new trip. With any luck, WWE will stay out of his way.

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Bleacher Report. His podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, iHeart Radio, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online at boinkstudios.com