Matt Hardy Recalls Getting Fired By WWE In 2010
Matt Hardy has discussed the difficult time in his life when he was released by WWE in 2010 leading to his TNA debut.
After spending more than a decade in WWE from the time when he was a newcomer in the late 1990s through a memorable run in the 2000s, Matt Hardy was released by WWE in October 2010.
It was actually the second time that WWE released Matt because they also let him go in 2005 when the news of Lita cheating on him with Edge became public. Fans were in an uproar when Matt was fired, so WWE brought him back and Matt feuded with Edge immediately.
In 2009, Matt was a heel that turned on his brother Jeff Hardy and they feuded for several months. Jeff would end up leaving WWE in the summer of 2009 even though he was a main event babyface.
On a recent episode of the Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, Matt spoke about being let go by WWE in October 2010, which would lead to his TNA debut in 2011.
“I was physically very badly beat up at that time. And that is why my pill issue became so problematic during that time. I mean, I was physically beat up. But at that point, looking back in hindsight, I just needed to say like, ‘Hey, I need to leave and I need to take a year away from wrestling’ and like heal up physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, everything. So that’s where I was.”
Matt Hardy Believes Jeff Hardy Leaving WWE Hurt Matt’s Status In the Company
As he continued, Matt spoke about how Jeff Hardy being out of WWE led to a situation where WWE was almost punishing Matt for it.
“And on top of that, because Jeff had left and went to TNA and because he had found success there and he was doing well, I feel like they were upset at Jeff. And there was definitely a part of me. And probably I took this way too far. But I thought, well, they can’t punish Jeff but they can punish me. So they’re trying to mess with me since they can’t mess with Jeff.”
“So like, just because I’m his brother, because we share the same genes, we share the same blood, they can punish him through me here. And I think I over-exaggerated that in my head when it was all said and done. I should have just kept my sh*t together and worked hard and did what I could do and finish the contract. Or being as hard as that was just said, I’m hurt. And I need time away from wrestling. But I just tried to step it up and fight through everything.”
Matt and Jeff Hardy currently wrestle for All Elite Wrestling. Jeff Hardy lost a Texas Chain Saw Massacre to Jeff Jarrett this past Wednesday on Dynamite in a match featuring a lot of interference and even an appearance by Leatherface too!
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In the same episode, Hardy revealed what his starting salary in TNA was.