Matt Hardy Says He's "Working On Creating The Most Layered Character In Wrestling History"

Now a free agent, Matt Hardy, has all the time in the world to focus solely on his next big move, without the pressures of trying to appease others. On Wednesday, Hardy called in and spoke with Dave LaGreca and Tommy Dreamer on Busted Open about how important it is for wrestlers to promote themselves and their brand.

"It's very important that you promote your own brand," Hardy noted. "If you work for a promoter, hopefully he's going to promote you like crazy. He's going to build you. He's going to make you a star. But, at the end of the day, it's your responsibility to make yourself a star, and it's your responsibility to make people talk about you."

As of last year, it's been said that this is considered a great era for pro wrestling across the board, because wrestlers now have the option to work for many different promotions. Hardy believes that this era in wrestling is considered to be the golden era.

"It's such a golden era in the wrestling industry," Hard exclaimed. "I know, people don't really recognize and realize the current situation in front of them of how historic it is. It's a historic time. With AEW coming along, with WWE getting a huge TV deal, with the other promotions having money to get guys to hone their crafts and get better and still make a living doing this, we really are living in a golden era of wrestling in so many ways."

LaGreca mentioned in the interview how Hardy is at the peak of his wrestling career now, and that the skies the limit for him. When asked what he's looking for going forward, Hardy stressed he has to go somewhere where creative input is allowed and granted to him, as well as fewer tour dates.

"I am looking to have a much bigger say in my creative process," Hardy answered. "I want to put my ideas out there and bounce them off people. I want to collaborate and have them help me make them better. I think, I want to be utilized in a way that at 45-year-old should be utilized, where you're not wrestling every single night. Your character takes priority over your athletic performance... If I can find that atmosphere, I'd call that my arcadia, and that is what I'm shooting for right now."

Speaking of his new character, Hardy hinted at what fans can expect to see from him going forth.

"You never stay the same in this industry, you're constantly changing," Hardy pointed out. "After today, there will be two more episodes of #FreeTheDELETE. What happens when I get to the next stage – when I become the second coming of Matt Hardy- that character is still going to evolve and change. It's not going to be like the original Matt Hardy. There's going to be many more layers. Actually, I'm working on creating the most layered character in wrestling history. There's a constant change every time. That's what you have to do to stay fresh and to keep people interested."

You can listen to Matt Hardy's full interview here. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Busted Open with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.