Anthem Sports Refusing to Negotiate with The Hardy Boyz
It doesn’t look like you will see the “BROKEN” gimmick being used by Matt and Jeff Hardy on WWE programming anytime soon, as Anthem no longer wants to negotiate with The Hardy Boyz anymore.
While speaking to Sports Illustrated, Anthem’s Ed Nordholm touched based on the on-going issues between Anthem Sports and the rights to the “BROKEN” gimmick. When asked if The Hardy Boyz initial investment of $3000 into the gimmick would change the dynamic of the ownership, Nordholm explained why he doesn’t think it does.
“No. The company spent millions of dollars producing television last year, including all of the shows that incorporate the various aspects of the “Broken Brilliance.” I don’t know whether Jeff and Matt had some out-of-pocket expenses that they might have had on the volcano and the like, but that would not change, in any way, shape, or form, what their contracts say about who owns the IP. If they had some out-of-pocket expenses, they certainly never brought them to my attention. To suggest that they somehow funded the show is absurd.”
When asked about the possibly selling the intellectual property, Nordholm revealed that the door has been shut on The Hardy Boyz and they never plan on negotiating with them again.
“I’ve stopped thinking about this. We have a show to put on, and a company and a brand. We’ve got things on our plate that are more important than sorting out the “Broken Brilliance.” I made a genuine effort to resolve something to benefit the Hardys as a goodwill gesture to Matt. It didn’t reach a conclusion and we’re moving on. We’re not going back to it, I’m not interested in opening a new dialogue, I’m not interested in opening another conversation about it. We made our best effort, it didn’t happen, and I’m not going to negotiate all over again.”