"He was a can't miss prospect" - Matt Hardy recalls forgotten TLC match with AEW champion

Matt Hardy competing in the first TLC match in 2000

Matt Hardy and Hangman Page ended up in AEW after spending time floating around the independent circuit. While many may believe that their first interaction was in AEW, it took place many years before.

Hardy debuted in AEW on the first episode of the pandemic era in March 2020. The former WWE Superstar used his "broken" gimmick while aligning himself with Hangman Page and The Elite.

Waiting for Episode 2 of the #ExtremeLife to drop at 6 a.m. ET Friday like… https://t.co/VFziDZejRc

However, this was not the first time that Page and Hardy had been in the same ring together. Speaking on the "Extreme Life" podcast, the former ECW Champion spoke about the first time he was in the ring with Hangman. He recalled a TLC match in 2013 for the Northeast Wrestling promotion in Waterbury, Connecticut.

Here's what Hardy had to say:

"I spoke to my good friend Shane Helms (...) he was keeping a close eye on the indie scene then (...) he (Page) was a can’t miss prospect," said Hardy. "That night of the TLC match, I remember chatting with him. We were talking about our backgrounds, our upbringing a little bit you know both of our dads being tobacco farmers and that whole deal. "

The former WWE Tag Team Champion expressed that Page was excited to be competing against the veteran:

"I remember him telling me how he thought it was so cool that he was actually going to be in a ladder match, or a TLC match with Matt Hardy, especially after growing up watching us and being a fan of the Hardy Boyz," continued Matt Hardy.

The match was a 5-way TLC match for the NEW Heavyweight Championship that also included NEW standouts Brian Anthony and Lukas Sharp. While IMPACT Wrestling star Kaleb With a K walked away with the championship.

Matt Hardy recently returned home thanks to AEW

The January 12th 2022 edition of AEW Dynamite was a special one for Matt Hardy. It was the first time since joining AEW that he was wrestling in his home state of North Carolina.

He was defeated by Penta El Zero Miedo. But it was the post-match altercation that caught the headlines.

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After the match, Hardy joined the Varsity Blonds and Penta in beating down Malakai Black. Black was then saved by the debuting Brody King.

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