Matt Hardy of AEW has enthusiastically accepted his new role in the industry and the opportunity to mentor the next generation of pro wrestlers.
Hardy recently spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso to promote Tuesday’s live in-person episode of his podcast “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy” at Kowloon’s near Boston. Hardy is no longer the main attraction at shows, but he and his brother Jeff Hardy are now focused on helping the next generation of wrestlers achieve stardom. Hardy has recently worked with The Gunns (Austin and Colten), and he recalls wrestling with them backstage at WWE shows when they were barely teenagers.
“I remember the Gunns as kids from when they were the ages of my own children,” Hardy recalled. “Now we’re wrestling them. How crazy is that? Father Time holds back for no one. As you get older, things change, but you have to make the most of it.”
Regarding his current role in assisting aspiring wrestlers, Hardy stated that he enjoys giving back and that the business will suffer if veterans do not adopt that attitude. Hardy went on to say that pro wrestling has become “a lot more selfless” in the last three decades.
“I love giving back,” Hardy said. “When we were younger, I remember that being much bigger of an issue with the older talent. Myself and Jeff, we promised we’d never be those guys. It’s part of the responsibility to give younger guys a rub. Without people giving back, the business withers away. Someone made the older talent. Then comes the time to make someone new. The business has definitely gotten a lot more selfless over the past 30 years.”
Ethan Page and Isiah Kassidy have received much more attention as a result of AD Hardy’s recent storyline work. He stated that his goal is to keep pushing until Page and Kassidy become AEW mainstays.
