Following Matt Hardy - Day 3
By Zack Zeigler with photos by Rich Freeda
March 30, 2007

As a child growing up in rural North Carolina, Matt Hardy and his brother Jeff dreamed of one day competing in the Mecca of sports-entertainment—World Wrestling Entertainment. Upon achieving that goal, he and Jeff went on to form The Hardys, capturing numerous tag team championships as well as the respect and admiration of the WWE fans.

Now Matt is all grown up and has matured into a well-rounded, level headed SmackDown Superstar fueled by competition. His dream of competing at WrestleMania has once again become a reality. WWE.com will follow Matt Hardy all week before he steps into the ring to face seven other Superstars, including Jeff, in hopes of earning the opportunity to compete for a World Championship. What does the frenzy of WrestleMania do to Matt's life? Check with WWE.com through the week leading up to WrestleMania 23 to find out.

Two Thumbs Up, 10:10 p.m.

Sitting behind Stone Cold's co-star Rick Hoffman and The Condemned director Scott Wiper, Matt showed his appreciation by giving Austin a standing ovation for his performance. "It was pretty intense and heavy in a lot of moments," Hardy said about the film. "To come out and watch a movie was a nice getaway. Everything is so intense gearing towards WrestleMania and Money in the Bank, those two hours I didn't really concentrate on what I have to do on Sunday; I let my mind wander."

Congrats, 8:05 p.m.

Shortly before the start of the premiere, Matt made a point to find Stone Cold backstage and offer his congratulations. Their conversation was solely about Austin and his experience filming The Condemned. While Matt will have his time to shine on Sunday, he understood that tonight belonged to Stone Cold. 

Joining the Ranks, 7:45 p.m.
 
Detroit's Fox Theater, built in 1927, has amassed three tiers of signatures etched onto the walls from famous visitors that have passed through over the years. Minutes before the world premiere of The Condemned, "The Fox" can brag about having one more—Matt Hardy. "This place has some history to it," he said as he glanced at names ranging from Elvis, Stevie Wonder, Alice Cooper, Jerry Seinfeld and OutKast.

All Dressed Up, 3:40 p.m.
With the premiere of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's movie The Condemned just hours away at Detroit's Fox Theatre, Matt rummaged through the racks at a department store looking for the right shirt to buy.

Lunch on the Run, 1:20 p.m.
After working out, Matt dipped into a McDonald's for a quick bite to eat. Once he ordered his food and sat down, after signing autographs for a dozen of his fans, he began eating his fries in a particular way. "I grab two or three fries and then I squeeze on the ketchup. I try to maximize the ketchup. I've done that as long as I remember," he revealed. "I try to eat healthy, but if I'm starving and my system needs food I have to eat something. A McDonald's cheeseburger with no mustard is my guilty pleasure."

Feeling the Burn, 11:45 a.m.

The importance for WWE Superstars to maintain a solid diet and exercise routine cannot be stressed enough. No matter how busy they get, working out in the gym has to be a top priority. "I do 30-45 minutes on the Elliptical machine before my weights," he said. "Today I did chest and arms. It was a lighter workout - still intense, but I'm not looking to get sore. Working out is also an addiction to me. If I don't lift weights I don't feel healthy."

Meet and Greet, 10:15 a.m.

WrestleMania is a McMahon family legacy, and Shane McMahon arrived in Detroit to support his family. "Shane and I have different personalities; I'm a Hardy and Shane is a McMahon-huge difference. But he also respects what we do in the ring because he's been in there as well. Overall, I enjoy seeing Shane, but only in small doses."

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