The Broken Matt Hardy saga could be coming to an end

Ownership of Matt Hardy’s “Broken” gimmick was once a story we updated every week (heck, for a while, it was an every day). Whether it was legal posturing, some Twitter sniping between Anthem and Reby or some quirky behavior from Matt on Raw, fans were interested in every twist and turn of the case.

Things have quieted down. Anthem and Impact shifted their attention to Alberto El Patron and Jeff Jarrett, Mrs. Hardy got back to posting about her adorable sons and - especially since Jeff Hardy went down with a shoulder injury - Matt’s role on WWE television has diminished to the point crowds barely have time to get the DELETE chants started.

We could be approaching a turning point, however. PWInsider reports that Hardy’s trademark claim for “Broken Matt Hardy” will be published for opposition on Dec. 19. Anyone else who wants to legally claim ownership will have 30 days after that date to do so. If no one does, then Matt will hold the trademark and be free to use it with WWE or wherever else he chooses.

Will Anthem oppose it? Impact President Ed Nordholm is on record as stating that he believes the company owns the intellectual property associated with the gimmick. But if rumors are true, the Canadian company may not currently have a lot of money on hand for a legal battle over the rights.

If Hardy gets control of the character and catchphrases, we can start talking about whether WWE is interested in his using it on their shows, and how much creative freedom they’ll give him. And, of course, how much fan demand there is for the McMahon-ized version of an act we haven’t seen in over a year.

Stay tuned.