TNA World Tag Team Champion Matt Hardy has revealed a creative idea he once pitched to Vince McMahon during his 2017 WWE run, one that would have kept his injured brother Jeff Hardy on television in a unique, supernatural way.
Unfortunately for fans of the “Broken/Woken Universe,” the concept didn’t get past McMahon.
Speaking on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast with Jon Alba, Hardy explained that after Jeff suffered a shoulder injury requiring surgery, he pitched a storyline inspired by the hit TV series Dexter.
His idea was for Jeff to appear as a ghostly apparition—visible only to Matt—serving as a conscience and guide for his “Woken” persona. “There was a point where Jeff had shoulder surgery and was going to be out for five or six months… Vince asked if there were supplemental things I could add to Broken Matt Hardy. I said, ‘Well, I have this idea.’ I asked him if he’d ever watched Dexter. Vince wasn’t familiar. I explained how Dexter’s dad would appear as his North Star, his guiding light. I pitched doing something similar with Jeff—he’d be hurt, in a sling, but only I could see him. Others would walk in the room and see me talking to nobody, because Jeff was just a figment of my imagination.”
While Hardy believed the idea had potential, McMahon quickly dismissed it. “Vince hated it. He wasn’t a fan. He said, ‘Oh, he’s not there. It’s a vision.’ It was never a flat-out no, but I could tell it wasn’t his cup of tea.”
Instead, Matt continued his feud with Bray Wyatt without Jeff’s involvement until his brother eventually returned from injury.
Matt and Jeff Hardy are currently the reigning TNA World Tag Team Champions. Fans can hear the full interview on the latest episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy.
