By all indications, Matt Hardy’s WWE career has ended. However, his 41-year old little brother, Jeff Hardy is still in the fray, and Matt thinks there are a few more chapters for Jeff to write before he leaves professional wrestling.
During an appearance on The Jim Ross Report, Matt Hardy discussed the longevity and prognosis of Jeff’s Hall of Fame career.
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“I have to be honest, like, he is right up there with having one of the most indestructible vessels of all time because the amount of punishment he put his body through and for him to just keep on ticking, it’s just unreal. It’s just unreal,” said Hardy. “Like, it makes me question half the time whether he is truly human. It’s like aliens just dropped off a baby brother for me as opposed to a regular human being. He’s amazing as far as his perseverance. But I don’t know. With him I’d say maybe a couple of years. I would say two or three more years if he can hang in there.”
The Hardy’s made their much-anticipated return to WWE at WrestleMania 33. In the 18 months, they’ve been back, they’ve collected championships and reignited their fruitful relationship wt the WWE Universe. While Matt looks to be done, Jeff is still an integral part of SmackDown and that likely won’t be changing anytime soon.
The Hardy’s are a call back to WWE’s most lucrative time: the Attitude Era. It’s become custom for WWE to bring back the occasional star from the past in order to stir up nostalgia as well as introduce fans to a part of company history. Right now, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kane, and The Undertaker have all assumed WWE’s brightest tags ahead of their Crown Jewel tag match. While some fans may bemoan the presence of “part-time” Superstars, Hardy believes their presence is highly valuable.
“Undertaker, Shawn [Michaels], Hunter, Kane, Kurt [Angle] back, it’s good. I mean, fans from ‘The Attitude Era’, those relapsed fans that maybe haven’t watched in a while might tune back in because they know who those people are because they’re stars. And it’s nothing bad. And if, like, the young people were smart, they will learn from them, they will be taught by these guys, and, hopefully, they’ll be on the same shows and there will be more eyeballs. You obviously too have to use these guys to interact and mingle with the younger talents, trying to continue to elevate them, to get them over. That’s very, very important,” he said.
Hardy thinks that pairing a WWE legend with an up-and-comer is an easy way to give momentum to young stars.
“I believe they just need to be utilized in the right positions to honor their iconic and legendary statuses and also the younger guys either work with them and get a rub, or let the younger guys have a real standout match that makes people go, ‘whoa, I’m an old-timer from ‘The Attitude Era’ and I came here to watch The Undertaker tonight, but holy Christ, this Seth Rollins is amazing!’ And I really do [think so]. I think he’s the top new young babyface in the company. I’m a big fan of Seth Rollins.
