10 Things We Learned From Matt Hardy On Talk Is Jericho
8. WWE Wanted Him To Be A 'Road Veteran' In 2010
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.