Matt Hardy looks back on Jeff Hardy's first world title win and Triple H seemingly being against it.
At WWE Armageddon 2008, Jeff Hardy defeated Edge and Triple H to win his first world title with the company. Throughout the year, Hardy had become one of WWE's most hottest stars, but even as his popularity grew, he dealt with more setbacks. His push as a singles competitor got derailed ahead og WrestleMania 24 due to a failed drug test. Still, he continued to climb the ladder, leading to his victory at Armageddon.
Freddie Prinze Jr., who was working on the WWE writing team at the time, previously recalled how him pushing for Jeff's title win fractured his relationship with Triple H, as "The Game" was not on board with it. In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Prinze Jr. described how Triple H didn't think WWE could count on Jeff to be the face of the company.
The newest episode of Matt Hardy's Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast focused on Jeff winning the title, and co-host Jon Alba brought up Prinze Jr.'s comments. Matt Hardy responded by recalling how it was a divisive situation going into the show, as there were people who agreed with Triple H, but there were others who pushed for Jeff. He noted that the decision was essentially voted on, and while Edge supported it, Triple H did not.
“I remember that day, before then going into the production meeting, and we were just waiting around. They didn’t know if it was gonna happen or not. There was a lot of division there because there was Hunter and the people that kind of sided with Hunter, and then there was Freddie and Michael Hayes. Vince wanted to I think roll the dice on Jeff, but he also understood where Triple H was coming from, about his dependability and how much can the company rely on him, representing WWE as the champion. So it was really interesting. I know they specifically went to Edge. ‘What do you think we should do?’ He’s like, ‘I think we should put the title on Jeff. I remember he was a big vote for doing that. Hunter was a nay. But I know Freddie Prinze, Michael Hayes, and apparently Vince kind of surveyed everybody that was in these meetings, and it seemed liked the majority was like, ‘Jeff should win the title.’ So Vince went with the majority," Matt Hardy said.
Alba then asked Matt whether he thought Triple H voting no for Jeff's victory was personal. Matt stated that he thought Triple H looked at the situation from a business standpoint and doubted whether the company could trust Jeff, given his history.
“No. I think Triple H, overall he liked Jeff, and he respected the sacrifices. He just saw him for who he truly is, which is this human being who doesn’t put politics first, doesn’t put WWE, doesn’t corporate stuff first, isn’t really a businessman so to say. So I’m sure that’s where he was very weary of Jeff being the champion. What if something happens again and it embarrasses the company? That’s the perspective he’s coming from. I think as far as personally, no, I don’t think it was personal against Jeff. I think that was literally just his professionalism and now he viewed him as someone who would represent the WWE as the champion. He was just worried about it," he said.
As for Prinze Jr. putting his reputation on the line for Jeff at the production meeting and throughout the process of the fan-favorite's rise to the top, Matt noted that it was a significant statement on Jeff's behalf. he noted that everyone involved was trying to do what was best, and everything worked out in the end, though he pointed out that politics in wrestling can be unpredictable.
“It’s a huge statement, and he was really putting his career on the line in many ways, just to back Jeff, to back that horse. Especially going up against the power that was Triple H at that time. I feel like, at the end of the day, though, it was all done the right way. Everybody realized they had a difference of opinions, but they were just trying to do what was right for the greater good. So I think when it was all said and done, he ended up being okay. But considering pro wrestling is pro wrestling, and it was highly political at that time and has been in the past, Freddie Prinze was still rolling the dice because you never know what you’re going to end up getting if you start pushing against powerful people in the company," Matt said.
Earlier in the podcast, Matt also noted that Triple H and Jeff didn't necessarily see eye to eye, as they approached the business differently at a fundamental level. He emphasized that Triple H always focused on the business, whereas Jeff didn't take himself too seriously.
“I’m sure Hunter doesn’t see eye to eye with Jeff, as far as just personal life. Hunter is definitely all business, straight and narrow. Jeff’s just like, ‘Okay, I’m good at this. I love doing this, so I wanna go out and entertain the fans, but I’m not gonna take myself too serious.’ So they’re very opposite when it comes to that capacity," he said.
Matt recently offered a brief update on Jeff, who has been suspended from AEW since June due to a DUI. More information is available here.
In a previous interview, Matt made it clear that he still wants to have a great run with Jeff in AEW. Click here to see what he had to say.
Matt recently commented on his bond with Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen). More information is available here.
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