Jeff Hardy says he feels like walking out of the ring during a WWE live event was one of the smartest things he’s ever done for himself.
Jeff Hardy’s WWE career ended in December 2021 after he walked out of the ring during a live event in Edinburg, Texas. Hardy was sent home by the company and fired five days later, and now he’s taking time to explain his mindset then and how he’s still feeling about the decision. Matt and Jeff Hardy joined co-host Jon Alba on the latest Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast and Jeff explained how he was feeling about his position in the company prior to leaving the match, as well as taking time to dispel rumors that he had been under the influence during the match.
“Again, certain things happen for a reason and subconsciously, that was maybe one of the smartest things or the smartest thing I have ever done. Guided by something higher than me, I’ll say. WWE is so strange, I had been there for two years I guess. After I came back from knee surgery, some strange things about our careers, when Matt debuted in AEW, the pandemic had hit, [his debut] was in front of nobody. He teleported down from the nosebleeds, and I was supposed to debut in Detroit, Michigan in front of like 20,000 people [on SmackDown] and I came back from knee surgery in the Performance Center in front of nobody. And so we both — I came back from surgery and Matt debuted in front of nothing because of the pandemic,” Jeff explained, “but it was just weird.
“The best way that I can describe my journey the last few months in WWE or whatever, is glimmers of hope. Like, ‘maybe I do still have something’ and the last glimmer of hope was the Survivor Series, which was really good. It came down to me and Seth Rollins, it was killer and I almost won, the crowd was so behind me. I felt like one of the most popular babyfaces in WWE because the crowd was so with me, but there was other times when I felt like a ghost just roaming the halls, [thinking] ‘Why am I even here? I don’t feel important at all.’ But I just kept doing my deal and I would show up and do what they wanted me to do. I’ve never been a politicker so I’ve never gone out of my way to get a certain spot or to achieve a certain status, but yeah, that night in Edinburg, Texas, I finished my heat, I took my heat and I said I’m ready to go,” Jeff stated. “Went over the railing and disappeared into the crowd and naturally, they think I took drugs or whatever, but I didn’t. If I was that bad I should’ve never went out there, it’s the way I see it.
“But yeah, I thought it’s just another unpredictable thing I can do and I could get away with it, but it was more serious than that. Again, it was one of the smartest things I’ve ever done because everything worked out so perfectly, mainly because my first day at AEW I felt valuable for the first time. Just the care and love I was shown,” Jeff added, “I got chills just thinking about that. I felt like WWE was just keeping me there to sell action figures.”
Jeff did go on to say that being immortalized in action figure form is very cool and a reason he wrestles and paints his face, but felt like AEW valued him for more. Matt went on to explain that he felt the same way in WWE, noting that Vince McMahon wanted a different career path for him but he still felt like he had more to give to the business inside the ring.
“You could tell from day one right when you walk in the AEW doors that you’re really valued as a humna being and your value of being this huge star, Jeff Hardy, and as one of the greatest tag teams ever, the Hardy Boyz,” Matt said. “[AEW says] we’re going to treat you with a certain amount of respect and dignity, instead of ‘Well, we need you to go put some guys over, we’re trying to make some people.’ There’s a way to do that too, being a big star, but I think with AEW they treat you in such a respectful way and they really respect and cherish people’s legacies and the things they’ve done as legends. They give you an opportunity to go out and still be respected, but you can still do things in certain context. You can continue to make other people but it’s in another way, if that makes sense.”
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