"All he can do is prescribe you pills" - AEW's Matt Hardy opens up about the disturbing undercurrent of drugs and alcohol in wrestling
AEW star Matt Hardy has seen and been through it all in the wrestling business. He recently took the time to discuss the dark world of drugs and alcohol in the sport will all know and love.
Matt and his brother Jeff Hardy have both had to battle personal demons in their respective careers. Jeff's in particular has become so well known that they have been brought into storylines with the likes of CM Punk and Sheamus.
Matt, on the other hand, didn't have his thrust into the limelight like his brother. However, he has had an uphill battle that included trips to rehab during the early 2010s.
Matt Hardy Kicked Out Of Rehab For Failing Breathalyzer Test mixmastab.com/2011/11/matt-h… http://t.co/uMMlOB2T
Speaking on the Drinks with Johnny podcast, Matt talked about how bad the culture of drugs was back when he was in WWE. Speaking on how doctors would give wrestlers pills to deal with pain because they couldn't get time off.
"The first 12 or 13 years I had with WWE, my back was so beat up, and I remember there was one point where I said ‘oh, I think I need time off.’ I had to roll out of bed and crawl to the bathtub to soak in my bed or whatever you know. They would just ‘oh we really can’t give you time off, we really trust you, you know you’re really dependable in what you do. Go to the doctor and see what he can do to help you.’ All he can do is prescribe you pills to try and keep you to go through, and that was such a culture back in the day. It was such a bad culture.” [12:45-13:10]
Despite it being a bad culture to be involved in, Matt Hardy did admit that his darkest times were a good learning experience. Stating his time in WWE allowed him to improve as a person as he got older.
"It was a great learning experience for me in many ways, because it was there I matured more than I did in anything else in my life. Then once I got together and like I went from being physically, mentally, emotionally [drained], just you know beat up and devastated in every way. Once I got myself back together I really had a good-good hold on how to tackle life and how to deal with things.” said Matt Hardy [13:20-13:41]
Matt Hardy will get his first shot at the AEW Tag Team Championships this week on Dynamite
Since his brother Jeff's debut in AEW, it was only a matter of time before The Hardys would go on another expedition for gold.
That expedition starts on the upcoming "Road Rager" edition of Dynamite. The Hardys, as well as The Young Bucks, will challenge Jurassic Express in a three-way ladder match for the AEW Tag Team Championships.
youtu.be/FXTQ5zykCKE
An Historic Three-Way Ladder Match for the #AEW Tag Team Championship is Set | #AEWDynamite
▶️ youtu.be/FXTQ5zykCKE https://t.co/JzuRkByeWd
This will be the second time Matt Hardy will be involved in a title match during his AEW career. The first took place on the April 14th 2021 edition of Dynamite when he challenged for the TNT Championship against Darby Allin.
The ladder match may be The Hardys' signature match, but they are sure to have their hands full with their championship caliber opponents.
Please credit "Drinks with Johnny" and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling when using quotes from this article.