Jeff Hardy is once again in trouble with the law, after being arrested last weekend and driving under the influence.
After being tested by police, who at one point had to pull guns on the AEW star, Hardy’s blood-alcohol level was over triple the legal driving limit at which point he was arrested.
A lot has been said about Jeff and who should share responsibility for his actions, but one former WWE Superstar has taken aim at Matt Hardy.
Matt Hardy and Bill DeMott
It’s been reported that Matt Hardy was with Jeff hours before his arrest, and after AEW President Tony Khan issued a statement about Jeff’s arrest, one fan asked whether action will be taken against Matt.
“What about @MATTHARDYBRAND who was getting drunk with him and let him drive knowing he was drunk and doesn’t have a license full accountability @TonyKhan right @BillDeMott”
DeMott responded by saying “it’s a good question.”
Matt responded, unhappy about DeMott’s insinuation that he bears responsibility for his younger brother’s arrest.
“Understand your passion on this & agree that DD is unacceptable. I expect speculation from fans, but not you. I haven’t touched a drug in over a decade, haven’t drank since I’ve been a Dad. Saw Jeff last on Sun night & flew early Mon w/@RebyHardy. I can’t be with Jeff every min.”
DeMott responded by saying he has nothing but respect for the former ECW Champion.
“No disrespect or anything toward you Matt. Utmost respect, we are all accountable for ourselves.”
Understand your passion on this & agree that DD is unacceptable. I expect speculation from fans, but not you. I haven’t touched a drug in over a decade, haven’t drank since I’ve been a Dad. Saw Jeff last on Sun night & flew early Mon w/@RebyHardy. I can’t be with Jeff every min.
Jeff and Matt Hardy aren’t the only people that Bill DeMott has been especially critical of regarding driving under the influence.
Earlier this year, DeMott called on WWE to remove Tammy ‘Sunny’ Sytch for the Hall of Fame following her own arrest and being charged with DUI manslaughter.
Sytch is accused of killing 75-year-old Julian Lasseter via her drink-driving, and DeMott knows what it’s like to lose a loved one.
In 2015, DeMott’s daughter Keri Anne DeMott was killed by a drunk driver. She was 20 at the time.
In response, DeMott founded the Keri Anne DeMott Foundation, which looks to reduce the risk of drunk drivers on the road.
Jeff Hardy and those closest to him have been left reeling after the “Charismatic Enigma’s” latest arrest.
Last weekend, Hardy was pulled over and arrested in Volusia County, Florida, and faces three charges, including driving under the influence.
When a breath test was administered, Jeff blew an 0.294 on his first and 0.291 on his second, both well over the legal limit to drive a vehicle 0.08.
Jeff was said to be unsteady on his feet and at one point, officers had to pull their firearms on Hardy to get him to comply.
There’s been plenty of talk since Jeff’s most recent arrest, and now someone extremely close to the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion has weighed in.
Matt’s Statement
Taking to Twitter, Jeff’s older brother Matt said it was “disheartening” to hear about his brother’s most recent arrest.
Matt added that he will continue doing what he can to support Jeff and that being healthy and well is the most important thing for them and their families at this time.
It was disheartening to hear the news about my brother yesterday. Recovery isn’t a linear process & I’ll continue doing whatever I can to help my brother be healthy. Being healthy & well is the most important thing for Jeff, his wife, his children & our family at this time.
This situation is unfortunately not Jeff Hardy’s first run-in with the law.
In 2009, shortly after his departure from WWE, Hardy was arrested on charges of trafficking in controlled prescription pills and pled guilty the following year.
In September 2011, Hardy was sentenced to ten days in jail, 30 months of probation, and a fine of $100,000.
Years later, after returning to WWE, Hardy was arrested in July 2019 for public intoxication and arrested again three months later for driving under the influence.
Owen Hart pulled a hilarious rib on a young Matt Hardy when the pair first met in WWE.
Matt Hardy was recently a guest on Chris Jericho’s podcast, “Talk Is Jericho,” where he detailed the first time he met the late great Owen Hart. Hart was known as a notorious ribber, and Matt Hardy was on the receiving end during their first encounter.
Hart took Hardy aside before one of their matches and went over a spot with him that put some pain on Hardy’s knees.
The spot was ridiculous and after a few repetitions, Hardy finally asked if Hart was joking, to which Hart admitted he was.
“One of my favorite Owen stories is the first time he ribbed me, so to say,” Hardy said. “Like I didn’t know him, we were just extra.
“This is the fall of 1994, and I’m wrestling Owen in the Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. So we’re there and he goes, ‘Oh yeah, people really like the Hardy kids.
“They take good bumps for all the guys. I really want to highlight you in the match. I have an idea, but I want to make sure you master it, that you’ve got it down.’ He said, ‘Follow me.’
“We walk out into the concourse, and he has this big tarp like you’d use to cover up something if it’s going to rain. A big plastic tarp.
“It’s laid out… he said, ‘Alright, let’s just get down on all fours in the center. Let’s pretend like this is the ring. Let’s say I take you down.
“I want you to take off like you’re trying to get to the ropes, but then I’ll stop you before you get there.
“Then you’ll go 90 degrees to your left and you try to get to the ropes there, and I’ll stop you again. Then you go 90 degrees to the left, and we’ll go to all four sides.
“It’ll really be like you’re resilient, and you’ll look great at this.’ I do it and we crawl, and he says, ‘That was really good. Let’s do it again.’ I was like, ‘God, this is going to hurt my knees.’ …
“We do it like four or five times, and then on the fifth time he’s asking me to do it, I go, ‘Dude, are you messing with me?’ He says, ‘Yes! What took you so long to catch on?!’”
Both Hardy brothers, Matt and Jeff, were fortunate enough to share the ring with Owen Hart in 1994, just before his untimely passing in 1999.
Hart was involved in a tragic accident during the Over The Edge pay-per-view (PPV) event in Kansas City, Missouri, where he fell from the rafters of the Kemper Arena, into the ring. This was prior to a scheduled match with The Godfather.
The match ultimately never took place due to Hart’s accident, which was briefly addressed by commentator Jim Ross on the live broadcast.
After being transferred to a nearby hospital, Hart was subsequently pronounced dead. Ross made the announcement on the show shortly thereafter, which continued on despite the incident.
The accident resulted in a broken relationship between WWE and Hart’s widow, Martha Hart. While WWE may not be getting Martha Hart’s blessing to go into the WWE Hall Of Fame anytime soon, she has allowed Hart’s name to resurface in professional wrestling.
Recently, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) hosted a men and women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, which was won by Adam Coleand Britt Baker, respectively. Martha Hart made appearances on AEW TV promoting the tournament.
In the era of the internet, many wrestling fans think that they know the wrestling world inside and out. Matt Hardy is here to remind you that it’s not the case.
The AEW star recently made a tweet about the reality of wrestling. He noted that it’s a very physically demanding career. According to Hardy, fans have become ‘desensitized’ to how dangerous it all is:
“Many fans have became desensitized to how physical & dangerous pro wrestling truly is. Maybe it’s because they *think* they understand what we do.” wrote Matt Hardy, “Every match is physically taxing. Most wrestlers are banged up before their matches. It’s not theater. It’s insanely physical.”
Many fans have became desensitized to how physical & dangerous pro wrestling truly is. Maybe it’s because they *think* they understand what we do. Every match is physically taxing. Most wrestlers are banged up before their matches. It’s not theater. It’s insanely physical.
WWE veteran Natalya agreed with this sentiment. She replied to Hardy with a tweet of her own, saying that she loves her fans and is grateful for her phenomenal career, but it also came with many sacrifices:
“I absolutely love what we do and I adore our fans. But yes, every single match is a risk. And most of us are banged up prior to our performances because what we do is so physical. Truly grateful for such a phenomenal career, but there’s a ton of physical sacrifices made.”
I absolutely love what we do and I adore our fans. But yes, every single match is a risk. And most of us are banged up prior to our performances because what we do is so physical. Truly grateful for such a phenomenal career, but there’s a ton of physical sacrifices made—
Fans got concerned about the status of Jeff Hardy after he was pulled from an announced match on Dynamite. Now Matt Hardy has revealed the reason behind it.
The AEW star opened up about his brother’s condition on the latest episode of his podcast. He revealed that Jeff actually got knocked out during their Double or Nothing match against The Young Bucks. This is why he was pulled from Dynamite.
Per Matt, his brother was running on fumes through the PPV match because of his injury. Though he still held up his end of the bargain:
“Very early on in the match Jeff was almost knocked out. So he got hurt pretty bad. That’s why he’s being pulled from the match in Los Angeles, obviously.
So he was kind of running on fumes going through the match.” said Matt Hardy, “He still held up his end of the bargain pretty good in the big scheme of things,”
Matt also revealed that Jeff Hardy actually has no recollection of their match at Double or Nothing. So it’s hard to say where exactly he suffered the injury.
Though The Broken One claimed that despite the injury, his brother did pretty good in the bout. He noted how Jeff is still a great athlete and good at what he does.
Back in 2008, Jeff Hardy’s house burned down and his dog died as a result. Matt told reporters that he initially thought his brother was a goner but thankfully that wasn’t the case.
WWE decided to use this as a storyline on TV with Matt acting as if he started the fire.
“This Is In Poor Taste”
Speaking to Freddie Prinze Jr. on Wrestling With Freddie, Matt Hardy looked back on the uncomfortable angle (h/t WrestlingNews.co).
“That was an event that was so tragic and so sad. Literally, his house burned down. All the old tights and all his old gear were lost in the fire.
“His dog died. It was a really traumatic event for him. Just for them to put that in our storyline was almost like it was in bad taste. I’ll never forget them burning a dog collar and then I held the dog collar.
“I remember saying, ‘I don’t know. I mean, I’ll do it. If this is what you guys want me to do, I’ll do it. But like, this could be too much.’ I could just feel the air coming out of the crowd. It’s not that they were mad at me because I’m playing the bad guy in the story. They were mad at me because this is in poor taste. So that’s how it felt.”
Jeff chimed in and said that he was irate when WWE management tried getting him “fired up” over the angle. He was shown a video package featuring his dog and nearly burst into tears.
He felt there was a complete disregard for how he was feeling following the tragic event.
Matt Hardy says Bray Wyatt and Vince McMahon had a very strange working relationship behind the scenes.
Hardy recently took to his podcast, “The Extreme Life Of Matt Hardy,” and reflected on his last run with WWE. During the show, Hardy touched on working with Wyatt, and what it was like seeing Wyatt interact with McMahon backstage.
The multiple-time Tag Team Champion detailed how McMahon would praise Wyatt when he did something he liked. However, when Wyatt did something he didn’t like, it was almost as if he was going to lock Wyatt away for good.
“Windham (Bray Wyatt) has always had a very strange relationship with Vince, very strange, like, I almost felt like Vince looked at him like a son in some ways,” Matt Hardy said.
“When he would do things that he liked, he would love him and he would really give him everything that he could possibly give him. He would bend over backwards to try and accommodate him. But then when he did something he didn’t like, he hated, like he was going to lock him away for good.”
“It was almost like a really weird, a really strange and different duality that Vince shared with Bray. When he liked him or loved him, he was all about him. But when he disliked him, oh my god, it was really bad and he would like punish him and insult him. To me, it was so strange. It was almost like a parent.”
Wyatt was released from WWE in July of 2021. Much has been made about his professional wrestling future, as Wyatt has scarcely made any professional wrestling appearances since his release.
With All Elite Wrestling (AEW) now very much a viable alternative for talents, many wonder if Wyatt will end up working for Tony Khan next. Or, perhaps, Wyatt and McMahon can reconcile their differences, and he’ll return to WWE.
When the inevitable day comes, Matt Hardy knows who he wants inducting him into the WWE Hall Of Fame.
While Hardy might not compete in WWE today, there’s no denying the plethora of accomplishments he’s had under the promotion’s banner during his several runs with them. He and his brother, Jeff, are one-half of what some argue to be the greatest tag team of all time.
Between the pair, they have nine Tag Team Titles, while Matt Hardy has 11 in total with two additional partners. As a singles competitor in WWE, Hardy is a former ECW Champion, Hardcore Champion, European Champion, United States Champion, and Cruiserweight Champion.
All that being said, Hardy is a sure-fire Hall Of Famer when the time comes. Speaking on his podcast, “The Extreme Life Of Matt Hardy,” Hardy, a current All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star, said he believes he and Jeff will eventually be inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame.
“I think so, yeah, I feel very confident about that,” Hardy said. “I think that would be fitting, obviously, we’re a deserving team and Jeff would be deserving on his own.
“I think there’s a lot of cases that could be made that I am very deserving on my own as well, 100%, considering some of the people that are in there. So, who am I kidding? I’m being very humble here. I could definitely go in on my own.
Hardy then discussed who he’d like to induct them when the time comes. When it comes to he and Jeff as a tag team, Hardy picked the man that helped he and Jeff out upon their early days in WWE – current WWE producer Michael “P.S.” Hayes.
“I feel like the most fitting person to induct us would be the guy who we learned the most from, who really helped us when we first started becoming a success in pro wrestling, and that would be Michael Hayes.”
However, as a singles competitor, Hardy mentioned he could see his brother, Jeff; MVP, or even Bray Wyatt as possibilities as well.
“I could see it being MVP,” Hardy said. “Bray Wyatt would also be interesting, too. Put the Fiend out there.”
Cody Rhodes made the shocking transition from AEW back to WWE but many feel he shot himself in the foot due to a booking decision prior to the move.
Cody had served as an EVP for AEW along with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. The group was adamant about not wanting to take away the spotlight from other talent just because they had a position of power.
Rhodes took things a step further, booking himself in an AEW World Heavyweight Title match against Chris Jericho with a stipulation that had a big consequence.
If he lost the match, which he did, then he was not allowed to ever compete for AEW’s biggest prize again.
Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes
A Costly Stipulation
During an edition of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Matt expressed his belief that Cody ended up unintentionally limiting what he could do in AEW from a storyline perspective (h/t Wrestling Inc).
“I don’t know if that was him just trying to be unselfish because of the position he was in as an EVP where he was part of management. I do agree, he’s such a big player in pro wrestling and you don’t want to take yourself off the table like that because it really limits what you can do from storytelling.”
Matt also said an opportunity was there for Cody to add to his family legacy before deciding to take the loss with that stipulation in place.
“Especially with the backstory of his dad never winning the title and that’s what he set as his goal, his destiny to win the title his dad never did,” Hardy said. “That’s a great story too.”
Rhodes has since admitted that this may have not been his brightest idea. He said he didn’t want to live and die by the TNT Championship in AEW, so he returned to WWE where he can become a world champion for the big kahuna.
Matt Hardy doesn’t know how much time he and his brother have left in the ring.
The Hardys are one of the most iconic tag teams in the history of the business. Before The Young Bucks, Matt and Jeff took the wrestling world by storm as the brothers with tremendous in-ring chemistry.
The two also found singles success as well. They are back teaming together again but perhaps on borrowed time.
Time Running Out On The Hardys?
(via AEW)
During an edition of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Matt told fans that if they want to see him and his brother perform live they should do so as soon as possible (h/t Wrestling Inc).
“Jeff loves it here in AEW and we think this is going to be where we end our in-ring careers, here in AEW. We do want to go around the indie scene and work as many things as we can.
“We want to cement our legacy as one of the greatest tag teams ever.
“That’s very important to us and when we say final run, we’re assuming as a tag team that we are going to wrestle out the rest of our careers here at AEW and also do some indies and stuff. I don’t know how long this is going to last.
“Hopefully, it lasts for a while, but it’s also motivation that if we’re going to be in your town at some local promotion, a territory, it’s a good opportunity to come out and see us because I don’t know how many more of these we’re going to do.
“We’re going to do as many as we can until we can’t do anymore.”
Matt made his AEW debut back in March 2020. At the time, Jeff was still under contract with WWE. After being released by WWE over a house show incident, Jeff made his way to AEW earlier this year.
Jeff made the save after Matt was attacked by the AFO. The two have been teaming ever since and many feel dream matches are being made as soon as possible given that time may be running out on the stellar careers of both men.
The wrestling world certainly isn’t immune from tribalism. Ever since AEW was formed back in 2019, there have been some mind-numbing fanboy wars on social media. Even though Matt currently represents AEW, he sees conversations going south on both sides.
Matt Hardy Sends Message To Keyboard Warriors
During an edition of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Matt said there’s nothing wrong with supporting the company you prefer. With that said, he doesn’t understand why fans work themselves up over brand loyalty (via Wrestling Inc).
“One thing I would like to say is the tribalism between WWE and AEW fans, like, you don’t have to do this. I don’t know if you enjoy it, the people that do it online on social media, it just creates such a toxic environment in the big scheme of things.
“You love WWE, go hard for WWE, and support WWE. I love WWE and you know I’ve said that since day one, and I’ll never say anything differently. Obviously, when I work somewhere else, I’m going to go hard for AEW because they’re the people paying my bills at the end of the day, but just like a pro wrestling match, you take shots at your opponent, and you talk sh** about them.
“That’s what AEW is going to do to WWE, that’s what WWE, in theory, is going to do to AEW although they don’t mention AEW in the big scheme of things, they may take shots in other ways behind the scenes. That’s part of the game, part of the business, and don’t take that too seriously.
“If you have a guy in WWE taking shots at an AEW guy, don’t sweat it. If you have an AEW guy taking shots at a WWE guy, don’t sweat it, it’s all part of the game, baby. It’s all a part of the game and the whole promotion, and the whole fun of pro wrestling. As a fan, don’t work yourself into a shoot, especially with other fans online. Enjoy whatever you enjoy and be proud of it, and don’t let anybody take it differently.”
AEW star Bryan Danielson also spoke about tribalism in wrestling during an interview with Sports Illustrated back in Sept. 2021. He doesn’t believe the issue solely rests within the industry.
Matt Hardy admits that Tony Khan made a mistake with Satnam Singh’s debut but the wrestling veteran believes that the AEW president is trying to do his best.
The AEW star talked about Singh on the latest episode of his podcast. He said that he understands why the former Basketball player debuted the way he did.
Hardy mentioned that they have a big TV deal coming in India. He said that he gets the ramifications for wanting to use the Indian star in the spot. He also admitted that turning the lights off should be saved for a known face:
“The use of turning the lights out and then turning them back on, if you do that, it builds anticipation with the fans and I feel like it has to be a known star.”
Matt Hardy gave examples of people they could have saved the spot for such as Samoa Joe. He later defended Tony Khan, saying that we all make mistakes:
“But it is what it is, we live and we learn. We all make mistakes and Tony Khan, once again, three years in, it is what it is. He is trying his hardest and his best, and I love the fact that he was very accountable for it and he owned it.”
Apart from this, Matt talked about people considering him to be Marty Jannetty of the Hardys. He claimed that he has actually made more money than Jeff because he has been more consistent.
Matt Hardy has responded to a fan complaining about Jeff Hardy being featured on AEW Dark: Elevation this week.
A fan noted how people were complaining when Jeff Hardy was in WWE and he was featured on Main Event a few times, while he is on Dark now.
Replying to him, the wrestling veteran noted how Tony Khan treats legends with the utmost respect. He revealed that the AEW owner had asked for their consent before putting them on the show:
“I’ll give you insight. TK treats veterans/legend with the utmost respect & uses us the same. It’s refreshing. Tony asked us if we were ok being on & we were both happy to. We want to work with young stars like Top Flight. It’s a treat to work at AEW.”
Cuz you follow me, @ChangaYT, I’ll give you insight. TK treats veterans/legend with the utmost respect & uses us the same. It’s refreshing. Tony asked us if we were ok being on & we were both happy to. We want to work with young stars like Top Flight. It’s a treat to work at AEW. https://t.co/1tZNW8cNvN
Matt Hardy first announced his departure from WWE back in March 2020 after his contract expired. He ended up joining AEW later that month, making his debut during the March 18 episode of Dynamite.
Jeff Hardy on the hand remained with WWE until late last year. He was released in December 2021. He has since joined his brother in Tony Khan’s promotion and returned to tag team action.
Matt and his brother, Jeff, were on the rise within WWE during Austin’s iconic superstar run in the late 90s, so the tag team legends got the opportunity to brush shoulders with “The Texas Rattlesnake” from time to time. During that time, Matt says he developed a great relationship with Austin, and called him to congratulate him on the in-ring return last week in Dallas.
Austin had an impromptu match with Kevin Owens after what was initially expected to be a special edition of “The KO Show” segment instead. However, after Owens challenged Austin to a No Holds Barred match, Austin accepted and subsequently hit the stunner for the victory in what was Austin’s first match in over 19 years.
While discussing his relationship with Austin, Hardy also recalled the first bit of advice the Texan ever gave him regarding his in-ring work. It’s a piece of advice he still utilizes to this day.
“One of the first things he told me from a serious aspect,” Hardy said (via Wrestling Inc.). “I remember when I would make comebacks. I would come in and I would punch, punch, punch, punch, and if guys were bumping and feeding. He was like, ‘man, just think about this. Maybe come in and just clothesline them, and take their head off.
“To me, it looks a lot more vicious and like, legitimate. And the more legitimate you look, the better it is for you.’ And that’s a piece of advice that I always held dear, and I always followed as well. Like, if I am ever doing something and guys are bumping multiple times in the comeback, I will give a stiff-ass clothesline where I take their head off, as opposed to a punch.
“It always looks better too, and that came from Stone Cold. That’s one of the first pieces of advice he gave me back when Jeff and I were still wearing tights.”
As for Hardy, he signed with AEW back in March of 2020 after his run with WWE ended when his contract expired. He and Jeff have since reunited as The Hardys after the latter signed with AEW in March.
Matt Hardy enjoyed his time working with Triple H.
“The Game” announced to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith that he has retired from in-ring action. Triple H has a defibrillator in his chest due to heart failure. Fans got to witness 30 years of Hunter.
Matt Hardy Lauds Triple H Following Retirement Announcement
During an episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, Matt detailed what made Triple H special inside the ring (h/t Wrestling Inc).
“It is what it is, we all have to retire one day. I remember I reached out to him after I heard about his condition, and spoke to him briefly. Obviously, I have known Paul for a very long time, and worked with him many, many times, and had good experiences with him.
“He’s incredible in the ring, one of the smoothest workers you’ll ever be in the ring with. Really smart, a student of the game, loves the business. Obviously, I love this insane sh*t, so I really bond with anybody who has that much of a love for it.”
Triple H got night two of WrestleMania 38 started by leaving his boots in the middle of the ring. He received a standing ovation from the crowd inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Matt Hardy has looked back at the time Michael Hayes pitched a cinematic match long before they were cool.
When Matt made the transition to his “Broken” character, it took on a life of its own. Matt made it cool to do cinematic-style matches. What’s interesting is, he was close to having a cinematic match long before he started the “Broken” gimmick.
Cinematic Match Pitched
During a recent edition of The Extreme Life Of Matt Hardy, Matt reflected on the time Michael Hayes pitched a cinematic match between The Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian (via Fightful).
“Michael was a very out-of-the-box thinker. He was trying to think of things that would be different and original and unique and he did pitch something that was very similar to that. I wonder how that would have turned out if we’d had done it at that stage in our career.
“Because we’re very different performers. We were definitely thinking more about work rate than the actual work of telling a story and being character performers, so I don’t know.
“It would have been an interesting scenario because Vince, he takes these things so seriously, and that’s why I took a different approach to The Final Deletion.
“I didn’t want this thing to be looked at as too serious because at the end of the day, wrestling, it’s these people that are amazing athletes, they get in a ring and go have a 15 or 20-minute match, especially with all these unique spots and whatnot. But still, it’s entertainment at the end of the day, and we can’t lose track of that.”
Matt and Jeff are currently on the AEW roster along with Christian. Edge works for the WWE banner after he had been retired for years due to an injury. Hayes remains behind the scenes in WWE.
Wrestling legend Gangrel spoke with SEScoops Ella Jay this week to promote his return to Major League Wrestling (MLW). The Attitude Era star competed on this week’s episode of MLW Fusion, which you can catch on YouTube.
During the half-hour conversation, Gangrel spoke about a wide variety of topics. In this installment of our write-up, we’re focusing on The Brood.
The Brood was a faction in WWE during the beloved Attitude Era. Led by Gangrel, the Brood helped introduce Edge and Christian to the WWE Universe. A later incarnation, The New Brood, saw Gangrel paired with Matt and Jeff Hardy.
The Brood remains popular to this day, as evidenced by Edge busting out the Brood entrance and “Brood Baths” in some of his recent feuds. Gangrel would have been down for a surprise Rumble appearance and a Brood reunion in WWE, but gave a surprising (and disappointing) reason why it never happened.
Here’s our half-hour interview with Gangrel, with some highlights below:
“People Won’t Remember The Brood”
Last year, Christian reunited with Edge at the Royal Rumble. This year, fans were hoping that Gangrel would make an appearance at the Rumble to continue the Brood nostalgia tour.
Gangrel says he’d speak to Edge about reuniting the Brood in WWE, but Edge didn’t think Vince McMahon would be on board.
“No, I would talk to Edge, he would tell me that he didn’t believe Vince McMahon believed people will remember The Brood, let alone myself.”
– Gangrel on a Brood reunion in WWE
Over the past year, Edge has paid homage the Brood several times, including for special entrances and for unleashing “Brood Baths” on his enemies.
Edge’s Brood entrances were always a hit with WWE fans, but he really had to work hard in order to convince Vince McMahon that it was worth doing.
“[Vince is] very set on certain things, so [Edge] told me he had to work like two and a half months to get the music to be able to do a ‘Broodbath,’ not a bloodbath because the networks wouldn’t have blood,” Gangrel continued.
“He did that for two and a half months and and he said he was trying to work it all out. He said he did it pay homage to The Brood and myself and all that he was super happy about it.”
Gangrel said he actually had an AEW appearance lined up at one point that would have included an elaborate entrance, but that got derailed.
“And then when I told [Edge] ‘Yeah well…’ He was like, so excited to tell me on that Monday, and I go ‘Well… I was supposed to do AEW that Wednesday, they were gonna do the whole entrance and everything.’ But it just trended so much that it was just like forget it. So that was a bummer one way, but in another way it was just great to see Adam, Edge come out to that and then it cut and go to his music. It was just really, really cool and I was super happy for him and honored and flattered.”
Watch Edge’s Brood entrance from WWE Day 1 (1.1.22)
Memories of Working with the Hardys, The New Brood
Gangrel spoke fondly about working with Matt and Jeff Hardy in the early years of their careers.
“Yeah, well, a lot of people ask me what was my favorite Brood, The New Brood or the old Brood. I always say older with Christian and Edge because for one, we’re the original. We were working the Hardys and we had a program with them. I always love wrestling the Hardys. I personally love wrestling Matt Hardy because he’s a thumper. He’ll get in there and he’ll mix it up. Matt Hardy is a bit harder and tougher than people think.
I remember Michael Hayes would drive those poor guys crazy. I hope that I didn’t drive Christian and Edge as crazy as Michael Hayes did with his old school banter like ‘It’s my dime and it’s my time’ and stuff like that.
They’re just great guys. I’ve known them since, I don’t know, like since they were 16-17? I think we were all floating around doing extra work and different stuff for WWF whenever they came to the South. So I’ve known them for a long time. They’re just tremendous guys. Jeff’s super laidback, Matt’s more always intense about the business stuff. I’m super super happy for them.”
Gangrel also revealed that he’s going to be wrestling against The Hardy Boyz somewhere in Virginia soon. It will be Gangrel and Joey Janela (the “The New New Brood”) against The Hardys (“The Old New Brood”).
Gangrel with The Hardys
Steve Austin’s Input on Theme Music
The Brood’s theme music is legendary (you can listen below) and really set the tone for the group’s image. Gangrel shared a cool story about “Stone Cold” Steve Austin giving him advice about the importance of entrance music.
“…One time Steve Austin asked me, ‘What do you like about you like your music?’ The music that I had with the Brood. I go, ‘I could walk to it.’ And he goes, ‘That’s the key thing, you really want to become one with your entrance music. You really want to get that groove and that vibe and be able to gel with that coming out to get a feel.’
MLW’s two next shows are scheduled for WrestleMania weekend, at Gilley’s in Dallas, TX. If you’re in town, visit MLWTix.com for ticket information.
Jeff Hardy wasn’t clued in on AEW lacking writers.
For some former WWE stars, the adjustment from the Vince McMahon-led empire to a promotion such as AEW can take some time getting used to. We’ve seen Bryan Danielson admit that he enjoyed working with the writers in WWE and had to get used to having more freedom in his segments and matches.
Jeff Hardy Didn’t Get The Memo
Matt Hardy spoke to Under The Ring and he said that Jeff had no idea that AEW didn’t have writers ahead of his promotional debut on the March 9 episode of Dynamite (h/t Wrestling Inc).
“AEW is on a higher platform than a Ring of Honor or TNA. Especially with their television deal, which is lovely and is fantastic to have, and here, just being able to have input and help control your own destiny, it’s just an amazing feeling.
“Like my brother when he came in yesterday, or last week and we were talking about the segment I was doing with Andrade, he was like ‘oh, you know, do the writers have it how they want this to go?’ ‘Dude, there’s no writers here. They don’t have writers in AEW, that doesn’t happen. Literally, there’s a segment and this is kind of outline of what they’re thinking, and then you put the meat on the bone. You and your crew.’ And that’s what we did.”
The Hardys are involved in a feud with the Andrade Family Office. This began when Andrade kicked Matt out of his own faction. Andrade, along with other members of the AFO attacked Matt before Darby Allin and Sting hit the ring.
The numbers game was too great until Jeff Hardy made a surprise appearance and cleaned house.
The Hardys, Matt and Jeff, shared memories of working with Hall on the latest episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast.
Matt Hardy began by saying it’s extremely sad how Scott Hall’s death seemingly came out of left field. It is difficult to make sense of things when somebody passes away unexpectedly, but Matt feels that it’s important to make the most of each day. The Hardys have always “lived for the moment” but Hall’s passing is a reminder that you never really know how much time you have left in life.
Matt told host Jon Alba that Scott Hall was good to the Hardys when they worked together in the early days of their WWE careers.
“Scott was very cool to us,” he said. “We had a lot of good fun stories with him. I’ll never forget the second day I was with WWE, obviously the first day Jeff wrestled him, he was 16 years old and it was under very strange circumstances where the match was very frustrating with Scott Hall because the guy he was supposed to wrestle said he couldn’t take his finish. He was a little frustrated wrestling with Jeff and that ended up working in Jeff’s favor because he formed a little bond with him after that.”
Matt continued, “The next night, I was wrestling with him and I remember he said, ‘When I’m in the corner, poke me in the eyes, give me three or four chops, I’ll turn around and give you some,’ and I got two really good ones in that rang out loud in the arena. I hit a second one and he stopped me right then and there and turned me around and said, ‘Easy kid, you had two really good ones, I couldn’t let you outshine me out there though.’”
Jeff Hardy Remembers Scott Hall
Jeff Hardy says Razor Ramon was a huge inspiration on their careers. However, that match against Hall had him reconsidering his love for pro wrestling.
Not only were the WWE rings “terrible” back then (very stiff to take bumps on), but Scott Hall also roughed him up a bit.
“Even that first match, and that hard-ass WWE ring back in the day, you had to be like Andre the Giant to make it move, it was terrible,” said Jeff. “Him being real stiff and roughing me up, I totally second-guessed my love for pro wrestling. ‘I don’t know if I’m cut out to do this.’ I didn’t like it, I didn’t like that match at all, it really hurt. It wasn’t fun.”
That first match against Razor was tough, but he remembers Scott Hall took him under his wing and looked out for him behind the scenes.
“Then moving forward Scott Hall was so kind because he thought I looked like Vanilla Ice, and the Kliq started calling me Ice and I’ll never forget one time he told Pat Patterson, I was like 16 or 17 too, ‘Let’s get this kid on the road, get him seasoned.’ I’m not even legal yet. There’s something very special to what he saw, he saw my future through whatever it was and he believed in us every step of the way, and that’s rare, man.”
The Hardys will make their AEW in-ring debut as a team on tonight’s St. Patrick’s Slam edition of AEW Dynamite. They’ll battle Private Party’s Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen.
This will be Matt and Jeff’s first time teaming together on national television in three years. AEW President Tony Khan booked the match after Private Party’s shocking betrayal of Matt last week.
In a press release sent in to SEScoops, Khan was quoted saying:
“It was incredible to hear the huge pop from the crowd when the Hardys’ music hit, and to see Jeff Hardy reunited with Matt at AEW: Dynamite last week was an amazing moment for fans around the world.”
“Jeff Hardy transcends time and is associated with some of wrestling’s most iconic moments. Reuniting the Hardys and bringing their encyclopedia of experience to AEW will give fans another exciting chapter in Matt and Jeff’s storied legacy in wrestling. Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen turning on Matt Hardy, a wrestler they grew up idolizing, is a betrayal that cuts deep, and now Isiah and Marq will face the brothers who inspired their careers. This will be a battle of two of the most innovative tag teams today – Private Party vs. Matt and Jeff Hardy tonight on AEW: Dynamite.”
AEW St. Patrick’s Day Slam 2022 Preview
AEW is advertising the following items for AEW Dynamite:
Steel Cage Match: Britt Baker defends the AEW Women’s World Championship against Thunder Rosa
Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley vs. Chuck Taylor and Wheeler Yuta.
Hangman Page & Jurassic Express vs. Adam Cole and reDRagon
Wardlow challenges new TNT Champion Scorpio Sky
The Jericho Appreciation Society has their official “commencement”
Check out the latest AEW Control Center for an exclusive look at the two big title matches scheduled for St. Patrick’s Day Slam:
Matt Hardy has been teasing a big change to his character in recent weeks and it appears that this story will culminate on this Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite.
The Broken One recently made a post on Twitter. He posted photos of The Hardy Family Office members and promised to make a change on Dynamite:
“I became wrapped up in making as much money as I could in @AEW, much like those who came before me. I took advantage of young men who looked up to me & I failed them. On #AEWDynamite, I promise to make a change & be better. It’s time for me to get back to being Matt Hardy.”
I became wrapped up in making as much money as I could in @AEW, much like those who came before me.
I took advantage of young men who looked up to me & I failed them. On #AEWDynamite, I promise to make a change & be better. It’s time for me to get back to being Matt Hardy. pic.twitter.com/hZuGsVE2GA
For those who don’t know, Jeff Hardy’s WWE non-compete clause will expire on Wednesday, March 9, the same day as the post-Revolution episode of Dynamite.
The Charismatic Enigma’s signing to AEW is all but confirmed at this point. Reports suggest that he will be backstage at the AEW show from Hertz Arena in Estero, FL.
Matt Hardy has also been teasing his brother’s arrival from a while now and it appears that we are going to see The Hardy Boyz reunion on the flagship show of All Elite Wrestling this week.
WWE has put out many strange storylines on TV over the years. Matt Hardy recently revealed one such storyline that was pitched to him that made him very uncomfortable.
The former WWE star talked about it on the latest episode of his podcast. He recalled the time when Booker T and RVD held the tag team championships.
According to him, the creatives pitched an idea for Hardy to challenge for the tag titles with Mark Henry. For this, they wanted Matt to start acting like a black person:
“What was pitched to me from Vince and creative was that I was almost going to go to Mark Henry and him being black had a lot in common with me having Mattitude because we were both oppressed then I would talk like a black person.”
Matt Hardy explained that they wanted him to talk about how Mattitude was oppressed too. The former champion recalled how he was very uncomfortable with it:
“There was a point where I was almost going to start talking with more black slang and almost tell Mark Henry like ‘Mattitude is oppressed too man, we have that in common.’ I was very uncomfortable with that.”
Though thankfully for Matt, the storyline was canceled after Mark Henry got injured. Per the AEW star, maybe it was a sign from the Seven Deities.
The character work of Roman Reigns as The Tribal Chief has been praised by many wrestling veterans. Matt Hardy has now joined the list.
The AEW star talked about the current Universal champion on the latest episode of his podcast. He discussed how the Head Of The Table was receiving mixed reaction from the crowd as a babyface.
However, things have changed since Reigns turned heel. According to Matt it’s his favorite thing on WWE TV right now:
“The stuff he’s doing currently with him and the Usos, I can’t put that over enough. It is my favorite thing on WWE television. He’s killing it! To me, I’m almost disappointed it took them so long to actually step out and turn him heel.”
Matt Hardy mentioned how people liking Roman Reigns’ heel persona would eventually make him a bigger babyface. He claimed that he would have loved to face the current champion if he was in WWE:
“So I love the work he’s been doing and I would have loved to have had a match with him. That would have been a lot of fun.”
Hardy himself has been teasing changes to his AEW character recently. He posted a video suggesting the imminent debut of a new star.
With his brother Matt already a longstanding member of AEW at this point, it wouldn’t shock anyone to see Jeff Hardy sign with the promotion very soon. And AEW themselves seem to be leaning into the rumors that Hardy could become All Elite in the near future.
On Wednesday night’s edition of AEW Dynamite, a pretty obvious nod was made in Hardy’s direction during the Keith Lee vs. Isiah Kassidy match. During the bout, Matt Hardy abandoned Kassidy by jumping the ringside guard rail and exiting through the crowd. The story was he was frustrated by another poor outing from one of his proteges.
However, the reference to Jeff came with how Matt exited the ringside area. This was exactly what Jeff Hardy did during his final match with WWE at a house show in Edinburg, Texas back in early December.
Tony Schiavone even overtly made reference to that incident on commentary during Dynamite, saying it was an “erratic” move. Reports at the time of Hardy’s WWE departure mentioned his behavior as being “erratic.” His brother Matt referenced this during a Twitch stream in January when he came to his brother’s defense, noting that WWE “may have jumped the gun” with Jeff’s release.
Kassidy’s match on Dynamite was what Hardy had previously called a “make or break” moment for him. In storyline, Hardy has been disappointed with Private Party’s inability to emerge victorious. They lost to Jurassic Express recently on Rampage, and Kassidy followed that up with a loss to Sammy Guevara.
Do you want to see Jeff Hardy join AEW? Who would you like to see him feud with? Let us know in the comments section below!
And don’t forget to check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.
Jeff Hardy recently turned down WWE’s offer to be part of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022. Matt Hardy continues to speak about Jeff’s situation on Twitch and addressed Jeff’s decision during his latest live stream.
The Hardy Family Office leader stated once again that Jeff’s final drug test with WWE came back clean. He also explained why Jeff had no interest in joining the WWE Hall of Fame under the terms they recently proposed to him.
According to Matt Hardy, WWE wanted Jeff to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a solo act. Jeff had no interest in going in without Matt at his side.
Jeff Hardy as WWE Champion (Photo credit: WWE)
Matt Hardy on Jeff’s Decision
“Jeff asked [WWE], ‘So you want to induct me into the Hall of Fame?’ And he said, ‘Well let me ask you, I know you guys have spoken with AEW. Is this going to be the Hardy Boyz? Is this myself and my brother Matt?’
And they go, ‘Oh, no no, no, no. We can’t get Matt. He’s under contract at AEW. You know, it would just be you.’ And Jeff said, ‘Well, that’s a hard no.'”
Matt said, “He definitely stood up for the team of the Hardy Boyz.”
Jeff Hardy’s non-compete clause with WWE is expected to expire in early March. The Hardy Boyz have been announced for a number of indie appearances after that.
Matt Hardy has also been teasing an ‘extreme’ change to his AEW character. The potential matches they could have in Tony Khan’s promotion have fans excited.
