Featured Article: Matt Hardy

Being in Federation is birthday party enough for Matt Hardy
by Phil Speer from WWF.com

Matt Hardy celebrated his 27th birthday the same way he celebrated his 25th and 26th -- by traveling from town to town as a World Wrestling Federation Superstar. On Sunday, his "birthday party" was a Fatal Four way for the World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Championship.

Lita bought him a new computer bag, and he says he probably has a few other gifts waiting for him at home He also got a number of phone calls wishing him a happy birthday. But other than that ...

"My birthday present is being able to work with the World Wrestling Federation," Matt said. "I love what I do here. You kind of drop the importance of certain days - birthday and holidays. You're willing to sacrifice it if you love this business."

Just after midnight on Sunday, Matt was driving toward Pittsburgh - the site of Unforgiven - with Lita and his brother, Jeff, who noticed that it was officially Sept. 23, and was the first to wish him a happy birthday. But the only present Matt wanted at the time was sleep.

Last week, a camera crew from World Wrestling Federation Home Video was filming Matt and Jeff at their home for their soon-to-be-released tape, so Matt didn't get much rest. On Saturday, the Hardy Boyz battled in a non-televised Federation event in Reading, Pa. Their match was second-to-last, so by the time they left the building, the show was over, and traffic had built up. They didn't get to their hotel just outside Pittsburgh until just before 4 a.m. on Sunday.

Last year, Unforgiven was the day after Matt's birthday, and the Hardy Boyz won the Federation Tag Team Championship for a second time. This year, there was no such luck, as the Dudley Boyz retained the titles.

But on the plus side, Lita bought Matt dinner at Denny's after the show.

Back to Featured Articles Main