Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated has claimed that Vince McMahon is a huge proponent of the ‘Woken’ Matt Hardy gimmick. Barrasso also claims that McMahon has given Hardy ‘creative freedom’ over his television persona.

A source within WWE has stated that Matt is “allowed a creative license by McMahon, who sees opportunity and the opportunity to cash in on a character that is already established.”

This is a fairly unprecedented move for Vince McMahon, who traditionally prefers to craft characters within the confines of his own creative team and ideas…however if these reports are true and he is choosing to run with a persona developed outside of WWE then this can only be considered a shrewd move on his part.

If you haven’t yet seen the return promo for ‘Woken’ Matt Hardy from RAW then check it out below.