Matt Hardy says WWE NXT appearance was a ‘very last-minute thing’

Five years after his last match for the company, Matt Hardy is excited to compete in a WWE ring again.

The Hardys will return to WWE for a match on NXT next Tuesday, facing off against Tavion Heights & Myles Borne of No Quarter Catch Crew. The match is happening due to the partnership that exists between WWE NXT and TNA Wrestling. Matt & Jeff Hardy are both signed to deals with TNA, where they are the promotion’s current tag team champions.

The match was announced when Matt & Jeff appeared via video on NXT this week and accepted a challenge from No Quarter Catch Crew. On his Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, Matt said the video that aired on NXT was a last-minute thing and wasn’t made until 45-60 minutes before it was posted. Matt said he’s stoked to be returning to WWE, but he doesn’t know where things are going past this match.

“Really excited about this, man,” Matt said. “All this stuff — even us popping up and responding to that challenge on NXT, that was a very last-minute thing. So it’s going to be interesting. It’s going to be fun. I don’t know where this ride’s going. I really don’t want to know where this route is going in all capacities. Because I want, especially whatever we end up doing, I want everything to be as natural and as organic and as real as possible, as authentic as possible.”

Matt feels the working relationship between NXT and TNA has been a two-way street with both sides benefitting. He thinks working with talented young teams helps keep The Hardys relevant, and being in the ring with The Hardys helps those young teams too.

This NXT appearance is Jeff Hardy’s first time back with WWE since 2021, when he was released by the company after leaving through the crowd during a house show match. Matt said Jeff wants to make things right with WWE and show them that his past erratic behavior is over.

“He’s very happy to be going back, and I feel like he wants to right the wrongs,” Matt said. “He wants to leave on a good note. No more erratic behavior. He wants to go back and show them who he is.

“And I think one of the reasons even with this whole exchange going on, I think one of the reasons they probably waited a little while to pull the trigger and do something with Jeff and I, was just to kind of see where Jeff was, just make sure Jeff is good. Anybody who’s been here with TNA — they can’t go without talking about how incredible and professional a performer Jeff has been.”

A future bout between The Hardys and NXT Tag Team Champions Nathan Frazer & Axiom has been teased but remains unconfirmed as of now. Matt said he’s been catching up on Frazer & Axiom’s matches and is a fan of their work.

On TNA Impact next Thursday, The Hardys will team up with NXT Champion Oba Femi against Moose, Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers.