Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara

[3.0] "THIS MATCH GOT LONGER THAN OMEGA VS PAGE ON THE SAME CARD I can think of no reason this match should have been more than five or six minutes long. It should have been a crazy brawl with some in-jokes from Matt Hardy. Instead, Matt Hardy tries to prove he's still got it in 2020 with the charisma vacuum that is young Sammy. I could have liked a traditional match, and I could have liked a cinematic style Hardy spoof, but this tries to split the difference, and, as a result, fails at both."

[1.0] "Too long with too much actual wrestling - especially after a very good-to-great FTR/Young Bucks match that went close to 30 minutes - this match failed because, unlike many of the other Broken Matt Hardy cinematic "matches, " it just wasn't very fun or funny. The opening bit with the hologram and the inclusion of Gangrel and Hurricane Helms were the only real highlights and not a single other person in the match - Guevara, Private Party, or Santana and Ortiz - got to show any personality or character. If the other Ultimate Deletion matches and segments worked because they fell into the corny and campy "so bad, it's good" category, this didn't because it wasn't corny or campy enough. The finish was also an unfortunate callback to a real-life incident at their previous match that was way too legitimately violent and scary (and stupid) to fit here. Hardy is lucky he didn't cause himself permanent brain damage (though, I guess we'll see what the long-term ramifications of the obvious concussion he suffered months earlier will be as he grows older) and it was unpleasant to be reminded of that incident in a match that is supposed to be fun and silly."

[1.0] "This match was better than the match they had where Matt Hardy could have died, but it wasn't that much better. Hardy in AEW is in hindsight, one of the poorer big money signings the promotion made. Before Jeff came along, Matt had a few rough feuds where it seemed unclear what kind of wrestler he wanted to be (workrate vs silly kooky shenanigans) and only really popped in the stadium stampede match. After Jeff, it didn't go as planned, and now he's back in TNA. I'm glad AEW has pivoted away from this specific type of silliness because it truly did nothing for me. Guevara never benefited from it either."

[6.0] "This match was silly as hell but I had fun with it. The cameos were great and there were some cool spots but this rivalry sucks tremendously."

[5.0] "Ok so i am a very big fan of matt hardy cinematic matches. Except for this one. Its just way to much stuff going on that it is hard to focus on the two men that is actually in the match. Bad idk if there was some sort of issue where tna still had the rights to some things of the hardy compound but why do we not see any of those character? The match is actually pretty good whenever it is just one on one between hardy and guvera but i just think there was so much more we couldve gotten from this match. The finish was pretty cool seeing a vicious side of hardy. 3 stars"

[2.0] "Really dont know what they were thinking with this. Surely the cinematic match gives you more leeway in terms of storytelling, not mocking it with the long term storytelling one liner. Even once they got in the ring it was just a series of silly moves without any meaning. The rules for the deletion match didnt seem to matter in the slightest, which really impacted the storyline for me. What a shame, I like these two a lot and this couldve been something great, and shouldve been given how awful their All Out match was."

[0.0] "Out of all the appalling cinematic matches, this and the swamp match are at the bottom of the barrel. To add to it, they involve the worst feuds of the year and the biggest issue with this was not only was it not remotely funny or interesting, its that it was so boring! Matt Hardy was a sad sight at times in this run but this feud was easily the worst thing that he has done. The fact that 20 minutes was dedicated to this mess shows Tony that sometimes he should just say no unless he thought this was entertaining. Matt getting as much screen time and attention as he got in his first year of the company was a sign that they rely to much on legends to pop ratings or add legitimacy to the show when really they already had a strong roster to focus their attention on"

[0.0] "Yeah I didn't need to see this ever. Never was a fan of the Matt Hardy gimmick and it lasted forever which made it worse. It's bad comedy, cinematic nonsense which was already getting overdone in the pandemic era and was extremely hit and miss, but mainly miss. This, the swamp match and the tooth and nail match were breathtakingly bad examples of how to incorporate cinematic themes and comedy in wrestling and the people who put them together should be ashamed of themselves and may God have mercy on their souls. Matt Hardy's entire run in AEW may be second to Jericho's in terms of how bad they are and how much they were featured and there was times some people convinced themelves it was good but it never was. Not even the biggest Sammy fan but he deserved better than this"

[2.0] "This was a total waste of time. There's one cool spot and it's the moonsault off the monster truck wheels at the very start of the match. But besides the lack of compelling action and the corny references to "the business, " the saddest part of the match is watching Matt Hardy try to run around without bending his knees. You hate to see an all-timer not knowing when to hang them up, and instead dragging his body through matches that aren't entertaining for anyone. At least this didn't risk Hardy's life like the All Out disaster. When Excalibur said "Mercifully, this is over" at the end of the match, I felt that."

[2.0] "Isn't as outright awful as the All Out debacle but man, the Broken Matt stuff had so long wore out its welcome at this point and despite both Sammy & Matt's comedic timing being solid, it isn't enough to save this from being complete nonsense, and not even in a fun way. It's all just an incomprehensible mess of industry references with no context, filled out by mediocre spots because the match's length is so inflated. This should've been way shorter, there's no refuting that whatsoever. Around now was when I realized that Matt should just retire, sadly."

[4.0] "Nah, I'm good! I'm fine with cinematic matches but they have to be interesting (and being funny is usually a way to make things interesting)! This is some Vince McMahon "good shit" if ever I saw it! Except that instead of typical WWE cameos, you have typical Central North Carolina cameos."

[6.0] "Entertaining cinematic match although it was too long and a bit boring. I really liked the final part at the Dome and the fireworks battle. Also the cameos were funny and the "long-term stroytelling" joke was hilarious. Not everything was perfect but it does is job."

[9.0] "Extremely entertaining stuff, lots of cool cameos, really liked "long-term storytelling" joke with Hurricane. Action itself was fun too, firework battle was wild, and final part at the Dome was actually quite brutal towards the end (although Sammy bleeding from every hole on his head was a little bit to much)"

[2.0] "This poor retread of prior Deletion matches, that have all failed to ever come close to capturing the magic of the first. This one never really gets going and continues to add more wrestlers to the mix to the point where too much is going on with none of it being compelling. Easily one of the worst Deletion cinematic matches."

[4.0] "One of my least favorite AEW rivalries ever. This was not a great match. I love cinematic matches, but this one just didnt work for me. aside from the match itself being mid, Icouldnt get into this match due to the rivalry"

[4.0] "Well I know I have a bias against cinematic matches, but this was absolutely dreadful to sit through."

[7.0] "Such an entertaining cinematic match. Really liked the special cameos of Hurricane & Gangrel who suit pretty good with the vibe this match had with the atmosphere. The shenanigans were apt and the action itself was solid enough. The final moments were brutal while the end of the bout was a nice touch to give the family of Matt a cameo here. Grade: B+"

[8.0] "I really enjoyed this match, I'm not always a cinematic match guy, but it was nice to see some of the wrestling going on, but adding that appearances like Gangrel etc."

[9.0] "Amazing match, one of the best cinematic matches of all time. It was funny, intense, full of surprises..."

[4.0] "Matt Hardy is vert hit or miss with his humor and this was mostly a miss for me, especially since it was so long. But the ending took a very dark turn that was kind jarring compared to the rest of the match. If it had been more focused like that it would have been better."

"ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oo ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooring"

[4.0] "This was just too long and a retread of the stuff Hardy had done in TNA. When they got in the garage it got surprisingly violent. So that was different at least."

[9.0] "Not the greatest cinematic match in the year of Cinematics, 2020, but it's a wacky match that even though shifting from "Matt Hardy Multiverse Shenanigans" to "Holy shit Sammy fucking died", kept me entertained throughout it's full run time. (****)"

[6.0] "This is an adequate level cinematic match. The use of firecrackers is entertaining. One benefit of this kind of match is that you can create no matter how dangerous and harmful the moves are. Fine ending. (***1/4)"

[7.0] "I really liked this cine-match . I still think Sammy should have won . It had some really amazing high spots like the senton off the ladder onto the table and etc. It had some comedy too with the fire cracker battle and the appearance of Gangrel and Shane Helms . The story telling was there with Matt giving Sammy the taste of his own medicine . The same was done with what Matt wen through . Good content here . ***3/4"

[4.0] "Way too long and plodding for my tastes. I really enjoyed the initial Matt Hardy Deletion matches for how incredibly absurd and bizarre they were, but the schtick no longer feels bizarre at this point, it feels like old hat. It has now been more than four years since Broken Matt first appeared and it feels like the character has not evolved or changed at all during that 4-year period. What was once shocking is now predictable."

[3.0] "A really plodding match that fails to catch the charm or over the top nature of the first few Deletion matches. Nothing much exciting. Maybe it's the fact that this feud has been terrible and perhaps even life-shortening for one of them is what takes the charm out of this match, but regardless, it's a pretty poor state and by far the weakest main match on the show."

[9.0] "to end this rivalry this was great. great match great spots and just everything Sammy vs Hardy was really awesome"

[2.0] "Pre-taped match on live PPV event. Jesus... Why they couldn't a have a normal match inside the ring? They put the ring in the middle of the forest, without fans, without anybody. It's killing the pro wrestling match idea. Let's start from the begining. They started with mocking NXT segment with Shotzi's toy tank being run over by a truck. Match itself was without the crowd, I understand. But without a commentary? I thought I was watching some amateur backyard wrestling on YouTube. Actually, from time to time Excalibur said a word but I guess he was ashamed with this match as well. Then Ortiz and Santana interrupted. Soon Private Party joined, and then... Matt Hardy started shooting fireworks at them. Some of them were directly hiting trees in the forest. Hopefully they didn't start the fire or burned the whole fucking place down. Meanwhile Private Party, Ortiz and Santana were stealing the show doing cool stuff and crazy moves the ring. I thought it was supposed to be Matt vs Sammy. I could not believe my eyes when these two started wrestling in the mud. Then it got even worse. Long story short - Matt killed Sammy in the warehouse and the match finished. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK DID I JUST WATCH? Most cringe match of 2020. I would give this 0 rating but I liked couple cool moves and crazy stunts like Sammy's Moonsault off monster truck's wheel or Swanton from top of the ladder."

[0.0] "This was everything I hate about 2020 wrestling. Poorly shot cinematic matches. rEMEmBER ThE 90s? references that only exist to pop nostalgia fans. Nonsensical narrative devices. Invisible cameras. Stupid risks. Heelish faces and face-y heels. "Deletion" style matches stopped being funny after the first one in 2016 (and even then, it wasn't particularly amusing). Someone take cinematic matches of all types behind the barn and put them out of their misery. Hasn't been a single good one from any company. And keep an actual talent like Sammy the hell away from Hardy and his meme-wrestling friends. 0 stars. Likely my WOTY, potentially worst major promotion match of the last 5 years. Fuck."

[2.0] "What the hell was this and realistically, who was supposed to be for? Unconscious adults and hyperactive children? Can we please put this feud to rest? I feel double-crossed and naive for even giving them a second chance."

[0.0] "This was pretty terrible. It seems like Matt Hardy's promise to move on from his Broken character lasted about a week. I'd give this a '0' in any case simply because it isn't a wrestling match, but his really earned that rating by being so boring, long, and unfunny. The bit with the fireworks was kind of fun but I didn't really like anything else, and the cameos were the definition of a cheap pop."

[4.0] "I like cinematic matches, usually. I didn't like this. Maybe it's just because of all the problems that Sammy and Matt have had in this obviously cursed feud. I know people got a kick out of the Broken Hardy throwbacks, and Gangrel, and the fireworks, and all that, but I just found this on the "bad" end of "So bad it's good, " and Sammy 'cracking open his skull' at the end just felt sorely tasteless. Plus, when you're going to have a brutal I Quit match as the main event of your show? Maybe don't have a big goofy hardcore brawl in the undercard to take some of the power away. Meh."

[3.0] "It felt a little bit all over the place. Matt finally gets some payback (even though he won the previous match against Sammy). It served its purpose after the intense tag match. I felt like it was a bit corny, but usually all cinematic matches are so I'll give them some slack. Having Gangrel is cool, but why Hurricane Helms? This is moreso a knock on AEW as a whole instead of this specific match, but they've been using a ton of ex-WWE talent when they've specifically stated that they wouldn't be "All Friends Wrestling"."

[7.0] "You love these kinds of things or you despise them with your whole being. I happen to be the kind of person who loves them. Matt had a monster truck. There was the finish of a storyline Matt started in WWE like 2 years ago. Gangrel was there. MATT KILLED SAMMY. ROMAN CANDLE FIGHT. I truly don't know what you want from wrestling if this doesn't appeal to you. I loved this."

[7.0] "Good blow off in a way only a Hardy compound match could kill this angle. Sammy is so good time to push him to the moon."

[8.0] "This match was, as Matt Hardy would say, DELIGHTFUL! I wouldn't put it on the level of some of his other "Broken" matches; I found the section between the monster truck and Private Party showing up to be a bit long and it was definitely weird to see the match shot more like a match than a movie like the previous entries. Overall though I thought this was supremely entertaining. Hardy is great as this character, Sammy is a super worker, stuff like Sammy driving to the compound in the golf kart had me dying, Santana, Ortiz, Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen all added something with their tag sequences and the appearances by Gangrel and the Hurricane were awesome. I also loved the dark turn it took at the end, with Hardy, after nearly being killed by Sammy (in kayfabe and legitimately), finally getting his revenge by wiping Sammy off the face of the earth and having Senor Benjamin dispose of him. It won't be for everyone, but if you like this sort of stuff than it was a hell of a good time. Hopefully Ortiz and Santana got out of the woods though; I worry about them being stuck with Gangrel for a long time if he gets hungry!"

[7.0] "A lot of criticism for this match. I found it extremley entertaining and one of the best "cinematic" (not so much indeed) match ever. Funny, innovative and with a strong storytelling. Thumbs up!"

[8.0] "A very entretaing match, I love tsince the start with Matt in the monster track. Food action with Ortiz, Santana and Private Party, but I think that this two tag team were unnesere in tje match. The cameo of Gangrel and Hurricane was awesome and unexpected. The end of the match was good, with the win of Matt and señor Benjamin getting out Sammy. 3. 75*"

[4.0] "Had some neat moments, but as an overall package, this was pretty meh. Served its purpose as the breather after the tag team title match. The highlight of the thing was probably the soundtrack."

[7.0] "I thought this was a bit mixed but overall I enjoyed it. I wish they had cut the commentary entirely and just scored it with music, as with past Matt Hardy cinematic matches. Appearances like the Hurricane and Gangrel popped me, and I was impressed with the finishing stretch between Sammy and Matt. Definitely felt like the wrong winner though."

"7. 5/10 it was a pretty brutal match and funny also at some times. gangrel and Shane helms return were epic and unexpected!"

[7.0] "Pretty fun, it dragged just a bit at some points but overall it was different from the usual type of match and was comedic at certain points with the fireworks"

[1.0] "1 point for the Gangrel pop. The rest was a dumpster fire and way too long. The feud really is cursed."

[2.0] "This whole shtick is a gimmick Matt should have put to rest years ago but because fans just keep eating it up, he keeps doing it wherever he goes and taking away more and more of what made it special. At least nobody had to wrestle a match after what could have been a career ending injury this time, so I guess that's worth a point or two."

[5.0] "Everyone say thank you Gangrel. AEW needs to sign him, they just do, put him with Luther, please...."

[6.0] "Fun match with a lot of surprising and welcomed cameos. I had no investment in this match but it turned out much better than I had expected. Sammy Guevara, Santana, Ortiz, both members of Private Party are five of the most talented in ring performers in the company and should be pushed. Fun 'match'."

[10.0] "It was a very fun match with cool references, good wrestling, and good spots, and the moment of the firefight was wildly funny, albeit traditional for this type of fight. Sammy is wildly good and promising. I wonder what changes to his character will be after the defeat"

[9.0] "I loved this. I thought it was the second best thing on a stacked show. I was entertained the entire time."

[5.0] "The match itself was fun, especially with Gangrel and The Hurricane appearing. It was waaaayy longer that it needed to be and Matt Hardy didn't need this win and imo, Sammy Guevara should have gone over"