Matt Hardy Reveals Nearly Signing With WWE Rival Promotion Early In His Career

Former WWE Tag Team Champion and current TNA star Matt Hardy recalled how he nearly signed with a different promotion in the late 90s.

In the late 1990s, the professional wrestling world was dominated by a heated rivalry between WWE and WCW, with both companies vying for top talent. Among the wrestlers rising through the ranks were Matt and Jeff Hardy, who would eventually become legendary figures in WWE’s tag team division. However, there was a moment when their career path nearly took a different direction.

On an episode of his podcast, “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy,” Matt recounted a pivotal night when WWE was invaded by ECW—a storyline that shocked the wrestling world. At that time, the Hardy brothers were still working as extras in WWE, trying to make a name for themselves. After the show, they found themselves at a local restaurant, where they encountered ECW stars Raven, The Blue Meanie, and The Sandman. It was here that The Sandman, after a few drinks, tried to recruit the Hardys for ECW. Matt recalled the encounter, saying:

He said, ‘Hey, are you guys any good? You got any tapes?’ He said, ‘Send me a tape, here’s my address,’ and he couldn’t write it. Raven had to write it down. We got his address and he actually said, ‘I’m serious, send me a tape.’

Eager to seize the opportunity, the Hardys sent tapes showcasing their wrestling abilities to The Sandman. A few days later, they received a phone call that could have changed their careers.

He wanted to bring us into ECW and give us an opportunity to maybe work there. So we were this close to doing something for ECW and maybe working for ECW, but then we signed with WWE just a few weeks later.

Which Now Disbanded WWE Faction Did Matt Hardy Want To Join?

Matt Hardy spoke about how he wanted to join the now-disbanded WWE faction The Judgment Day. Hardy believed that his “broken” persona could have added something to the group and that he would have enjoyed working with them.

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