Matt Hardy Comments On Relationship Between Jeff Hardy And Vince McMahon

Over the course of his legendary career, Jeff Hardy has battled a long history of addiction and legal troubles. Through it all, though, former WWE CEO Vince McMahon kept the faith in "The Charismatic Enigma."

On the recent "The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy" podcast, Jeff's brother, Matt Hardy, explained the interesting dynamic between McMahon and Jeff. "Regardless of whether you love or hate Vince or whatever, you respect him or you don't respect him. Vince was such a genius and he saw things in people," Matt said. "He saw some intangible essence, force, within Jeff that just drew him to him. Vince loved Jeff."

"He realized he had this incredible connection with the people that were sitting in those seats, the people that were watching at home. He loved the way Jeff sold. There was something about Vince, he really did like Jeff a lot. Deep down. He was a big supporter of Jeff, and he felt like there was still something very special about him, and he wanted to give him an opportunity to grab the brass ring and see what he would do with it."

In 2003, Jeff Hardy was released from the company after failing a drug test and declining to enroll in a rehabilitation program. Hardy later returned to WWE in 2006 after a stint with TNA. This run would be Hardy's most impactful in WWE as he eventually soared into the main event scene, winning the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship in back-to-back years. 

The road there wasn't always easy though, as Hardy received his second violation of the company's Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy in March 2008, halting major creative plans to catapult his career.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy" and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.