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Exclusive: The Hardy Boyz Are Reinventing Themselves In TNA While Helping The Next Generation

Blake Lovell

The Hardys are thriving in TNA.
The Hardys are thriving in TNA. / TNA Wrestling

"I like the mental war of it more than anything."

Jeff Hardy's day starts simple. First thing every morning, it's cold plunges in the ice bath.

He discovered the "game-changer" approach two and a half years ago, and it provides him plenty of confidence to conquer the day.

Matt Hardy does them, too. There's visual proof if you need it.

Why start a story about The Hardy Boyz - one of the most decorated tag teams in history of professional wrestling - with cold water?

It's one of the many keys to their longevity.

Because somehow, someway, the two brothers from Cameron, North Carolina, have managed to navigate one of the most physically-demanding industries in sports and entertainment for over three decades.

"When we first started with WWE full-time, it was 10 days on," Matt told The Takedown on SI. "You would be in a different city every single night. Most cities would be 300 or 350 miles apart. Ten different cities, then you’d go home for four days. Then you'd be out for 10 days again. There’s a little less wrestling now, which is great because the schedule is a little more doable."

The more manageable schedule is huge. Both Matt and Jeff have young children and families at home, so achieving the perfect balance of pro wrestler and family man is easier than it would have been in the mid-90s.

Of course, you need more than just ice baths and a less grueling schedule to stay relevant in a crowded pro wrestling landscape.

Enter TNA Wrestling, which has allowed the Hardy Boyz to extend their Hall of Fame-worthy legacy.

The promotion has experienced its own resurgence in the past year. There's the partnership with WWE that allows TNA talent to regularly appear on NXT, the rise of viral sensation Joe Hendry, and roster additions like Nic Nemeth and others who bring previous name value from their time in WWE. Having Matt and Jeff Hardy on your roster also helps.

"We love TNA and they’ve treated us so well over the years," Matt says. "We’re on a very special run right now and a lot of people are really paying attention. The partnership between TNA and WWE/NXT, it’s just been tremendous. It’s unpredictable, it’s exciting, and that’s exactly what pro wrestling is meant to be. I think all those elements are really what has led to the resurgence of TNA."

The Hardyz are giving back to TNA, and the fans are giving back to the Hardyz. An example of that was a recent meet-and-greet event where, for first time ever, the brothers stayed up all night and met and greeted the entire line before going directly to the airport and flying home.

That type of dedication from their biggest supporters doesn't go unnoticed.

"We've had so much genuine care and love and support from our fans from over the years," Jeff says. "That’s how much love and support is showing up for us at these TNA meet and greets. They’re pretty epic."

The current TNA product also keeps them invigorated.

The blend of storytelling and great pro wrestling matches is what stands out most to Matt and Jeff, and the company's willingness to allow its talent to try new ideas has been a huge bonus.

"I don’t think it gets the credit it truly deserves," Matt says. "For them to put us in a position where we can go in there and work with younger talent....we’re always experimenting. We’re trying to add new things because we want to stay fresh. TNA allows us to do that. They allow other talent to go after these things.

"They also have stories that allow the fanbase to get involved. At the end of the day, pro wrestling isn’t about a wrestling match necessarily. It’s about following your character and this story arc that they’re in. What do you want to see them accomplish? Are they going to be able to achieve their goals? It's very much basic storytelling and how this person you want to see overcome these odds can succeed in this situation. TNA is doing a great job of storytelling 101 and putting great wrestling matches on within that."

Creativity has always been a staple of what has made the Hardy Boyz, well, the Hardy Boyz. Whether it be Matt's "Broken" universe or Jeff's ability to turn a basic wrestling move into one of the most beautiful things you'll ever see, their strength has been innovation.

They've never been afraid to take risks. Their fearlessness was highlighted from the very beginning of their memorable WWE run that started in 1998.

While they may not take as many high-risk bumps as they once did, they're finding different ways to constantly reinvent themselves in and out of the ring.

"I’m really enjoying the creative aspect of it all," Jeff says. "Just from watching some of these younger guys, I’ll see this simple little combo, but then I come up with a modification to that combo.

"A good example of that is this new move that we have called the Plot Twist. It’s really popular and it’s fun to do, but for our shows coming up in St. Joseph’s, Missouri, there might be a twist to the Plot Twist because I’ve seen something a little different, a different variation. So much has been done in the ring, and I’m just enjoying still being innovative this far into the process."

When the Hardy Boyz get up, look in the mirror, and prepare for the next cold plunge, they don't see the same people they saw 10, 20, or 30 years ago. The wear and tear on their bodies might be glaring, but so are the accomplishments.

The singles titles in WWE and TNA. The tag titles in WWE, TNA, Ring of Honor, and numerous other promotions. The plethora of Tag Team of the Year and Match of the Year awards.

They've created a legacy so unique that it'll likely never be replicated.

"If you rewind the clock 33 years before we started this, Matt and Jeff Hardy were two of the biggest pro wrestling fans of all time," Matt says. "If we could ever be the world tag champs in a major promotion one time, then we could call it a career. We achieved our goal. We’re able to do this live our passion, and I think as long as we can do it, we want to do it."

"It’s cool too because my kids are 9, 7, 5, and 3, and they’re able to see dad do it. They see the older stuff and they understand where we came from and how popular and how amazing of a run we’ve had over all these years."

When Matt and Jeff do decide to hang up the boots, it won't just be about the legacy they've created for themselves. It'll be about the legacy they've helped others create through watching and learning from them.

There have been well-documented bumps in the road, and the journey has been far from easy.

They've learned a lot lessons from it, and surely others can do the same.

"When we first started, the guys who were the top guys who had been around, they didn’t necessarily give back to the industry as they probably should have," Matt says. "For us, that’s really important.

"Helping a team like Private Party, that was a big deal. In TNA, someone we’ve taken under our wing and we’re trying to see them elevated to the next level is Leon Slater. He’s an amazing young man. When we see these young talents and can work with them and help them - The Rascalz, Chris Bey, Ace Austin - all these guys have so much potential and can learn from our experiences, both our positives and our negatives, from our successes and our failures."

Through all of it, here they are, 30-plus years later, two wrestling fans who persevered and turned their dreams into a reality.

You can still hear the passion in their voices. Matt and Jeff are having the time of their lives in TNA. Not just because of their successes, but through working to help the next generation take the big leap forward.

And that might be the real key to their longevity and legacy in pro wrestling.

Cold water is temporary, but the Hardy Boyz are forever.

"We’ve worked everywhere now....WWE, ECW, TNA, AEW," Matt says. "We have a lot of experience, a lot of notoriety. I feel like it’s working for us to be able to work against or with younger talent. We’ve been on TV for over a quarter of a century straight, and our job is to find a way to keep ourselves relevant and seem like we’re on top, but still be able to give back to younger talent and make sure they get a rub off of us and share the star power.

"It’s important for us to give that back to the young talent and help them prepare for the future."

TNA Wrestling returns to St. Joseph, Missouri for the first time in 12 years for iMPACT! tapings on March 28 and March 29. Ticket details are available at this link.

Published
Blake Lovell
BLAKE LOVELL

Blake Lovell has worked in the sports media industry for nearly two decades, including covering professional wrestling for various digital outlets since 2019. He is a former editor/columnist for 411Mania and ClutchPoints. You can follow him on X at @wrestleblake for more discussion on wrestling's past, present, and future.

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