Major contract update on WWE legends The Hardy Boyz - Reports
WWE legends The Hardy Boyz recently became champions once again, and now the brothers are locked into pro wrestling contracts once more. Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy recently entered their 31st year teaming together, and now sources are opening up on the brothers' new deals and plans for the future.
The Charismatic Enigma and Big Money Matt have had 23 Tag Team Championship reigns together. The Hardy Boyz are widely viewed as one of the greatest teams ever and are credited with reviving tag team wrestling, not to mention their own singles careers. After stints with AEW, Matt and Jeff returned to TNA this summer, choosing to stay in free agency even while being pushed. The Hardys were still not signed in late October when they became three-time World Tag Team Champions at Bound For Glory.
TNA announced just today, via Sports Illustrated, that they have re-signed The Hardys. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it was implied that the contracts run through late 2025. Matt confirmed that they were not signed to contracts on October 26 at Bound For Glory and were still not under contract for one month as champions, indicating that they just put ink to paper this week.
The Hardys' current run in TNA is seen as a success so far. An update from Fightful Select adds that sources were able to confirm the new contracts are for one year.
Sources noted that Matt originally came to TNA for a defined number of dates when his AEW deal expired in April, but he decided to hang around when Jeff returned in June, right after his AEW deal expired. The former Broken Matt also confirmed today that they were operating on a handshake deal with TNA officials until recently.
The Hardys are allowed to work various indie dates under their TNA deals. There is some level of trust between the brothers and company officials as they were booked to become champions while insisting on free agency. The decision was made after Matt and Jeff agreed to continue working with TNA, but now they are under contract. Last year, ahead of the reboot and regime change, officials were insistent on many talents signing deals before they could be booked, but that stance has eased up some in the last year.
TNA signs another former WWE act
TNA and WWE opened their own forbidden door this year, and the working relationship seems to be a success for both companies. TNA announced this week that it had signed another former WWE talent - Léi Yǐng Lee fka Xia Li.
Lee's signing comes after TNA official Gail Kim announced a contract for the 36-year-old on October 8. The signing was announced today, along with new deals for The Hardy Boyz. Lee told the TNA website that she is excited for the future.
"I’m very excited for the future in TNA Wrestling. I have my eye on a lot of the Knockouts, starting with Masha Slamovich and Jordynne Grace,” she said.
Lee joined WWE in January 2017 and became the first Chinese woman to compete in a WWE ring. She was released last April after stints in NXT and the main roster. Li began working the indies this summer and debuted for TNA in September with a win over Hyan.
The Chinese grappler debuted for GCW this past weekend at Josh Barnett's Bloodsport XII, losing to TNA Knockouts World Champion Masha Slamovich. Her last WWE match was a loss to Natalya on the April 18 edition of WWE Main Event, one day before her release.