Matt Hardy Explains Why TNA Is A 'Better Fit' Than AEW For He And Jeff Hardy
Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy's anticipated run in AEW together had many fans expecting an AEW World Tag Team run and one last feud with Adam 'Edge' Copeland and Christian Cage. Following Jeff's arrest and subsequent suspension in 2022, the brothers lost a lot of momentum, and by June 2024 both were gone from the promotion.
In an episode of his "The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy" podcast, Matt looked back at their time in AEW and expressed why he thinks TNA was a better decision for them.
"Jeff and I had some frustrations while in AEW, you know, it's just – right now TNA is a much better fit for us," he admitted. Matt added that TNA has rejuvenated their love for wrestling again.
At the same time, Matt noted that Jeff's issues in AEW were bad, and even he doesn't think they ever rebounded from the lost momentum. Interestingly, Matt still recited the wrestling adage of "never say never," suggesting they aren't closed off to an AEW return.
"That's one thing I have truly learned in pro wrestling," he continued. "You never know where you're gonna end up. Don't ever say 'I'm never going to do this because,' because you'll end up being a hypocrite."
When it comes to AEW's position in pro wrestling, Matt made it clear that there's a place for the promotion in the industry. "I definitely want to see it stick around; AEW is important to the business," he opined. Matt also added that AEW came at a time when WWE became stale, and AEW ended up raising the bar for WWE.
Matt Hard on his future: 'You never know where the twists and turns of life is going to take you'
While The Hardys are enjoying their run in TNA, Matt Hardy has been taking the prospect of retirement more seriously, it still isn't immediate to him but he also suggested what he and Jeff Hardy might do to keep themselves busy once they step away.
"You never know where the twists and turns of life is going to take you, but yes I do feel like I'm not putting any kind of bookend on my wrestling career now, I'm not putting [it] on any timetable, I'm just going by how I feel," he explained. "I almost feel Jeff is all into music now, and he had a really successful outing at that Louder Than Life festival that he did and he loved it so much." Matt noted that Jeff has actually been slowing down on in-ring competition to do more music and is actively working at that transition.
"I think me, on the other hand, I think I will transition to being a backstage role," he added, expressing that he's a lifer when it comes to pro wrestling, and wants to be active in ring for as long as he can and then later step out to help others and give back to the industry. "As of right now? I feel really good, I'll just keep doing what I love, man; I'd be silly not to!"
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.