Matt Hardy on his visit to WWE Raw, status of AEW contract negotiations

It’s not nearly as hot a topic as it was in 2017 or 2020, but Matt Hardy’s contract status has again become a talking point in 2024.

Hardy recently confirmed a report that his AEW deal expires at the end of this month. Then he & wife Reby Sky showed up at WWE Raw this past Monday (Mar. 18) in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Most of the usual outlets agree this wasn’t a big deal. The Hardys don’t live far from Raleigh, and he was only spotted in the seats (technically, a suite and on the concourse). There’s no indication he was backstage, and he apparently didn’t meet with any company officials. But anything that could involve people moving between AEW and WWE gets people’s attention these days, and Matt knows the value of getting wrestling fans’ attention.

So on the new episode of his Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, he explained that the trip to Raw was a last minute thing Reby pushed for on one of their regular date nights, as a friend of hers had a suite at PNC Arena:

“… my wife went to go hang out and I was there. It was a very innocent thing at the end of the day. But it was wild. It was wild being in the PNC Arena where we had SummerSlam 2000. And that’s where the first TLC match went down. And just seeing WWE there running again, it was wild. It was fun just to sit back as a spectator and watch wrestling. At the end of the day, I’m pro wrestling’s biggest fan, too. I love watching pro wrestling if I get the opportunity to.

“So, really interesting. And I knew as soon as I started taking pictures, like, ‘Oh my god, this is gonna get blown out of – this is going to go nuts.’ And it is what it is. And actually, in reality, I’m ok with that.”

He’s okay with it because he’s in the midst of negotiating with Tony Khan about a possible new deal with AEW. Both Matt & his brother Jeff have openly talked about their frustrations with how they’ve booked lately, which the elder Hardy discussed a bit on the pod:

“The reason it got even more buzz is because people know my contract is coming up. You know, I’m in the midst of contract negotiations. And I think, if you are trying to secure me under contract, I’m a guy you want. Because whenever I work for your company, nobody waves the flag harder than I do. Whether it’s promote the company on social media, whether, you know, promote the hell out of all the positives the company offers. And I do love AEW.

“There’s some things I would like to change about my personal career there, and some of the things that we’re doing, but I do say overall I love AEW because it is very important for the pro wrestling industry. AEW needs to do well just because the pro wrestling industry doesn’t need just one huge company that is in control of everything. They need competition. Competition is what makes it thrive, it is what makes it better. For all the young kids that are coming up, competition needs to exist. So yes, I want AEW to do well and I want AEW to thrive. But I want to be in a satisfactory position in what I’m doing in AEW.

“And that’s kind of where we’re at, you know, still negotiating and figuring things out. And, once again, Tony Khan is taking great care of me. He has been a good boss. I think Tony Khan is a great human being. But at the end of the day when it comes for me making the decision about what I do next, it also comes down to making sure that I’m happy and that I’m comfortable with what I’m doing too – in all capacities across the board.”

Michael Cole mentioned The Hardys on Monday’s broadcast while talking about brother vs. brother feuds during Jimmy & Jey Uso’s segment on the show. Sounds like that’s something Matt can use while haggling with TK:

“There is a ton of value in both Matt and Jeff Hardy right now. If you’re online and don’t see that, I’m sorry, but social media does not reflect reality. People know who we are. I don’t want to say we’re household names, but if you’re a pro wrestling fan, you know who the Hardy Boys are.

“There are people I meet who are like, ‘You look like Matt Hardy, the Hardy Boys who did the ladder stuff.’ ‘Yeah, nice to meet you.’ I get recognized every day I go out in public. That’s promotion and press, you can’t buy that.

“I’ve been blessed with so much TV time over the years. There is huge value in Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, and the Hardys together, especially. That is when we’re at our most value. There is value in both of us. Once again, I want to be used to the best of my ability and get the most out of my value.”

Jeff’s been out of action since he was injured in a No Disqualification match with Sammy Guevera last month. He signed with AEW after Matt, and missed a considerable amount of time after his latest impaired driving arrest and subsequent treatment.

We’ll see what the future holds for The Hardys. We expect Matt will keep us posted.