Shocks in the world of the WWE are few and far between these days, especially compared to the Attitude Era where surprises seemed to come weekly.

With the internet and social media, fans and reporters have huge outlets to reveal spoilers and behind the scenes news.

However, with the Hardy Boyz's return to the WWE at WrestleMania 33, not many fans saw that coming.

Sure, their contracts with TNA had expired and fans had hoped, but their solid bookings with Ring of Honor - including holding their tag belts - on top of bookings after WrestleMania meant it was unlikely.

And yet, they showed up in Orlando and won the tag team titles in a four-way ladder match.

So, how did the return come about? Talking to us on GiveMeSport's WWE podcast, Turnbuckle Talk, Matt Hardy revealed a combination of Vince McMahon and Triple H made a dream return happen.

"One thing I thought was very flattering that I had heard from both Michael Hayes and Triple H is that Vince [McMahon] was the one who said 'Ok, I think it's time. These guys have done their thing, they're both in great places in their lives - let's bring them home'. And what a flattering statement that is," Hardy said.

"Once we got that call, I spoke with Michael Hayes, who has been hugely influence in the career of myself and my brother, so we spoke with him initially and then I pretty much dealt one-on-one with Triple H the whole while dealing with the process of coming back to the company.

"And I can't say enough good things about Triple H and how amazing he was to work with then and how he great has been since then," Hardy lauded. "Being there, just working with him back and forth, he's been an amazing advocate for me.

"If there is something I need, some help or I need to make a tweak in something, he's been there. Just so successful and so great on so many levels - I can't say enough good things about Triple H and his help since we've returned."

Triple H has often gotten a bad reputation amongst the internet fans down the years for his supposed 'burying' and politics backstage.

However, as COO of the company and surely heir to McMahon's throne, the WWE looks in good hands.

Matt Hardy was speaking to GiveMeSport ahead of WWE 2K18’s Enduring Icons Pack, which is available now as downloadable content for £7.99.

Matt and Jeff Hardy feature in the pack alongside WWE Hall of Famers Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson (The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express) and WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix. WWE 2K18 is available now worldwide for the PS4™ system, Xbox One, Windows PC and Nintendo Switch.