Former WWE Champion says AEW didn't contact him for a new contract: "They must not want me, I'll move on"
AEW contracts are in the news regularly, whether it's Mercedes Mone's supposed highest-paid female wrestler status or MJF making his surprise return to the Jacksonville-based company at Double or Nothing 2024. However, one wrestler has revealed a bitter experience he and his brother have had while discussing their contract status with the Tony Khan-owned company.
Those wrestlers are Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy. Matt discussed his exit from the Jacksonville-based company and the surprise reunion with his brother, Jeff Hardy in TNA. More aspects of his contract ending, his brother and his treatment in Tony Khan's company, and the booking logic of the Jacksonville-based company are coming to the forefront.
In a recent episode of Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, the former WWE World Tag Team Champion spoke about what happened in the final days of Jeff's contract with AEW ending, and how he tried to work out something for them both to return to the Jacksonville-based company. He revealed his brother Jeff's thought process when the contracts were about to end:
"As time started going on, Jeff started telling me, 'No one has reached out to me.' 'Are you going to reach out to them?' The only time they offered Jeff a deal is when they offered me a deal. Jeff didn't care. Unless they offered him something that he liked, he was good. He wasn't going to reach out," he said.
Both brothers have been vocal about their criticism of the booking they experienced in AEW. Matt further revealed:
"As Jeff was saying, 'No one has reached out, my deal might be up.' I said, 'I'm enjoying my time in TNA. Jeff isn't looking to re-sign, no one has reached out, Jeff doesn't feel like he's necessarily wanted there.' Jeff is an interesting cat. He thinks differently. If someone is not trying to reach out to him, 'Hey, we really want to do this.' If you're sitting back or not trying to contact, he goes, 'Well, they must not want me. I'll move on," he signed off. [30:29 - 31:24]
With the brothers being so negative about their time in AEW, it remains to be seen if Tony Khan will respond to their comments.
Matt Hardy says AEW pays more attention to creating 5-star matches
The Sensei of Mattitude has spoken about his frustrations with his booking in the Jacksonville-based company. In a recent podcast, he revealed his thoughts about the entire AEW booking process and not just his or his brother's storyline.
He said that Tony Khan and his creative tried to create 5-star rating matches, a rare rating given by reviewers like Dave Meltzer, and ignored creating memorable moments out of a storyline and for characters:
"Look, we have incredible star power,” Matt Hardy said. “If you were at Wrestlecon in Philadelphia, it was outrageous how much we signed, how many people that were there to see us. We have fans coming up crying to us like it’s 2000 all the time. But I feel like AEW is more focused on having a five-star match as opposed to having a segment that is hugely impactful and makes a moment,” he said.
Matt Hardy was part of WrestleCon 2024, which took place during WrestleMania 40 week With two wrestlers opening up about their negative experiences in AEW, whether others aren't satisfied with their experience with Tony Khan's business acumen is a valid question.