Rumors continue to indicate the Hardy Boyz return to WWE is imminent. But there’s one guy who wants everybody to slow down with that talk, and that’s the Charismatic Enigma himself, Jeff Hardy.
Of course, if you were Jeff and wanted to keep an air of suspense around your re-debut with the biggest wrestling company in the world, and not sell your current employers, Ring of Honor (ROH), for whom you have a main event title defense tomorrow (Saturday, April 1), short in the process, that’s exactly what you would say.
Still, whether it’s the 100% gospel truth or just a good piece of business, that’s exactly what Jeff told Chuck Carroll of CBS Sports when he asked Hardy if there was any truth to the report the brothers were already offered WWE contracts:
No, because you have to go through so much testing and all of that. It's a long process. But, no. We know some people there and naturally after WrestleMania dies down, maybe a couple of months from now, we'll see what's possible. But there is no truth to that whatsoever.
He’s not only ruling out showing up in Camping World Stadium on Sunday, but also telling fans not to hold their breath for an appearance on Monday’s Raw or Tuesday’s SmackDown - both also in Orlando. “I want to take about three weeks off after Saturday [the Hardys are also performing Friday at WrestleCon against Penta El Cero Miedo & Rey Fenix].”
Beyond that, however? Jeff repeated a past quote about he and Matt’s ROH deals being “short term”, adding they’ll be with the company “through the Summer”. But he said Friday’s Supercard of Honor XI ladder match against the Young Bucks isn’t the end of their run:
Oh, no. No, there’s going to be many more shows. Many more honorable shows.
But while talking about ‘Mania’s Raw tag team ladder match, Jeff said he & Matt should be in that, before adding, “Oh well, maybe next year.”
So, really, some strongly worded quotes aside, the interview leaves us pretty much where we were coming into it - the Hardys are almost certainly coming back to WWE, we’re just not sure when. If anything, we learned Jeff wants us to think it won’t be for a few more months. But is that because it’s true, or because he wants their first appearance to be a surprise?
While you ponder that, check out Carroll’s whole interview with Jeff, where he also talks about his friendship with Billy Corgan & how it effected the Hardys negotiations with TNA, Anthem’s legal maneuverings around the “Broken” gimmick, his musical career and more.