Triple H understood that Matt Hardy wanted to be a wrestler first and foremost and was going to give him that opportunity on WWE NXT.
Matt Hardy left WWE for All Elite Wrestling in 2020. When he debuted with the company, he reprised his role as “Broken” Matt Hardy. Unfortunately, by the time he debuted, there was no audience for him to play to as the world was beginning to understand the nature of the COVID-19 virus and many cities in the United States were on lockdown. However, before Matt Hardy joined All Elite Wrestling, there was a chance for him to portray a “Broken” Matt Hardy as the leader of a stable on WWE NXT.
Matt Hardy revealed on the latest episode of his podcast, The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, that he told Vince McMahon to his face that he was not ready to be a producer for WWE, despite that being what Vince McMahon wanted. In an effort to get Matt Hardy to stay with WWE, Triple H pitched the idea for Matt to be the leader of a group on TV for the black and gold brand.
“He appreciated my honesty,” Matt Hardy said when asked about Vince McMahon's reaction to his departure. “There's nothing that I would say on here or say to anyone else that I wouldn't say to Vince, that's how much respect I have for him. I said, ‘I know how you see me. You are ready for me to move on to a producer role and I'm not ready to do that quite yet. I'm ready to still finish up in the ring. I know I have a few more years left and I'm going to go until it's time for me to step out. That's what I want to do. That's my passion, that's what I love, and it's where I can make the most money. At the end of the day, pro wrestling is a business and it's all about where you can make the most money.’
“He absolutely respected that,” Matt continued. “He said, ‘Well, thank you for being honest.’ Because so many people just bullshit him all the time. I'm sure, whenever I left, they knew where I was going to end up. It is what it is.”
When pitching the idea for him to be the leader of a stable on WWE television, Triple H was going to allow Matt Hardy to be “Broken” Matt instead of “Woken” Matt, because he knew Matt Hardy owned the trademark. this position on the next he was also going to allow Matt Hardy to continue beginning his role as a producer on the main roster and it would have seen him working with three or four young talents, which would limit his time in the ring, similar to what he had in AEW with the Hardy Family Office.
“Triple H, he called me afterward. He tried to work out deals with me doing stuff in NXT and it's so funny, because this shows how much Vince wanted me as a producer. He said, ‘Well, we can pay you X amount of money if you do this NXT thing. But we can like double this almost if you do NXT, and I'll put you with a group of guys. So you don't have to do all the work, being an older guy, you're like the leader of the group, and then you can also still go to TVs, you know, Raw and SmackDown, and then you can still do those and start being a coach because that's really what Vince wants to see you as, is a producer.’ Someone who helps teach other talents and helps construct matches and whatnot. So Vince really wanted to see me in that when it was all said and done. I have a lot of appreciation, Triple H still tried to do what he could just to keep me in the WWE system,” Matt said.
No specific names were given as far as who could be in the faction with Matt Hardy, but it was stated that they were going to be a handful of people that didn't have a great role at the time.
“No, he did say he didn't say any specific names,” Matt Hardy revealed. “He said he had three or four guys they had in mind that you know don't have a great role. ‘But I think if I could put them with like a ‘Broken’ Matt Hardy, if that's what you're wanting to do now, I know you can do that because you own all the copyrights and trademarks of the Broken Universe, we could do that.'
"That was obviously very appealing," Matt continued. "But it was one of those things where my contract already expired at this point when I was speaking with Hunter. So I'd already talked with the Bucks and Tony Khan and the powers that be at AEW. I'd already made a handshake deal to go there. It was a good deal and I thought that was my best route going forward. So you know, I just once again, just respectfully declined and said, ‘Thank you very much. I want you to know, I appreciate you reaching out to me like this, and I'll never forget it.’ I really do. I always remember when people are good to me. I always hold that dear in my heart and I always remember that I owe them one.”
Even though Matt Hardy would have gotten the opportunity to return as broken Matt here, last week, he dove deep into the formation of “Woken” Matt Hardy and how Vince McMahon saw the best setting for that character being a planetarium. Learn more here.
Shortly after his WWE exit, Matt Hardy openly stated that he believes if Triple H had been in power in WWE he would have been given a better opportunity creatively. Learn more here.
Currently, Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy are in AEW and they are enjoying their final run together as a tag team. This Sunday, they will face Matt and Nick Jackson, The Young Bucks, at AEW Double or Nothing. Fans can check out the full card here.
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