Jeff Hardy Reveals His First Failed AEW Pitch
You may not be shocked to hear this, but Jeff Hardy is a creative man. Over the years he's created and played many odd characters, like Willow the Wisp, who he portrayed during runs in Impact Wrestling but never while in WWE, standing out as the most famous of the group.
In an appearance with his brother, Matt Hardy, on the latest episode of Talk is Jericho Hardy discussed Willow and a potential future for the character now that he finds himself in AEW.
"He's the first character I pretty much ever kind of came up with, outside of myself," Hardy said. "But yeah, I think it could be done very well, I just think it's going to be a lot more the image of it and the apparel is going to be much better than last time. I even had the idea of me and Darby last week. I said, 'What if Willow popped up towards the end after I take a bump on the stairs? And he's like, 'He's a shell of a man he used to be.' He puts me down. He's the demon inside me that's like, 'You're pathetic.' But I didn't pitch that naturally because, I mean, my ideas are flowing like crazy about what Willow could be in AEW. A little different than the Fiend and Bray Wyatt, but I'm super excited for the possibilities."
It's no secret that AEW is considered to be a more creatively liberating place compared to WWE, which is largely the vision of Vince McMahon. But how does Jeff Hardy feel having all this creative freedom at his fingertips?
"I feel limitless, you know?" Hardy said. "God, there are so many ideas. I pitched my first idea but it didn't go through. For my singles matches, I thought it'd be cool for us to have different music, and that Hardy Boyz music just be the Hardy Boyz music. I was going to use one of my new songs ... But it would be like a 'WTF' moment because, 'What are we listening to? We've never heard this before.' I think it would grow on people. But that's the first thing I've really said. But yeah, the freedom feels amazing. My ideas are overflowing, so I just need to keep writing and keep pitching."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Talk Is Jericho and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription