REVEALED: Why Matt Hardy Returned To TNA Wrestling

Why Matt Hardy went back to TNA

Jack King looking thoughtful

Apr 23, 2024

Matt Hardy April 2024 Rebellion front fracing.jpg

Matt Hardy has spoken to Busted Open Radio about his return to TNA.

Hardy returned to the promotion last weekend, appearing at the end of TNA’s Rebellion pay-per-view in Las Vegas. His last TNA appearance came in 2017.

In the Busted Open Radio appearance, Matt explained how the return came about:

"I spoke with AEW, and I will start and preface this by saying that I love AEW. I love working with Tony Khan, he's a great guy. My contract ended up expiring and we hadn't reached a deal yet. We're still in the midst of talking. I have literally, in the last week, I have talked to every promoter from every promotion that there is. [Returning at TNA Rebellion] was me showing that pro wrestling can still be unpredictable. This was done in a couple day's notice. We kind of started talking about this on Wednesday and this is when it kind of materialised. There were a couple of days doing some shots for TNA and a little story arc. Pro wrestling is at its best when it's unpredictable."

Hardy then revealed why he ended up returning to TNA, adding:

"I feel like Broken Matt was the way to go because TNA is in my DNA when it comes to Broken Matt. That is the genesis of Broken Matt. They gave me that opportunity. They allowed me to think outside the box and really go crazy and do something special. They have a fan base that is very accepting of off the normal course of pro wrestling. It's very different from the die-hard base of AEW. They are more sports-centric and wrestling-based. TNA is very fun for me to do. I don't have a lot of time left to do this, a couple more years, we'll see. I feel good, I'm taking care of myself and had time off. I don't want to squander the time I have left. I want to contribute as much as I can and I want to cement my legacy and hopefully myself and my brother's legacy, is my goal. I want to land somewhere where I'm able to contribute as much as possible, that's my goal. 

"Where I can go, I want to go, and I want to make an impact in pro wrestling and I want to help the next generation and the younger guys too. That is definitely a goal of mine. Upon talking to TNA, Tommy Dreamer reached out to me and we started talking about things. We started talking about Broken Matt, I reached out to some of the writers, they were talking about ideas for the Hardy Compound, stuff to do with The System. It was really fulfilling for me. 'This will be fun, especially during my off time.' I'm not locked in anywhere. I'm not under contract. I am not the type of individual to sit at home waiting for the phone to ring. I'm going to go out and get it, that's what I'm going to do. I go out and seize opportunities. That's what makes Matt Hardy, Matt Hardy."

It looks as though Hardy’s initial storyline could be a major one, as his appearance at Rebellion saw the returning star confront Moose.

Moose is the reigning TNA World Champion, having successfully defended the title against Nic Nemeth (formerly Dolph Ziggler) at the Rebellion pay-per-view. It remains to be seen how the feud between Moose and Hardy will progress, although Hardy's segments leading into the Under Siege TNA+ special have already been taped.

H/T to Fightful.

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