One of the many characters that entered the hearts of millions throughout the multiverse jumping of the Broken Universe, the exuberant flying surveillance device known affectionately as Vanguard-1, was brutally murdered on Wednesday night under the orders of Inner Circle leader and former All Elite Wrestling (AEW) World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho. The hellacious assault was carried out by Jericho lackey Floyd, a mercenary slugger from St. Louis. Vanguard-1 was only operational for just shy of four years.
The threat of #PineapplePete has been vanquished!
Now onto more significant tasks – Enter the first-ever STADIUM STAMPEDE at Double or Nothing on Saturday, May 23rd. pic.twitter.com/w8GSWmm08o— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 14, 2020
Vanguard-1 first became sentient on September 23, 2016, when it first opened its first Social Media accounts, on Twitter and Instagram. He instantly became the eyes, ears, and recon for “Broken” Matt Hardy as he entered new territory in Total Nonstop Action (TNA). His work was crucial in the Final Deletion.
Over the next few months, as the Broken Hardys would wage their war together, Vanguard-1 would continue working on Matt Hardy’s bequest, gathering intel and creating spicy chaos where possible.
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When the Broken Hardys decided to invade Ring of Honor to challenge the Bucks of Youth, it was Vanguard-1 who first felt the brunt of their reply.
When Matt Hardy returned to WWE in 2017, Vanguard-1 went into hiatus, but he was soon revived when Matt Hardy became “Woken” and once again needed some digital guidance. Vanguard-1’s “Boomstick Protocol” was a key turning point for Hardy in his battle against Bray Wyatt in the Ultimate Deletion.
As Hardy’s Zenith spirit faded, he would depart WWE in early 2020, but he would find a new battleground to fight on in AEW. And it would be the loyal Vanguard-1 who would lead the charge of his master’s announcement.
The rebuff of Jericho’s offer to join The Inner Circle sent Le Champion into a rage and it wasn’t helped when Vanguard-1 invaded the Jericho Compound a few weeks later.
But Jericho had had enough and on Wednesday night, Jericho introduced Vanguard-1 to his little friend Floyd, who proceeded to smash Vanguard-1 into quite a few unsalvagable pieces. “Broken” Matt Hardy was devastated at the news and is currently mourning the loss of his close friend and ally.
I AM CRESTFALLEN pic.twitter.com/roveEK2IYY
— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) May 14, 2020
LWOPW sends its sincere condolences to the entire Hardy and Vanguard family, his friends, peers, and colleagues. Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
