UnWrest Focus: The Hardys' WrestleMania 33 Weekend Part 3: Raw Tag Team Championship Ladder Match (WrestleMania 33)

The Hardys have already had one hell of a weekend up to this point. They wrestled against Fenix and Pentagon Jr. in a short but solid match at WrestleCon on Friday. The next night, they faced The Young Bucks in an awesome Ladder Match on Ring of Honor's Supercard of Honor XI. And now, how do you cap off this weekend? How about making a surprise return in front of 70,000 people and millions watching at home? Yeah. That sounds about right. This is the moment that caps off a months-long "EXPEDIIITION of Gold" that the Hardys had proclaimed months ago... on Impact Wrestling. The Hardys have wrestled in multiple companies around the wrestling world within a short time period. But there was only one thing left to do. And ironically, it was the backstage issues with Impact Wrestling that led to their ability to leave the company and come back to WWE to finish what they started on Impact's television program.

Anyways, enough with the historical context. Let's get to it!

WrestleMania 33
April 2, 2017
Raw Tag Team Championships
Gallows and Anderson (c) vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Sheamus and Cesaro vs. The Hardy Boyz

Enzo and Cass are the first ones out. (My God how far have these two fallen in the last 2 years?) It's the typical Enzo and Cass stuff. A bunch of "How you doin'?"'s and catchphrases. The Bar come out next. Then we get a couple Good Brothers in Gallows and Anderson. (Damn. I forgot how long the entrance ramp was for this show. That's a big walk to the ring.)

And here come The New Day in their ring gear. They announce that there will be a 4th team added to this match. A lot of "DELETE" chants going on. And they tease "WHO" it may be. Then...


The Hardy Boyz' music hits. And this place just absolutely erupts!!! If it had a roof, this stadium would have had a roof blown! The Hardys come out without a lot of their "Broken" gimmick. But Matt is still doing some of his mannerisms. 70,000 people chanting "Delete!" The ovation is still thunderous as the bell rings. What a moment!

All 8 men start brawling in the ring. It quickly becomes the Good Brothers and The Hardys in the ring. Poetry in Motion into the corners by The Hardys. Enzo eats the fist drop/senton splash. Double suplex to Cass. The Bar now work on the Hardys. WHISPER IN THE WIND! This place is going nuts! 
The Hardys introduce the ladders into the match. Loud "Welcome Back!" chants. But The Good Brothers take out the Hardys with ramming ladder shots. Anderson climbs the ladder. The Bar breaks it up. They are moving really quick here. In one insane moment that may get undersold, Cesaro jumps on Gallow's shoulders and dives off for a double stomp onto Anderson. (It's sad that something that impressive gets lost in a match like this.) Sheamus hits his rolling senton sending Gallows and himself on top of Anderson. Now Cass and Enzo are teaming up to attack everyone. (Before The Hardys came back, this was the team favored to win this match. Now, they're another team standing between what the fans want: The Hardys winning.) The Hardys get sandwiched between two ladders at ringside, and then Enzo gets tossed over the ladders onto Gallows.
Again, too much action to really focus too much on any one spot. Now Sheamus hits his trademark chest smacks while Cesaro does his giant swing. And this goes on for about 30 rotations/smacks. Impressive. The Bar go out for more ladders. (WHY?! TURN AROUND! THERE'S A DAMN LADDER IN THE RING! Oh right. Spots. I forgot.) Cass boots Cesaro off the apron. Now, he sends Enzo over the ropes onto The Bar, which again gets little reaction. But Jeff hits a kick to Cass, getting a pop. Brogue Kick to Jeff sending him to the floor on top of a bunch of the wrestlers at ringside. "BROTHER NERO!" chant from the crowd.
Sheamus and Gallows are now on top of a ladder. Enzo tips the ladder over sending both men into the ropes. Enzo starts climbing up the ladder. Cass goes underneath him to help get him up to the titles. Cass gets sent back into the ladder propped in the corner by Sheamus and Gallows who fight each other to the floor. Enzo is still on the ladder though. Anderson stops him from getting the belts. The Bar get Anderson off the ladder. Sheamus gets knocked through the ropes, and he clearly rolls himself into position on the ladder. Meanwhile Magic Killer connects on Cesaro. Matt Hardy hits Twist of Fate to Gallows.
Anderson climbs the ladder. Matt and Anderson are on top of the ladder. TWIST OF FATE OFF THE TOP OF THE LADDER! Meanwhile, Jeff climbs up a RIDICULOUSLY HUGE ladder at ringside and HITS A SWANTON BOMB THROUGH THE BAR! Cesaro's ladder breaks while Sheamus rolls off to the floor. MATT GETS THE BELTS! THE FANS JUST ABSOLUTELY LOSE IT. Fireworks go off for the Hardys as they celebrate. That, folks, is a WrestleMania moment

Winners: The Hardy Boyz (NEW RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS)
Match Grade: C (match)/ A+ (moment). This wasn't exactly a great ladder match as much as it was an exhibition for The Hardys to show that they still had it with tag team wrestling. The match only lasted about ten minutes in reality, and there's only so much you can do with that amount of time. Each time had a moment, but let's be real here: Once The Hardys were announced as being in the match, the finish was never in doubt. Still, it was a decent ladder match in all.

That being said, the moment itself is one of the greatest moments in WrestleMania history. The pop the Hardys received that night was thunderous and lit that stadium on fire. The fact that these two brothers were able to wrestle at WrestleMania that year was amazing enough. But for them to shock that crowd like they did and win a ladder match at WrestleMania, that had to be one of the top ten Mania moments of the last ten years, if not ever.
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And that concludes one of the greatest 72 hour-spans in modern wrestling. From an independent show to Ring of Honor to the grand stage of WrestleMania, The Hardys completed one of the great journeys in wrestling history. While rumors had been running rampant on The Hardys making a return to WWE that weekend, the reaction they received that night further proved their longevity and staying power with the wrestling audience. It also shows the dedication to the craft that these two men have. They fulfilled their independent obligations (which Vince McMahon gets criminally underappreciated for allowing his performers to do prior to or even in the first few weeks of their WWE tenure) and provided great moments for every style of fan watching wrestling that weekend.

All I can say is that this weekend in wrestling was truly...



Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.