During a candid interview with Ariel Helwani, legendary tag team duo The Hardy Boyz opened up about their run in All Elite Wrestling, offering an honest reflection on what went wrong and how personal struggles impacted their time with the company.
Jeff Hardy spoke first, taking responsibility for the missed opportunities in AEW following his legal troubles.
“My personal problems, getting in trouble with the law. I think I never got a fair chance to redeem myself, like coming back. At least that’s how it felt,” Jeff admitted. “I totally understood why they didn’t want to give me that chance. I was, ‘Oh, God, they can’t trust me. I’m just a liability.’ I was telling myself all these terrible things… So naturally, I beat myself up about it. But I just don’t think we ever had a fair chance because of that. So I blame myself all the time.”
Matt Hardy echoed his brother’s sentiments but also pointed to what he believed was a missed creative opportunity involving himself, Jeff, Adam Copeland, and Christian Cage.
“I know he was back, and I feel like he did pretty good to prove himself. I figured there would be a little bit of a testing period with him,” Matt said. “But then with myself and Jeff and Adam [Copeland] and Jay [Christian Cage] there all together, I figured like, well, they at least got to have us in the ring for something… there’s just so much value in the four of us together because of our history. But, yeah, it didn’t happen.”
Matt also praised AEW President Tony Khan, despite their creative paths not aligning.
“Tony Khan was a great guy. Paid me very well. I like him. Got along but he has his style and choice of wrestling that he likes to see.”
While their AEW journey didn’t unfold the way fans might have hoped, the Hardys remain reflective and appreciative — and their story continues to be one of resilience, reinvention, and legacy.
The Hardy Boyz are asked about AEW.#HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/2viXRmixZf
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) July 2, 2025
