Reby Hardy Responds To Criticism Of Drowning Spot During AEW Stadium Stampede
Hardy clearly did not agree with the backlash.
With the recent passing of former WWE superstar Shad Gaspard in tragic circumstances aged just 39, some fans took to social media to question the timing of a spot just days later on AEW's Double Or Nothing pay-per-view where Santana and Ortiz 'drowned' Matt Hardy during the Stadium Stampede match.
So, when a fan decided to bring up the perceived comparability to the spouse of the Broken One, Reby Hardy, she responded in characteristically outspoken fashion.
In a series of tweets, she explained that Matt Hardy transforming in water has been part of his gimmick for several years, also noting that they had been friends with Shad prior to his passing.
Reby isn't the only prominent member of the wrestling world to comment on the controversy though, Chris Jericho noted in his Saturday Night Special live stream on social media that he understood why there had been a reaction to the spot, but they had been completely unaware of the perceived similarities:
"The backlash was not unnecessary, there was the big chuck of Santana and Ortiz kind of ‘drowning’ Matt Hardy under the water as he changed his personas. None of us ever even thought about it. I never even thought about it once."
Jericho also explained that while he understood the need to be more careful in the future to avoid similar circumstances, he thinks that Shad would've enjoyed the match:
"I actually think that Shad would really appreciate that match 'cause he enjoyed kind of those goofy sides of that sort of thing."