Wardlow calls Jeff Hardy's AEW debut a "mind-blowing moment" because he was a big fan of "The Charismatic Enigma" when he was growing up.
Hardy debuted on the March 9 episode of AEW Dynamite, where he reunited with his brother, Matt. Wardlow's segment came after this emotional arrival, so he watched it unfold before he went out to perform.
During an appearance on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Wardlow, who has previously discussed how impactful the Hardys have been on his career, reflected on Jeff's AEW debut. He noted that he struggled with addiction earlier in his life, and he expressed his gratitude for the way that he was able to overcome these struggles.
"The wild thing is is that segment happened right before I went out. So I had like this crazy moment. I'm getting ready for my segment and I hear the Hardy Boys music play and Matt & Jeff Hardy are out there and there's a Swanton being hit. This is all happening moments before I'm walking out to cut a promo that still is mind-blowing to me. I mean, how much wrestling I watched growing up and how much I obsessed with it, and how far off track I got after high school, for a while seemingly ruin my life and my dreams. I mean I went down a really bad path for a while with drugs and alcohol and depression and sort of finally make it into finally be in this company. Not AEW company, but the company of the likes of Matt, Jeff, and so forth. It is a beautiful thing that is overwhelming. It's overwhelming on a daily basis, how much damage I did to my life and to be able to get it all back and fight for it back and be here and be sitting next to this man. It's like, no matter how much wrong I did in life, it's moments like these that make me realize everything was done. Everything happened for a reason and this is absolutely the path that I'm supposed to be on, and I'm absolutely exactly where I'm supposed to be," Wardlow said.
The AEW TNT Champion went on to describe his own struggles with addiction. He made it clear that he has learned his lessons, and he is focused on being successful moving forward.
"Yeah, so a little deeper into personal. So I've had some moments like that recently. So I'm actually very thankful. I used to hate the fact that I kind of ruined my 20s. I used to be so upset, but like, man, 'That's your 20s That was your time to live.' It's like, 'No, no, no. Now is my time to live. Your 20s were just a learning lesson.' I thank God today that I went through what I went through, then, because I'll never go through it again. Right, you're never going to hear, 'Wardlow's got to take time off because he's got personal issues, or because he's got addiction issues, or he's been through it, I've learned my lessons. That is why I am so so focused today and why I know I'm going to be so successful moving forward because I've learned my lesson with that shit. It is nothing but focus from here on out," Wardlow said.
Wardlow recently commented on his PWI 500 ranking. You can check out his comments here.
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