Here’s When AEW Reportedly Halted Plans to Give The Hardys the AEW World Tag Team Championships

The Hardys were originally booked to be in tonight’s ladder match for the AEW World Tag Team Championships against both Jurassic Express and The Young Bucks, but Jeff Hardy’s arrest from earlier this week forced the company to switch directions. Jeff was officially suspended without pay on Tuesday and AEW President Tony Khan then confirmed the tag title match would still happen but only with The Bucks, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus. Matt and Jeff had stated in numerous interviews that this was the pair’s last run as a tag team and they were going to try and prove they were the greatest team of all time by winning the AEW (and possibly the IWGP) tag team championships. 

And according to Fightful Select that was the plan, at least a few weeks ago. Sources claim that Khan was considering booking the two to win the gold and that whispers of that plan popped up prior to Double or Nothing — though wrestlers were upset that Jeff was seen publicly intoxicated during WrestleMania weekend. Fans were also concerned about Hardy’s performance at Double or Nothing against The Young Bucks, though his behavior there was reportedly caused by an injury.

Sean Ross Sapp noted that the tentative plans for the Hardys as champion were quickly scrapped after Double or Nothing, with the focus instead shifting towards the Young Bucks. Whether or not Matt and Nick Jackson will become the first two-time AEW tag team champions remains to be seen. 

“We were able to resume contact with Jeff Hardy this afternoon. AEW does not condone Jeff’s alleged behavior. We’ve made it clear to Jeff that we’ll assist him in getting treatment for substance abuse issues, which he has indicated that he’s open to receiving. In the interim, he is suspended without pay, and he can only return to AEW upon successfully completing treatment and maintaining his sobriety,” Khan wrote in a statement on Tuesday. He confirmed with ComicBook shortly afterward that he didn’t want to make a statement or announce the new tag title plans until after speaking with Jeff.

“I felt the most important thing we could do was contact Jeff and talk to him about getting treatment before we addressed the match. We were more worried about trying to get Jeff help before we thought about the wrestling. But now that we’ve been able to get ahold of him, we can focus on the show at hand,” Khan said.

“I’m going to have the ladder match for the tag team championships,” he later added. “A straight ladder match, two-on-two with two of the best teams in the world.”