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In a video released by WWE after Raw went off the air, Matt and Jeff Hardy declared they have been "Woken", which obviously from a phonetic perspective, certainly sounds like "Broken" -
The video featured Matt Hardy using mannerisms utilized during his run as "Broken Matt Hardy" in GFW. As I noted in my column earlier this week, there are lots of shades of gray that WWE and The Hardys can use to launch the "Broken" gimmick, without dealing with GFW's claims that they own the rights to the "Broken Brilliance" that is currently being contested by each side. This could be a step in that direction.
As PWInsider.com broke several days ago, GFW's attempts at trademarking several names related to the "Broken Brilliance" were initially rejected by the United States Patent & Trademark Office. A "Broken Matt" trademark was refused for various reasons. The primary reason given was likely confusion with Matt Hardy's own filing for a 'Broken Matt Hardy' trademark, which Hardy filed first. TNA Entertainment will have to provide valid arguments to show there is no potential conflict between the two. Once that argument is filed, action on the application will be suspended, pending the USPTO decision on Matt's application, which would take precedence since he filed first. GFW would also need to indicate whether "Broken Matt" identifies a living person and if it does, they would then need Matt's consent. Given the estrangement between the two sides, that would place all involved in quite the interesting predicament.
A "Brother Nero" trademark was refused because GFW needed to indicate whether it identifies a living person, and if it does they would need Jeff Hardy's consent. Nero is Jeff Hardy's legitimate middle name. An attempt to trademark the term "Broken Brillance" was refused because GFW must specify whether "Broken Brillance" has any significance in prAfessional wrestling or whether it's just a "term of art" in the wrestling industry. The trademark for "Vanguard1" was refused due to likely confusion with a non wrestling-related trademark. It was also noted that all four trademarks were also refused because it was ruled that the wordings used for identification and classification of goods and services in the initial filing were too broad, thus the USPTO ruled those filings needed additional clarification.
PWInsider.com reached out to GFW for comment on what their next move may be regarding the trademarks and were told, "We have no comment."
Meanwhile, Ken McAndrew pointed out the following....Matt Hardy regularly tweets #BROKENBrilliance quotes. Funny enough, this morning there was a #WOKENWisdom quote:
#WOKENWisdom-
— REBORN by FATE (@MATTHARDYBRAND) March 23, 2017
"People wear masks in life to hide their defects, their insecurities, their fears..
Strive to be real & take off your mask."
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