Matt Hardy Says Five Star Matches Don't Matter (AEW News)
"I want us to focus on story more than f**king five-star matches."
On the back of TNA landing a new TV deal with AMC, current TNA Tag Team Champion Matt Hardy has been discussing his preference for story over pushing for constant five-star matches.
Speaking on the latest edition of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Matt said he wants TNA to focus more on developing characters and storylines rather than for each match to be looking to outdo the last.
“I want us to focus on story more than f**king five-star matches, because that’s f**king way too overdone now. I mean, in AEW, they can have all those, but, like, the type of audience we’re looking for are people that are getting compelled by the storytelling in the characters. That is something I want to focus on. I’ll say that blatantly right out front.”
Hardy added:
“There’ll be good wrestling on [our show], but we’re not going to be obsessed over that. I think, at the end of the day, pro wrestling, the most important things are moments more than moves. Great wrestling matches are great, sure, no doubt about it. AEW, that's their thing; they stand out, they have their wrestling like that. I don't think that’s the direction we’re gonna go. We need to find our own identity and go in a different direction.”
When asked by co-host Jon Alba why a wrestling show can't have great wrestling and great stories, the veteran noted:
"You can have great wrestling, but you can't go out there and have Match of the Year every single night in every single match on every single show. It f**king doesn't work, it's unsustainable, and you kill whatever you mean to make special. [When] it's time to have a match like that, you have a match like that, but if you try and do that every single time, nothing ends up being special."
Wrapping up on this particular topic, Matt said:
"There's so many young guys in the business that do way too much shit. A lot of it's thrown away, it doesn't mean shit. I am adamant that I'm gonna do what I can to try and help the young guys. Like, 'This is how you maximise things, this is how you optimise things so we're not throwing things away.' Not every match can go out and be the highest quality match of all time, especially if you want things remembered. You need to emphasise some things."
At present, Matt and Jeff Hardy are in the midst of their fourth run as the TNA Tag Team Champions, with plenty of buzz surrounding the Anthem promotion right now as it gears up for its AMC premiere on 15 January.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy with an H/T to WhatCulture Wrestling.