Matt Hardy brought one of TV’s most famous villains, Negan, into TNA iMPACT. This created a cinematic moment that caught the attention of both wrestling fans and The Walking Dead viewers.
The July 23 episode featured the much-awaited Righteous Deletion match, filmed at the famous Hardy Compound. The Hardys defended the TNA World Tag Team Championship against The Righteous. The match was full of the usual Broken Universe madness. However, one scene stood out as Matt Hardy paid tribute to Negan.
Matt Hardy recreates Negan’s famous The Walking Dead scene
The moment happened during a wild fight inside the Hardy Compound ring. Matt was joined by his wife Reby Hardy and their children as they surrounded Dutch and Vincent in true Broken Universe style.
The scene included exploding red paper effects, Matt directing everyone to attack, and him carrying a barbed-wire baseball bat that looked just like Lucille, Negan’s famous weapon from The Walking Dead.
Matt also copied one of Negan’s best-known lines. He said, “Looks like it’s about time to take a trip to piss pants city,” a clear reference to Negan’s quote, “It’s gonna be pee pee pants city here real soon.”
A few moments later, Matt started saying “Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe” before hitting Dutch with the bat, recreating one of the most famous scenes from the TV series.
Fans of The Walking Dead will remember Negan using that nursery rhyme before choosing his victims during his shocking first appearance in Season 7.
The tribute was obvious and became one of the highlights of the show. The moment felt even more fitting because TNA Wrestling now airs on AMC. This is the same network that made The Walking Dead a global hit.
Matt Hardy didn’t just copy Negan’s bat. He also matched the character’s attitude, body language, and way of speaking.
The match also featured dream-like scenes, fireworks fights, Jeff Hardy returning as Willow and Antichrist, and another visit to the Lake of Reincarnation.
The ending saw Jeff Hardy jump from the bucket of a bulldozer and hit a huge Swanton Bomb through several tables. The Hardys then retained the TNA World Tag Team Championship, and The Righteous were sent into the lake.
Read More: Jim Ross Agrees Vince McMahon Could Buy TNA for Comeback Instead of Working With AEW
