Matt Hardy Goes In-Depth On How AEW Brought Jeff Hardy Into The Fold

Jeff Hardy has had an illustrious career, but it hasn't come without major ups and downs. Following his release from WWE at the end of 2021, Jeff joined his brother Matt in All Elite Wrestling a few months later, a move that seemed inevitable given Matt's stated goal of ending his career alongside his younger brother. However, despite the move seeming like a formality, Matt revealed during the latest episode of "The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy" that Jeff didn't find out he was going to AEW until the day of his debut with the promotion.

WWE took Jeff off the road in December 2021, ordered him to take a drug test and subsequently released him. Matt said Jeff called him after the release and said he hadn't touched any type of drugs and that WWE wasn't willing to wait on the test results, stating it would release him regardless. Matt said the next time he went to AEW television, AEW President Tony Khan asked him about Jeff, saying that "when his non-compete clause is up, let me know."

"He takes [the non-compete clause] as serious as a heart attack, is the old saying," Matt said of Khan. "He just won't do it. He feels it's not worthwhile to do. The way that deal went is we know I'm turning babyface at some point; it turns out Jeff's no-compete clause ends on a Tuesday and there's a Dynamite the next night."

Matt said when the clock struck midnight on Tuesday morning, he texted his bosses and asked if they were going to do something with Jeff, but he never heard any response that day. However, at 5:45 a.m. on Wednesday, he got a call from Bryce Remsburg, who does travel for AEW talent in addition to working as a referee, asking if Jeff was available to fly out that day and would like to come to AEW to talk or perform. 

Matt said the company couldn't get Jeff a flight until later in the day, and he arrived around 5 p.m., just a few hours before the start of "Dynamite." The plans for Jeff to debut that night came very late in the process, Matt said, to the point where they almost had himself and Private Party turn babyface, which later changed to just Matt doing the turn with Jeff saving him from an attack.

At the time, Matt was heavily involved in a storyline with the Hardy Family Office, which included Private Party, Andrade, The Butcher and Blade, Angelico, Jack Evans, and Jora Johl at different points. Immediately following the HFO's match at AEW Revolution 2022 against Sting, Darby Allin, and Sammy Guevara, the group turned on Matt, with his opponents from the match coming to his aid. On the ensuing episode of "Dynamite" came the memorable debut of Jeff, returning with the Team Extreme entrance music.

"I was going to turn babyface regardless if Jeff came or not. There were no Jeff plans," Matt said. "They didn't make Jeff creative plans. Tony refused to do that; only after Jeff got released from WWE. I could've turned baby face, done a program with Andrade for four weeks or whatever, and then Jeff could've showed up. There was no plans at that time [for Jeff]."

Jeff's current status with AEW is up in the air. He hasn't appeared in AEW since receiving his third DUI charge last June. The matter has officially closed following his plea of no contest in February. He was sentenced to serve 38 days in prison and was credited with time served, completing his sentence.

According to Matt on a previous episode of his podcast, he hasn't spoken to Jeff about wrestling in the future, with the main concern right now being his brother's health. Despite that sentiment, Matt mentioned during this week's show that he doesn't believe fans have seen the last of Jeff in AEW.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.