Matt Hardy has looked back on the reasons behind his release from WWE in 2010.
By that time, Hardy had been in the company for over 15 years. After coming to prominence alongside his brother Jeff Hardy as part of the tag team division, Matt went into singles competition in 2002 and saw success in the Cruiserweight division.
Meanwhile, Jeff left the company and joined TNA – now IMPACT Wrestling – where he became a main event-level wrestler before returning to WWE in 2006.
Over the next few years, the Hardys both teamed and feuded with each other until Jeff once again left the company in 2009 to return to TNA.
Matt stayed with the company for several months after his brother’s departure, but in September 2010 was sent home from a European tour and ultimately released the following month.
During the latest episode of his ‘Extreme Life’ podcast, Matt admitted he was “very badly beat up” at the time of his release and at a low point with his addiction issues.
“I mean, I was physically very badly beat up at that time. And that is why my pill issue became so problematic during that time. I mean, I was physically beat up.
“But at that point, looking back in hindsight, I just needed to say like, ‘Hey, I need to leave and I need to take a year away from wrestling and like heal up physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, everything.’
“So that’s where I was. And on top of that, because Jeff had left and went to TNA, and because he had found success there and he was doing well, I feel like they were upset at Jeff. And there was definitely a part of me. And probably I took this way too far.”
“I thought, ‘Well, they can’t punish Jeff but they can punish me” – Matt Hardy
At the time, Matt thought he was being punished for Jeff Hardy’s TNA success, but since then has realised that he over-exaggerated that feeling in his head.
“I thought, ‘Well, they can’t punish Jeff but they can punish me. So they’re trying to mess with me since they can’t mess with Jeff.’ So like, just because I’m his brother, because we share the same genes, we share the same blood, they can punish him through me here.
“I think I over-exaggerated that in my head when it was all said and done. I should have just kept my sh*t together and worked hard and did what I could do and finished the contract. Or being as hard as that was just said, ‘I’m hurt, and I need time away from wrestling.’ But I just tried to step it up and fight through everything.”
Following his release from WWE, Matt joined his brother in TNA and the pair went on to continue their tag team legacy in the company.
In a recent episode, Matt Hardy has named who he feels will benefit the most from working with Adam Copeland.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit the original source and give an H/T and link back to Inside The Ropes for the transcription.