In 2016, Impact Wrestling was struggling and was about to go out of business when Matt Hardy helped create a gimmick that might have saved the company. That was the Broken Matt gimmick and now Impact Wrestling is in a huge battle with Matt Hardy over the gimmick. After sending out cease and desist notices to Ring of Honor to disallow the use of the gimmick, Hardy is now in the WWE with his brother Jeff Hardy and Impact Wrestling has tried another tactic. Impact Wrestling trademarked "Broken Matt" and a number of other names.
Broken Matt Hardy
Matt and Jeff Hardy left Impact Wrestling after contract negotiations fell through and when Impact Wrestling and new owners Anthem Sports stonewalled Matt when it came to the gimmick, Matt trademarked "Broken Matt Hardy." Despite this, Anthem claimed they owned all the gimmicks created under their watch and that Matt is not allowed to use it anywhere else, including the WWE.
There were rumors that the WWE was trying to get permission to use the gimmick but this latest move of trademarking names might stop them. The names that Anthem filed trademarks for include "Broken Matt," "Brother Nero," "Vanguard1," and "Broken Brilliance." If the trademarks are allowed to stand, that will prevent Matt, Jeff, and the WWE from using the entire gimmick.
Problems with the trademarks
Matt Hardy claims that he created the Broken Matt gimmick. Anthem Sports have claimed that Jeremy Borash, Billy Corgan, and Dave Lagana were the vision behind the gimmick. There is one problem with parts of the gimmick that Impact Wrestling might have problems with and they didn't trademark those names.
One is Senior Benjamin, who was portrayed by Reby Sky's father. He was never under contract to Impact Wrestling yet Anthem Sports tried to send him a cease and desist letter as well despite the fact that they never paid him or contracted him for his portrayal of the character. The other is that Matt used his son, King Maxwell, once again someone that Anthem Sports can claim no ownership over.
The Hardy Boyz and the WWE
The WWE might have found a way to use the Broken Matt gimmick without infringing on Impact Wrestling rights. Matt has been using the "Delete" chant, which would be hard for Anthem Sports to claim rights over, especially since the fans won't stop the chants. Second, as long as the WWE does not use the names that were trademarked, there is no way for Anthem Sports to disallow Matt Hardy from playing a character similar to the one he did before. This has happened for years in professional wrestling and the rumors indicate that the WWE will find a way to work around this one way or the other.
