Current AEW star spoke to Jeff Hardy backstage before his most controversial match
AEW star Jeff Hardy is synonymous with high-flying action when it comes to pro wrestling. However, the star has also been embroiled in controversies throughout his illustrious career. Jeff's brother and fellow AEW star Matt Hardy recently revealed that he had a conversation with him ahead of, perhaps, the former's most controversial bout.
Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy both left their WWE careers behind to join TNA (now IMPACT Wrestling). Jeff had two stints in the promotion, the first in 2004 and the second in 2010. At Victory Road 2011, Jeff Hardy was set to face Sting in a rematch for the TNA World Championship.
However, in a shocking turn of events, Hardy was seemingly heavily intoxicated and stumbled on his way to the ring. Hence, Eric Bischoff had to call an audible and change the finish to the match. A disappointed Sting pinned The Charismatic Enigma in one minute and 28 seconds to retain his title, much to the dismay of the fans.
Matt Hardy opened up about the incident in a recent episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, where he revealed that he spoke to his brother 45 minutes before his match.
"He was fine when I talked to him, but between then and when he went to the ring he had obviously taken more medication, which equated to him not being fine." [H/T Wrestling Inc.]
Jeff Hardy "should've never been allowed" to wrestle that night, according to Matt Hardy
Given the state of intoxication that Jeff Hardy was in, fans and pundits were quick to question why IMPACT even allowed Jeff to walk to the ring in that condition.
During the same podcast episode, Matt Hardy also stated that Jeff should've never been allowed to walk to the ring, given his condition.
"He should've never been allowed to walk out through Gorilla if he was in such a weird state of mind. I remember hearing there were people saying that he tried to push his way out [and] he wanted to get out, whatever, and like, he really shouldn't have been allowed to get out there." [H/T Wrestling Inc.]
The Hardys returned to WWE in 2017 at WrestleMania to a raucous ovation from those in attendance. The stars have since left the company to join AEW and are currently with the promotion.
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