TNA tag team champions Matt and Jeff Hardy will not be re-signing with the company and are not expected to be present for this week’s Impact Wrestling tapings from Orlando, FL.
Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet dropped some exclusive details regarding their TNA departure, noting that Matt and Jeff ended negotiations with TNA after feeling disrespected. Matt reached an agreement with TNA back in December to re-sign for another year. Weeks passed and Matt was given the runaround when seeking to finalize their agreement. Satin writes:
Eventually Matt and Jeff’s lawyer told Impact Wrestling officials that they wanted a creative control clause in their new deals … which was shot down immediately. One source says their lawyer told Ed Nordholm there was interest from other companies and he responded by saying, “Well, tell them to go to WWE then.”
Sounds like a great idea.
Matt Hardy’s wife Reby commented on the reports that the Hardy Family is done with TNA. She cited “negative changes & straight f*ckery” as the reason for their departure.
John Pollock of the Fight Network (owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, parent company of TNA Wrestling), confirms that Matt and Jeff Hardy are done with TNA:
I can confirm the reports from Mike Johnson & Ryan Satin – The Hardys are not going to re-sign w/ TNA and not expected at tapings this week
During an interview with Sportskeeda, Matt Hardy discussed his goal of “total domination” of tag team wrestling. When asked how it was going, Hardy responded,
“WONDERFULLY. I will DELETE the Bucks of Youth on April 1st at ROH, and all of MeekMahan’s tag teams will follow.”
One more bit of related news – Matt Hardy’s online store ShopMattHardy.com is closing after nearly 5 years of being in business.
We regret to post that after nearly 5yrs & 1000s of happy customers, https://t.co/8OFhB9oGRo is closing up shop. Stay tuned for BLOWOUT SALE
Reby speaks about TNA in the past tense (“was”) and implies that negative changes and “straight f*ckery” led the House of Hardy to pursue greener pastures.
There’s a lot of speculation this week that Matt and Jeff Hardy are done with TNA and headed to WWE. Reby Sky’s comment above corroborates Dave Meltzer saying that TNA’s new ownership and management threw a wrench in Matt’s TNA negotiations.
The Broken Brilliance of Matt and Jeff Hardy might be too volatile for the confines of Impact Wrestling.
For months it’s been known that the TNA contracts of the Brothers Hardy expire in February. TNA is holding their next round of Impact Wrestling tapings later this week. According to sources in TNA, their absence all but confirm they’re done with the company.
Early Monday morning, Matt Hardy tweeted the following:
Matt and Jeff have told independent event promoters that they can’t commit to dates after April, another indication that they are WWE bound. Matt and Jeff had a lot of creative control over their characters in TNA, but the recent change in ownership & management have curtailed that power. The other big plus about working for TNA was the flexibility of their schedules.
If they do start negotiating with WWE, you can be sure that their schedules will be a big issue to hammer out. Matt’s wife Reby is currently pregnant with their second child, and Jeff also has two young kids. That said, WWE has become more flexible with select talent working part time and the Hardy Boyz might have the legacy and drawing power to warrant such agreements.
Discussion: If Matt & Jeff Hardy did return to WWE, would they keep the “Broken” characters that revitalized their careers?
John Cena posted a photo of Kenny Omega on his Instagram account. This is nothing new for Cena, as he has posted pictures of AJ Styles and CM Punk in the past. Following his loss to Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 11, Omega has stated that he is leaving Japan. This could be Cena just getting the fans riled up or Omega may be making his way to the WWE. Cena posted a picture of AJ Styles on his Instagram just four days before he made his WWE debut at last year’s Royal Rumble. This has led many to speculate that Omega might make an appearance at this year’s Royal Rumble.
In a Impact Digital Exclusive, The Wolves (Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards) challenged Matt and Jeff Hardy. The teams will meet on this week’s episode of Impact with the Tag Team Championships on the line. You can check out the video below.
Don’t expect to see Matt and Jeff Hardy back in WWE any time soon. According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE officials are not interested in re-signing the brothers when their TNA contracts expire next month.
TNA is hoping to sign the Hardys to exclusive deals, but it would take a significant offer since they are able to command high fees on the independent scene. Talks between TNA, Matt and Jeff is still in the early stages, with Matt most likely looking for greater creative control over his character.
Matt and Jeff Hardy are scheduled to appear on Eli Drake’s “Fact of Life” segment on tonight’s Impact Wrestling episode.
– It appears Jeff Hardy will be dropping his “Brother Nero” gimmick when TNA returns to Orlando for Impact Wrestling tapings next week. A segment aired on this week’s Hardy New Year special that featured Matt Hardy “restoring” everything he had taken from Jeff because Jeff repaid his debt by helping Matt win the TNA Tag Team Championship. Matt also tweeted on Jeff’s character:
#BrotherNero struggled with losing his mortal identity.
– Speaking of the Hardy New Year special, the closing segment featured Matt Hardy and Reby Sky revealing the gender of their second baby, which they are expecting in the summer. As seen in the crazy video below, Reby and Matt are expecting a baby boy:
Broken Matt Hardy invited “The Family of Wyatts” to participate in the Tag Team Apocalypto fight this Thursday at the Total Nonstop Deletion. Whether Matt expected it or not, he got a response from Bray Wyatt.
Thursday’s Impact will be a two hour extravaganza that will all be taking place at the Hardy compound. There most certainly will be people shooting fireworks at each other and hopefully a dilapidated boat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSjnOCtjJLc
It wasn’t too long ago that Final Deletion was the most popular thing in wrestling. The WWE tried to capitalize on the buzz of Final Deletion by producing a similar match. It wasn’t nearly as popular and a lot of fans accused the WWE of trying to copy TNA.
Five months later, Matt Hardy is still bringing up the Wyatt Family on social media. Broken Matt Hardy recently joined The Ross Report and revealed that his contract with TNA is expiring at the end of February. Hardy went on to state that he wanted to play a more prominent role in TNA once negotiations begin in a couple of months. Both Matt and Jeff Hardy have seen their careers revitalized in TNA. It would make sense for them to resign there and continue to try to build up the TNA brand.
If that turns out to not be the case and the Hardy Boyz wind up back in the WWE, this would be an amazing feud. Obviously, there is no chance in hell that Randy Orton, Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt would ever show up on an episode of Impact. The much more likely scenario is that Matt and Jeff Hardy return to the WWE to finish their careers. I’ve always rooted for TNA to be a success and for them to provide a viable alternative to the WWE. Unfortunately, they have never really been able to gain traction and have essentially been running in place while surrounded by constant financial problems. TNA will certainly try their best to resign Matt and Jeff Hardy in February but it remains to be seen if they will accomplish that goal.
Discussion: Would you be interested in seeing Matt and Jeff Hardy get one last run in the WWE? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
We’re less than one week away from the special Total Nonstop Deletion episode of TNA Impact on POP TV, which was filmed from Broken Matt Hardy’s home in North Carolina several weeks back. The official trailer can be viewed above.
The main event of the show will feature Broken Matt and Brother Nero defending the TNA Tag Team Championships in the Apocalypto match against several tag teams to be named. Matt is promising that this match will be everyone’s new favorite once it’s over. TND will also see the in-ring debut of Matt Hardy’s 1 year old son Maxel. Dixie Carter tweeted the following on his debut:
Other names confirmed to appear so far include The Helms Dynasty, The Decay and The DCC. Both Dixie and WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross praised the match on Twitter with JR saying he’s seen some of the footage and it truly is special. They wrote:
Matt and Jeff Hardy spoke with ESPN’s Extra Mustard blog this week to hype Sunday’s TNA Bound For Glory PPV. The “Boyz” from Cameron, North Carolina will face The Decay this weekend for the TNA Tag Team titles. Matt told ESPN that Decay “perpetrated blasphemy” when they visited his compound for the Delete or Decay spectacle. This Sunday, they’re out for revenge. “We are not only going to render Decay obsolete, we’re also going to delete them until their vessels have perished,” Matt said.
Whatever happens at Bound For Glory and whatever the future holds for TNA, a lot of fans want to see Matt and Jeff back in WWE. Their TNA contracts expire in February and Jeff says the possibility of him returning to WWE really depends on what happens between now and February with TNA.
“If it feels right and good, I don’t see anything wrong with staying,” said Jeff. “When you commit to a WWE contract, you’re committing to some serious time away from home. If it were under my terms, there might be a chance, but I’m really not sure. Of course it would be nice, but what we’re doing right now is so much fun. I don’t want to go back to WWE and burn out within four or five months, and having another run as TNA world champion would feel just as good.”
“Broken” Matt has essentially been given complete creative freedom in TNA. The results speak for themselves. Matt’s Broken Brilliance, Senior Benjamin, Vanguard-1, Baby Maxel and the”DELETE!” phenomenon have caught on in the pro wrestling world unlike anything we’ve seen out of TNA in a long time. In WWE, he might not have that freedom.
“I am very content at Impact Wrestling,” said Matt. “I don’t know if I trust that Meekmahan, or if he’ll try to stifle my broken brilliance. I’m able to live in my broken universe here at Impact Wrestling to the fullest extent, and Impact Wrestling needs me as their savior, so I’ll do everything I can to help them grow. They’ve had many setbacks in the last few years, but things are changing. I don’t have an end game. Being a celestial being, I live for the moment to fight the Great War, and that is to light the darkness. Right now, I’m able to do that at Impact Wrestling.”
Other topics discussed include Matt Hardy’s rebirth as Broken Matt, Jeff Hardy’s time away after his dirt bike incident last year and the creativity behind the Broken Matt persona and the universe he’s created around it. Check it out at SI.com.
Jeremy Borash appeared on Wrestling Observer Live this week and said tonight’s “Delete or Decay” match with The Hardys and Reby Sky vs. Abyss, Rosemary and Crazzy Steve will not be the Final Deletion Part 2 because it will be a very different match. Borash also called it the first battle in the great war that leads to The Hardys vs. The Decay for the TNA Tag Team Championships at Bound For Glory on 10/2.
Tonight’s Impact on POP will also feature a big announcement from President Billy Corgan, Jade & Gail Kim vs. Sienna & Allie and a BFG press conference with Ethan Carter III and World Champion Lashley. Here’s a teaser for the press conference:
– This week’s TNA Impact on Pop TV saw two title changes – Maria Kanellis captured the Knockouts Championship after making Allie lay down, and DJ Zema Ion captured the vacant X Division Championship by winning Ultimate X over Mandrews, Rockstar Spudd, Braxton Sutter, Trevor Lee and Andrew Everett. This is the first championship reign for Maria and the second for DJZ.
– Next Thursday’s Impact will feature a big “#DELETEorDECAY” match with Abyss, Crazzy Steve and Rosemary vs. Reby Sky, Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy. A teaser can be seen below:
SHARE & RT this #BROKEN brilliance with the World.
TNA star Jeff Hardy recently spoke with LA Weekly about his guest appearance at the Insane Clown Posse’s Gathering of the Jugalos event. Hardy revealed his dream retirement match is to face The Undertaker at WrestleMania – inside Hell in a Cell.
“Man, I want to Swanton off the top of the cell, onto the commentary table.” Hardy said. “Then, I want to climb the cell, cut the fucking cage, when Taker’s back in the ring, and Swanton though the cage, miss, and then Tombstone 1-2-3.”
He also revealed that his TNA contract expires in February 2017. While the ideal scenario would see him wrestle his final match in a WWE ring, he’s unable to work a full-time schedule at this stage in his career and he’d be at peace staying in TNA.
“Matt and I are doing some great stuff in TNA right now, so I’ll be happy to stay here until the end if that’s how it works out.”
Head over to LAWeekly.com to read the full interview.
Jim Ross recently updated his blog at JRsBarBQ.com, and took the opportunity to comment on TNA’s “Final Deletion” program with Matt and Jeff Hardy. J.R. said the pre-taped match was a unique approach to wrestling television, but he doesn’t necessarily hope for more of it.
“The 18 minute, pre taped vignette was certainly unique, novel approach to what we are accustomed to seeing on contemporary, pro wresting TV,” Ross wrote. “Hopefully this presentation will not lead to every wrestling company in the land attempting to do similar, copy cat productions which will take the product farther away from a fundamentally sound in ring product than it already is.”
The former WWE head of talent relations gave credit to Matt Hardy for his “Broken Matt Hardy” character, and praised Jeff Hardy’s abilities inside the ring.
“At the end of the day I remain proud of Matt Hardy for hatching this concept and the TNA TV crew for capturing it and the editing which I thought was compelling,” he wrote. “Loved the on going music bed throughout the vignette plus Jeff Hardy is still one of the most unique athletes in the entire business and the handle of “The Unique Enigma” that I hung on Jeff years ago still is applicable.”
You can read Ross’ entire blog entry, where he also talks about Brock Lesnar’s fight against Mark Hunt on Saturday, here.
Impact Wrestling’s “Final Deletion” angle between Jeff Hardy and Broken Matt Hardy drew 410,000 viewers, and according to PWInsider.com, TNA officials were ecstatic about that number. Up from last week’s 322,000 viewers, this week’s show was their most-viewed since joining Pop TV.
According to PWInsider, TNA creative came up with the concept for the segment because Dixie Carter wanted there to be spoiler-free content on Impact. The segment was filmed at Jeff and Matt’s actual properties in North Carolina. Jeremy Borash drove in from Nashville to direct and edit the segments. There was more material that was filmed but not used.
All of the props for the segment were already at Matt’s house, including the birthday party setup for his son. Referee Kevin Keenan was used at Matt’s request because he liked him from their time together in WWE. Senor Benjamin will likely be on TV again as a part of Matt’s storylines.
TNA, Matt and Jeff Hardy certainly got the wrestling world talking about Tuesday night’s Final Deletion storyline, which ran throughout this week’s Impact broadcast and culminated with a match at the end of the show. The buzz on social media and our own discussion thread was overwhelmingly positive.
Drones, holograms, fireworks used as weapons, Broken Matt, a huge bump by Jeff Hardy, the Final Deletion had it all. As over the top and campy as it was, they produced a very memorable show that got people talking about TNA like we haven’t seen in quite some time. Here are some reactions from the wrestling world:
I lost.There4. . . . . . . . . . ?
— #BrotherNero DELETED (@JEFFHARDYBRAND) July 6, 2016
Meanwhile, it wasn’t all positive. Lucha Underground executive producer Eric Van Wagenen took a shot at TNA over the segment, while Jeremy Borash was quick to throw some shade at LU and the limited availability of the El Rey Network.
Tonight’s episode of TNA Impact Wrestling is getting a ton of buzz for the “Final Deletion” match between Matt and Jeff Hardy. This is being billed as the blowoff to their heated rivalry and has gotten rave reviews from people who have seen it. It’s being billed as a must-see segment and we want to know what you think about it.
Tonight’s Impact will also feature:
TNA Knockouts Streetfight: Marti Belle vs. Jade
KOTM Champion Eli Drake vs. James Storm
The Bromans & Raquel vs. Decay
Tune in to Impact Wrestling on Pop TV tonight at 9pm EST and join us here for the live discussion!
– WWE continues to aggressively scout the indies and are also targeting wrestlers that are contractually able leave Lucha Underground. They are looking for wrestlers who they see as “coachable” and they are going to be very strict when it comes to background checks.
– On a related note, the background checks may be due to officials being “extremely squeamish” about bringing in anyone who may cause even a bit of controversy, due to recent incidents with Roman Reigns, Jerry Lawler and Adam Rose. This is part of the reason why are not bringing Kurt Angle back.
– Several former WWE Superstars have been rumored to be in talks with the company about returning for the upcoming brand split. The Observer confirms that there has been no talk with Rey Mysterio or Jeff Hardy.
– The dark match prior to Tuesday night’s Impact Wrestling tapings from Orlando Chelsea Green of WWE Tough Enough fame defeat Mickie Knuckles, who wrestled for TNA a few years back.
– Next week’s Impact will feature Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy in a Six Sides of Steel cage match. Based on the booking at the tapings, the match appeared to be set up as the blowoff to their feud.
TNA wrestler Jeff Hardy says he wants to end his career back in WWE. In an interview with Sports Illustrated to promote Sunday’s Slammiversary PPV, Hardy explained that his in-ring days are winding down and he would like to finish his career in his old stomping grounds for a WrestleMania.
“I know I’m getting close to the end. I can feel my body telling me something,” Hardy said of his wrestling career. “I don’t know how much longer I’ve got, and naturally I would love to end with a WrestleMania, and I would love to have a Hell in a Cell. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and I’ve always wanted to headline ‘Mania.”
The former TNA and WWE World Heavyweight Champion revealed that he was inspired by Shane McMahon’s big dive off the cage at WrestleMania 32, and he’s planning to top it “in his own way” as soon as this Sunday.
“Watching Shane, I knew I could top that. Every time I watched Shane, I was inspired to do something better,” he said. “I’m planning something big for Sunday. I’ll take my own path and do it my own way.”
TNA’s twelfth annual Slammiversary pay-per-view takes place this Sunday, June 12 at the Impact Zone in Orlando, FL.
TNA is reportedly in the process of locking in several of their biggest stars to new contracts. According to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newseletter, TNA is currently negotiating new deals with Matt and Jeff Hardy, Bobby Lashley, and Drew Galloway.
The company, which is reportedly in financial peril and possibly on the verge of new ownership, wants to lock those names in to exclusive deals that would allow them to control the talents’ outside bookings and earn commissions from them.
Back in May it was reported that TNA wanted to sign stars to exclusive deals in order to raise the company’s value in the event of a sale. Caleb Konley, Sienna, Crazzy Steve, Robbie E and Jessie Godderz all re-signed with the company early last month.
Meltzer previously reported that TNA was months behind on paying some of their behind-the-scenes staff, and was in negotiations with three possible buyers. Company president Dixie Carter reacted to the reports in an interview, saying “There’s so much incorrect information out there about the financial situation of TNA.”
Nashville-based model and branding specialist McKenszie Mitchell is now handling the weekly Impact Breakview segment, looking back on this week’s episode.
Following Impact, here’s the final card for Sunday’s Slammiversary PPV:
TNA Champion Drew Galloway vs. Bobby Lashley (Submission or KO only)
Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy (Full Metal Mayhem)
Knockouts Champion Jade vs. Sienna
Tag Team Champions The Decay vs. The Bromans
X-Division Champion Trevor Lee vs. Eddie Edwards vs. DJ Zema vs. Andrew Everett
King of the Mountain champion Eli Drake vs. Bram
Mike Bennett vs. EC3
Maria Kanellis vs. Gail Kim
Grado & Mahabali Shera vs. The Tribunal (with Al Snow)
TNA has announced Lashley vs. Drew Galloway for the World Title as the main event for the 6/12 Slammiversary PPV in Orlando. The only way to win is by KO or tapout.
As seen below, Slammiversary will also feature Full Metal Mayhem with Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy.
This week’s episode of TNA’s Impact Wrestling on Pop TV averaged 312,000 viewers for what was billed as a historic World Heavyweight Title match between Jeff Hardy and Drew Galloway. This is down from last week’s 331,000 viewers, but up from the 307,000 viewers their semi-live show drew two weeks ago.
The episode was ranked #113 in the Cable Top 150 chart, rising from last week’s #127 ranking.
This week’s episode of TNA Impact Wrestling drew 331,000 viewers according to Showbuzz Daily. The episode featured Jeff Hardy winning a Gauntlet Match in the main event, and was the second week in a row that Impact viewership increased. The episode was up 8% in viewers from the previous week’s episode, which averaged 307,000 viewers.
However, the replay fell 52 percent, giving Impact a combined audience of 390,000 viewers, down nine percent from last week’s audience of 430,000 viewers.
This week’s show was ranked #127 on the Cable Top 150, up from last week’s #129 ranking.
TNA star Jeff Hardy has pledged to donate his brain to the CTE Center at Boston University and the Concussion Legacy Foundation after he passes away. He joins a list of wrestlers who’ve made the pledge to the CTE Center including Rob Van Dam, Kevin Nash and Mick Foley.
“My wife read where Kevin Nash announced that and I said, “Oh my God I have to do that.” I for sure will do whatever it takes and I would love to be a part of that. It’s a huge serious issue in wrestling,” Hardy said. “I’ve rung my bells so many times especially back in the day when chair shots to the head were legal. My goodness, I took so many of those. Luckily, I’m only aware of about two or three concussions that I have had but there’s really no way of telling how many overall. When Nash announced he was doing that I was on board and I didn’t know that RVD did as well. That really inspired me to do the same thing.”