Matt Hardy explains Jeff’s exit from WWE

Coming up on two months since Jeff Hardy was released by WWE shortly after he left through the crowd mid-match at a house show, we’re finally getting an explanation for what happened.

Jeff and his older brother Matt have offered a few details while promising the full story would come later. The update the eldest Hardy provided on his Twitch stream yesterday (Jan. 31) may not be the full story — it’s still largely second-hand, especially about what happened the night Jeff walked out. But it does confirm a report about WWE reaching out to the Charismatic Enigma about a Hall of Fame return, and should help allay fears he’s suffered a recurrence of his addiction issues.

Here’s Matt, who was assisted during this session by his wife Reby:

“Whenever my brother ended up being released, he had taken a drug test. Usually, these drug tests come back in 10 to 14 days... Those 10 to 14 days had been up for him, and he never got a result, and he was curious as to where his result was, because he knew he had passed his drug test because he knew he hadn’t been doing any drugs, and he’s been clean — he’s been clean the whole while that he’s been there.

And I know there was this issue where they said, ‘Jeff Hardy had this erratic behavior, he jumped over the guardrail’ or whatever. Hello, he’s Jeff Hardy, he’s a weird dude. That’s kind of what he does.”

Working off fan submitted questions, Reby asks if the “erratic behavior” has been addressed by anyone:

“Well, the erratic behavior is why they gave him a drug test and they sent him home. I don’t think [he’s addressed it with WWE since]... He addressed it with me and, as he was saying, he just knew at that point, he was just — working for WWE is a very stressful job.

“And I am not gonna say — I’m not here to bury WWE, cause I love WWE. WWE, and Vince McMahon, and everybody who’s there. I wouldn’t be who I am, and I wouldn’t have this life that I have right now. So I have great appreciation, and I’m very grateful for everything I’ve done for them. Grateful for every opportunity they’ve given me, and it’s all good. But it’s also a very stressful environment as well. Anybody who has worked there knows that.

“So I feel like Jeff was kind of stressed out in many different ways about several different things. He just told me, confessed to me, said that when he went over that guardrail, he said he just knew he was done. He was just done there. He was literally done with the match, so he felt done.”

Reby then asks if it was “a calculated move” to get released. Matt gives an answer that’s probably the least convincing part of the story — and the area where a direct answer from Jeff would do a lot more to confirm or deny this frequently floated idea:

“I don’t think he did it intentionally trying to get fired... He does shit like that all the time. There’s times where we’d in the ring wrestling or working, and he just goes into business for himself because there’s just something that he feels. That’s how he is. He’s not — he’s a very emotionally supercharged person and then like follows his emotions and instincts. If something feels a certain way, regardless if it’s not the best case scenario for the outline of the match or scenario you’re working in — he just does things. And I think that’s one of the reasons he is as beloved as he’s beloved. He’s a very emotional, and passionate, and driven guy. If he has a feeling, he just goes with it. So that’s what happened to happen on this occasion, and he went with it.”

Then he resumed talking about proving his brother’s sobriety:

“Anyway, he took this drug test. He ended up being released just a few days later, and they never got the results of this drug test, and he had obviously passed all his drug tests, because he was drug tested quite often when he worked there. And then it’s 10-14 days later and he hasn’t gotten back this drug test. It also leaked out on the internet that — he thought this was going to be a private conversation — they said either go to rehab, or be released. They kind of gave him an ultimatum. And he just said, ‘Okay, you can release me then, cause I don’t need to go to rehab.’ That was his mentality at the time.

“Three weeks later, he hadn’t got his drug test back, and especially because that little bit of information, that it was either go to rehab or be released was leaked and it was now public information online, he definitely wanted to see the results of this drug test. Three weeks out, he’d kind of asked to see it, and didn’t have it... He was kind of fighting, scratching, clawing to get the drug test and was kind of getting the run around.

“Then he got a call — and this has been reported online — from John Laurianitis, and they had offered to induct him into the Hall of Fame... That’s not made up, that’s a real thing that happened. And he just asked for his drug test at the very end of the conversation, said ‘No, I just want my drug test. I want the clean result,’ just to clear his name, if that makes sense. I think it should, especially given his history.

“So after my brother and his wife dealt with WWE and the drug testing company quite a bit, they actually spoke with a lawyer and kind of had them help them out a little bit, and a just a couple of days ago, he got the drug test back. And the drug test was compliant, everything was a negative, he passed on all levels.”

He wraps up the conversation by reiterating the test result was important to them because the “rehab or release” story was put out by someone or ones at WWE. It seems that was the company’s attempt to win the battle for public opinion, and the negative test is Jeff’s defense against that strategy.

Is the battle over? That’s for the public to decide. Based on what I’ve seen, most folks are already anticipating a Hardy Boyz run in AEW, so Jeff’s WWE exit would seem to be more of a curiosity than a concern for fans at this point.

Let us know what you think.