It’s the story that won’t die, even though Anthem Entertainment Executive Vice President and Global Force Wrestling (GFW) President Ed Nordholm clearly wants it to.
Now, following the latest Twitter storm from Matt and Reby Hardy about the intellectual property battle over the “Broken” gimmick which appeared on Impact Wrestling in 2016, an interview Nordholm gave to SI.com seeks to once and for all close the book on the controversy.
Will it work? That will depend on whether the Hardys decide to go to court, because that’s what Nordholm says it will take for them to even resume discussing the issue:
I don’t have to go to court to fight for [the IP]. We own it. If Matt brings an action to us that says we don’t own it, I guess we’ll defend ourselves, but I don’t intend to take any particular proceedings. I know I own it. I’ve got a contract that says I own it. I don’t have to go to court to fight for it.
He explains to SI’s Justin Barrasso why that’s their position, including denying Matt’s claims the Hardys funded production on Impact episodes focused on the gimmick like “Final Deletion” and “Total Nonstop Deletion”, defended his release of portions of Matt’s contract and stated the sides have never come to terms on transfering the IP to the Hardys.
Finally, he says GFW is focused on the future and will no longer address the Hardys or the gimmick:
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.
Could this be the end? Would it be best for everyone to move on, or should Matt and Jeff take Anthem and GFW to court?
We’ll probably find out soon enough.