Few things are as entertaining as watching professional athletes troll one another. In most sports where the outcome isn’t predetermined, it’s called bulletin board material and is a major no-no. But in professional wrestling, it’s as much of the show as the matches. Sometimes, more so.
So, when Matt Hardy posted a picture of himself on social media posing and with the caption, “Today looked a lot like 1998. #FreeTheDELETE,” there’s obviously some good-natured trolling going on between him and the Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson).
This comes at a time when Matt Hardy’s contract with WWE is nearing its end, and we can’t help but wonder if/when he’s jumping to AEW.
A fresh start
There’s no question Matt Hardy still has quality skills and can perform in the ring. There’s also no question the WWE has made him a jobber at the end of his contract. It’s nothing new, as they did the same thing to the Dudley Boys and the Dudleys retired because of that.
Despite being 45 years old, Matt has some tread on his tires yet, so to speak, so it’s only logical he’d want to continue wrestling. AEW (All Elite Wrestling) would also be a good fit for him as Dustin Rhodes has shown he can still perform at a high level and DDP (Diamond Dallas Page) still has it at age 63.
There has been speculation as to what role Hardy could play in AEW, and he’s shown the ability and flexibility to be either a heel or face, so he should be good to go.
He could strengthen the AEW tag team division
The AEW tag team division (along with its women’s division) is one of the black marks against the company by many fans and critics. While the promotion is still young and growing, it’s to be expected.
Adding Matt Hardy could go a long way to solidifying the division as he could be the lynch pin for his brother, Jeff Hardy, to go to AEW, assuming he can get his life straightened out again (Pulling for you, Jeff). Considering the Hardy Boyz won WWE’s Smackdown tag team championship last year and are fan favorites, they can still pull it off.
While this depends on Jeff’s health and availability, it also depends on what Matt, Jeff, and the Young Bucks want personally and professionally.
This may not be in the cards, but one thing I learned a long time ago is never say never.
Of course, this could just be a tease like Randy Orton did a couple of months ago, but it’s doubtful. Most likely, we could be seeing Matt Hardy in an AEW ring before too long, and then we get to see his trolling live. Could we ask for anything more?
As always, all of us at The Overtimer seek to bring you the breaking, historic, and nostalgic news, so keep your computer tuned in for further developments.