The worst kept secret was revealed Wednesday night as Jeff Hardy made his All Elite Wrestling (AEW) debut to aid his brother Matt Hardy, Darby Allin, and Sting as they were getting beat down by what can presumably be called the Andrade Family Office moving forward after Matt was booted. Hardy’s re-entry into the professional wrestling world after such an ugly “break-up” with WWE was the perfect fit for numerous reasons.
The Hardys are Back for Another Run
The first is maybe the most obvious – Jeff and Matt are back together. The Hardys together are one of the greatest tag teams in the history of the sport and they need to end their careers together instead of apart. AEW has the best tag team division in the world right now. Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus instantly have to have some eyes in the back of their head because The Hardys have already said they are looking to add one more pair of titles to their historic collection. Winning the AEW World Tag Team Championship is one step but the best part is all the amount of elite teams they will faceoff with. The final match before The Hardys went to WWE for another run was a ladder match against The Young Bucks. A rematch is sure to happen.
FTR, The Lucha Bros, House of Black, reDragon, Santana and Ortiz – the list goes on and on. Some more classics featuring The Hardys are on the way.
The Fans Get Jeff Hardy Back
A second reason for why it felt right is that Hardy is now free to have that connection with the audience in an important role. Jeff Hardy is one of the most beloved pro wrestlers in history. WWE had him off television for months and the first night that he was back on television, he left the loudest reaction by a substantial margin. It’s not like Hardy hasn’t had success outside of WWE before. His fans follow him and it was clear when “Loaded” hit last night they were in the building.
Hardy’s career in IMPACT Wrestling (previously TNA) allowed him to reach into his bag of tricks more than once. He embraced the heel side of himself for the first time. Went down a road that saw him become Willow The Wisp. Brother Nero is, after all, his most successful character when it comes to not being normal Jeff Hardy. The freedom to be more of “The Charismatic Enigma” and play to his connection to the fans is what makes this next adventure the most interesting of his career.
We’ve seen the likes of Christian Cage, Bryan Danielson, and CM Punk all find success. Two of those guys have been rivals of Hardy before but it shows that these guys can be themselves and at times – be their best selves. “The Charismatic Enigma” has had just as good of a connection as all three of these men and if the end of his WWE run told us anything – he has plenty left in the tank. Hardy is locked in for a final run teaming with his brother but what may be most exciting in it all is the prospect of Jeff wrestling in singles.
Dream Matches, Rematches, and a Final Run to the Top
The third and final reason is that Hardy now has tons of new matchups that should excite fans. Perhaps the most enticing one was already teased in his first appearance. Once AFO was cleared out of the ring, Darby Allin stared at Hardy and almost entered a trance. Was it that he thought he was looking in a mirror? Or the idea that the great Hardy was now someone he could wrestle, just as Allin had wrestled CM Punk when he made his return? Not shocking seeing that when you watch Allin, the similarities are endless. The fearless personality, the facepaint, and as stated before – the relationship with the fans. It’s a feud that will happen and is probably going to leave AEW fans asking themselves who to cheer for.
Speaking of CM Punk, how could we forget one of the most underrated feuds in pro wrestling history. When Hardy left WWE in 2009, it was on the heels of a feud with Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship. Their rivalry got personal. More personal than probably anyone would expect. Hardy’s first week gone from the company saw “No More Words” hit but it was Punk who dawned the arm sleeves and face paint to only add more nuclear heat to his character at the time. Running this back, with both of them much older and wiser, would be welcome.
Kenny Omega anyone? “The Best Bout Machine” has faced countless legends in his career but one man he has never faced is “The Charismatic Engima” himself. While it is surely a clash of styles, it goes without saying that this is a singles match that needs to happen before Hardy wraps it up. The complexity of what these two could think up in terms of moments and spots? Boy, it’s an intriguing idea to think about. And really, that might be said for a lot of the AEW roster. It’s what makes the signing of Hardy one of AEW’s best. He can fit the singles and the tag team dream match scenarios better than anyone in the promotion.
All of that being said, if there’s one thing that Hardy needs to do in his AEW career before it is all said and done, it’s chase one more world title reign. That was taken away from wrestling fans when it looked like that would be what he was going to do on SmackDown before being released. The feverish atmosphere that one more run would feature is exhilarating to think about. One more run to the top. He doesn’t need to be world champion against necessarily, but the one last run to a world title match is what the wrestling world needs to see in this AEW run for Jeff Hardy. It’s a must.
A healthy Hardy recharged, energized, and determined makes professional wrestling a better place. There’s no limit as to what he can accomplish in AEW. Luckily for fans, they get a front-row seat to the ride.
More from LWOS Pro Wrestling
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS and AEW Dark: Elevation (Monday nights) and AEW: Dark (Tuesday nights) at 7 PM ET on YouTube. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night.
