AEW star and wrestling veteran Matt Hardy shared candid advice for wrestlers recently let go by WWE, encouraging them to view their release as an opportunity for reinvention and to capitalize on their existing exposure.
Speaking on “The Extreme Life With Matt Hardy,” he acknowledged WWE’s perspective while offering a path forward. Hardy stated, “In all honesty, if you weren’t hot enough to keep the job, if they didn’t think you were a value to retain you at that time, then maybe it is time to think about doing something different, doing something new.”
He emphasized the silver lining of having been on WWE television: “You are going to have a built in audience and fan base because you have been on WWE TV, which is the biggest, most penetrating global television in the world… so you’re going to be a star and people do know that.” He urged released talent to embrace creative freedom.
“I think it’s a great time to experiment and try and do something new, and try and do what you feel like you want to do,” Hardy advised. “Whenever you do stuff on the indies or somewhere else, you get the opportunity to do what you believe in… You don’t get to do that on WWE TV a lot.”
Hardy, who has navigated WWE releases himself, called it a chance to “really take the bull by the horns and try and determine your own destiny.” He hopes these wrestlers “show WWE that they made a mistake by releasing them because there was a ton of potential in that performer.”
Matt Hardy’s podcast drops every Friday at ExtremeHardy.com. If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit ExtremeHardy.com with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.