Legendary tag team must not disband after AEW exit, feels Jim Ross
According to veteran Jim Ross, a legendary tag team must not disband on the heels of their AEW exit. The team in question are The Hardys.
The former Team Xtreme recently finished up on their stint in AEW, with Matt opting to not re-sign with the Jacksonville-based promotion earlier this year. Since then, The Broken One has been competing in TNA, where he was joined recently by his brother Jeff after the latter's AEW contract expired this month, allowing him to return to the Tennessee-based promotion at TNA Against All Odds 2024. Although fans had high expectations for The Hardys' run in All Elite Wrestling, their tenure in the company has been a subject of some debate.
On a recent episode of Grilling JR, Jim Ross spoke about the respect he held for The Young Bucks and The Hardy Boyz, voicing his interest in a long-running program between the two teams. The veteran announcer went on to reminisce on employing Matt and Jeff Hardy for fifty to hundred dollars a day early in their careers, and praised the duo for their perseverance and exertions, which enabled them to build an unmatched connection with fans.
"I have all the respect in the world for The Hardys. You know, I remember hiring those guys, fifty dollars a day, or maybe they made a hundred sometimes, but they work[ed] for whatever was there because they were fans, and they believed in themselves that if given the right opportunities often enough, that they're gonna get over. And they did get over." [0:24 - 0:46]
JR went on to acknowledge Jeff and Matt for their respective strengths, and suggested that while both men are competent singles performers, they are at their best when working as a tag team.
"You know, Jeff had the most charisma, and I'm not knocking Matt because Matt was the brains of the outfit, at least in my view. But, I like them as a team, I think that's where they should stay. The singles stuff is fine, they do a good job. But The Hardy Boyz, Jeff and Matt together, to me, is your magic formula." [0:47 - 1:14]
Matt Hardy vented his frustrations over The Hardys' AEW booking
Following his exit from All Elite Wrestling, Matt Hardy has been open about his grievances with the way The Hardy Boyz were booked in the Tony Khan-led promotion. On a recent episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, The Angelic Diablo revealed his view that the former World Tag Team Champions were supposedly booked strongly following Jeff Hardy's debut in the promotion in 2022. The duo were even poised to win the AEW World Tag Team Titles, but their momentum was derailed after Jeff was suspended over his DUI arrest in June that year.
However, Matt criticized AEW for not booking The Hardys to win matches after The Charismatic Enigma returned to action in 2023. The number of losses The Hardy Boyz suffered on television, Matt claimed, was a point of frustration for the two men.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for The Hardys in pro wrestling in the coming days.
Please credit Grilling JR and add an H/T to Sportskeeda if you use any quotations from this article.