Matt Hardy recently completed a run in NXT alongside his brother Jeff, and on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, he reflected on the experience, his relationship with Shawn Michaels, and the strong partnership between WWE and TNA.
Hardy had high praise for the man in charge of NXT. “I enjoyed it. I greatly enjoyed working with Shawn Michaels both the first time and the second time around. Sean was one of our guys, man, he was, he was heavily influential, and both Hardy Boys’ careers, especially, if he doesn’t have that first ever ladder match at WrestleMania 10, then I don’t know if our careers go the same, because we don’t start doing ladder matches. We weren’t inspired and motivated to do ladder matches on the independent scene and whatnot. And I don’t know, I don’t know if we end up pushing, VKM, the old man to have. Myself and Jeff wrestle Edge and Christian in a tag team ladder match.
Why The NXT Title Run Was Short
The Hardy Boyz’ NXT Tag Team Title reign was brief, which Matt Hardy said is typical for their WWE runs. “It happens, man, that’s one thing I can say in WWE, there’s never been a very, very long, Hardy voice tag team title run, because we don’t need the titles. We go out there doing our stuff. We’re a legacy act. People are going to be behind us. They support us. We’re in a certain category where not a lot of wrestlers get to when so said, done, like, evergreen over. So that’s very cool. So the titles aren’t us having the titles for a year, isn’t really going to change how much we’re getting over. They can help some other team out a little more.”
He contrasted this with TNA, where he feels a title reign means more for the brand. “But I think a TNA, if you look at us holding the TNA World Tag Team Titles, then people said, Oh my god, I love TNA, because the Hardys are their champions right now. And these guys, they’re the goats. They’re the greatest tag team of all time. They’re the champs. So it’s more beneficial with TNA.”
WWE, TNA Partnership
Hardy revealed the NXT title win was strategically timed to benefit TNA’s biggest show of the year. “I think the whole motivation that there were thoughts when we came around that first time about possibly winning the NXT technicals, and it didn’t happen. But I feel like they thought this was the best time to do it, because if we became NXT Tag Team Champions right before going to Bound for Glory, it would also build interest and intrigue for that show as well. And I think they were trying to help out TNA and Bound for Glory, as far as drawing a big house, and we had a huge, massive walk-up that night. So I think it did help.”
He also pointed to another instance of WWE promoting TNA on their own programming. “I mean, you look like at SummerSlam when myself and Jeff in the Dudleys, we’re sitting ringside. I mean, you had Michael Cole at SummerSlam and say, at TNA is Bound for Glory, it’s going to be the Hardys versus the Dudleys. I mean, that was huge. That was huge for TNA man.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can listen to the podcast on all major podcast platforms.
