AEW Veteran's Contract Reportedly Up Sooner Than Anticipated

Jeff Hardy has been with AEW since 2022.

At TNA Rebellion, Matt Hardy reappeared in the promotion for the first time since 2017. It's public knowledge that his AEW contract expired and though he was offered a new multi-year deal, he opted to test the waters as a free agent instead. Hardy has since come out and stated that promoters from many promotions have reached out to him, but he hasn't made a deal at this time. While that may be the case, it didn't stop Hardy from voicing that he wants the TNA World Championship that Moose currently holds, as it's the title that the "Broken" version of his character has yet to hold.

Matt's brother Jeff has largely slid under the radar in this whole ordeal, but a new report from Fightful Select gives insight into Jeff's current deal with AEW. Originally it was structured in a way that it would allow he and his brother to leave around the same time, something that didn't happen in their last WWE run. While Matt left in 2020 to join the then start-up promotion AEW, Jeff was locked in with WWE for a number of years after. 

Jeff famously walked out through the crowd during the middle of a six-man match against the Bloodline. WWE sent him him from that tour and reports described it as a "rough night" for Hardy. He was released from WWE days later though Matt argued they may have jumped the gun on his release. He popped up in AEW to reunite with his brother shortly after, but legal issues would prevent the decorated tag team from getting any substantial footing in the tag team division.

It is believed that his contract is actually up much sooner than expected, as he's been telling people at recent conventions that it expires in the spring. Jeff is currently out on injury due to a broken nose at the hands of Sammy Guevara on AEW Rampage. As Guevara went for a shooting star press off the top rope, Jeff got his knees up to block the move but one of Guevara's knees ended up hitting Jeff in the face. Appearing out of it, medical rushed the ring to check on him but Guevara proceeded with the finish. After the match, Matt and Jeff flicked Guevara off.

In December, Jeff noted on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy that similarly to how he felt like a "ghost" in his last WWE run he had begun feeling like that in AEW. "When I first came back, it was pretty exciting. I didn't know what was going to be happening in the near future," Jeff said. "But I think the last time I was in this extreme dimension of y'all's podcast, I said that in WWE, I felt like I was a ghost, just walking around backstage. Honestly, man, I kind of still feel like that at AEW, just because of not being involved in something cool. I feel like there's something so special that we have within us to really bring out."

Stay tuned to Comicbook.com for updates on Jeff Hardy, his contract status, and AEW.