10 Things We Learned From Matt Hardy On Talk Is Jericho

8. WWE Wanted Him To Be A 'Road Veteran' In 2010

Matt Hardy 2020
WWE.com

A full decade ago, WWE pigeon-holed Matt as a 'road veteran'.

He was told that his job would be to work with raw, big guys Vince saw potential in on the road. Hardy's main gig would be to help these rookies acclimatise to WWE and prepare them for bigger things on Raw and SmackDown. Matt didn't mind that, but he was hurting physically and going through some personal problems.

Every time he tried to explain that though, WWE would come back with the same old story. They needed him, because he was the perfect man to help secure the promotion's future by teaching newbies the ropes; although Matt didn't know it at the time, he needed to get away from the WWE bubble for a while and properly heal.

It's incredible to think that someone who just made shockwaves in the pro wrestling industry by debuting in AEW was viewed that way 10 years ago. It was almost like Matt was being put out to pasture - like he'd been sucked dry of his own ambitions and just became a cog in the machine.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.