Matt Hardy opens up about Jeff Hardy‘s return to All Elite Wrestling and the work his brother has been doing on his journey back to the company.
Following his DUI arrest in June 2022, Jeff was suspended indefinitely from AEW, and the announcement noted that he would only be permitted to return once he completed treatment and maintained his sobriety. After a 10-month absence, Jeff returned on the April 14 episode of AEW Dynamite and reunited with his brother as he saved Matt from The Firm.
Speaking on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, the AEW star shared his thoughts on Jeff’s return.
“It was a very, very interesting night, and it was an interesting day,” Matt said. “This literally came together the last few days. We’ve been talking about this for a while. Jeff’s eye will take a little while. They said that would probably take like six to eight weeks. I kind of put out there, probably in six to eight weeks, he should be good. But his vision was fine, his eyes are stable, they’re working in sync now, so they’re really good. He actually got cleared technically at the end of last week, to do stuff physically again.
“So we had an idea about bringing him in and interjecting him into this scenario, and the segment cut a little short, but I can tell you right now, he’s a great spoiler, watch Rampage on Friday night, and you’ll find out where this match is gonna be, and you’ll find out who all the official competitors are. I know I got out the stipulation that when my team wins this match, then myself and Private Party, we are free of The Firm. Our contracts shall be deleted, and very excited about that. Jeff will be involved in the match, HOOK will be involved in this match, and Isiah will be involved in this match, too, and you’ll find out who we’re gonna face from The Firm, too, this Friday on Rampage.
Co-host Jon Alba asked if The Firm owns Jeff’s contract by proxy, and Matt noted that AEW owns the contract, which had been frozen for a while due to Jeff’s absence. Alba then addressed the fact that Jeffs return has been divisive, as he was coming back following his DUI arrest in June, and Matt emphasized that his brother has been working on himself. Matt stated that he thinks Jeff will make people a believer.
“This is the most work I’ve ever seen him do on himself, and he had ten months,” Matt said. “He seems different. Once again, I don’t want to sit here and vouch for him. I don’t want you to take my word for it, I don’t want you to take anyone else’s word for it. I want you to watch him and follow his actions, and then he’ll make you a believer, if that’s what you need. I am confident his actions and his conduct and his behavior will make people a believer.
“He’s made me a believer. I’ve got to see a lot of him, and I’ve got to follow his journey, and I know the work he has put in, and I know how dedicated he has been to legitimately changing and trying to get this sh— together once and for all. All I can say is, I’m just so extraordinarily proud of him, and he’s done great.”
Matt also highlighted the special connection that Jeff has with the fans, as seen in the way the crowd reacted upon his return on Wednesday. He stated that he’s glad that they made it to this point, and he expressed his excitement for the future.
“Just seeing him coming back, and he was worried, how the people were gonna react to him, but Jeff is just one of the few individuals who just has ‘it’, it’s just something that is so extremely special, and people are connected to him in such an organic way,” Matt said. “When he came out and the people went nuts, and they were cheering and chanting for him, they hit that, ‘Welcome back, welcome back,’ it was great, man, a magical moment. Really glad we got to this point, and I’m very excited to see where we go forward from here.”
Additionally, Matt made it clear that he knows Jeff has to prove himself to people, but he has a good feeling about where his brother is with his life.
“Coming off his past, he has stuff to prove to people, but once again, I’m the ultimate optimist,” Matt said. “My mentality doesn’t work for everybody, but I say, hey, people change. Give him a chance, especially if they have legitimately put the work in and tried. I do that with everybody. Either he’ll prove you wrong or he’ll prove you right, but I have a very good feeling about this point Jeff’s at in his life right now.”
The video version of the podcast can be found here.
Fans will hear from The Hardys on the April 14 episode of AEW Rampage. WrestleZone will have coverage of the show as it airs.
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