WWE tried to get Jeff Hardy to return, offered Hall of Fame induction

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer revealed that WWE made an attempt to get Jeff Hardy to return to the company after releasing him.

Meltzer reported that WWE’s John Laurinaitis called Hardy a few weeks ago attempting to get him to return. The offer included inducting Hardy into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of this year’s class, but Hardy turned it down:

Here is an update on Jeff Hardy. John Laurinaitis called Jeff Hardy to get him back a few weeks ago, including an offer to put him in the 2022 Hall of Fame class. Hardy turned it down and asked for his drug test results because he knew he wasn’t going to test positive for recreational drugs. It took Hardy and his wife six weeks to get the results back. There is a feeling right now that this is one guy they don’t want in AEW because of the realization the Hardy Boys will be revitalized as an act given the level of teams like the Young Bucks, FTR, Santana & Ortiz, Penta & Fenix and so many others. Hardy is still under contract with WWE through 3/9 so AEW can’t make a legal offer to him, but the belief is that unless he goes back to WWE, which at this point doesn’t look like it will happen, he would be AEW bound.

Hardy was released by WWE on December 9 after being sent home from a house show tour. During a six-man tag match at WWE’s house show in Edinburg, Texas on December 4, Hardy left through the crowd after tagging out. Hardy was sent home an didn’t wrestle at the next night’s event in Corpus Christi.

Matt Hardy said on a Twitch stream after Jeff’s release that he thought WWE may have jumped the gun by releasing his brother.

“Before anyone rushes to judgment, obviously they [WWE] drug tested him after all this stuff, wait until you hear the results of that and when that comes back clean then hopefully people will feel better about it,” Matt said.

“They [WWE] felt like they were backed into a corner because of his [Jeff’s] history. Even though they may have jumped the gun with this a little bit, they made a decision and it is what it is.”

The Hardy Boyz are set to reunite in the ring at Big Time Wrestling’s show in Webster, Massachusetts on Saturday, March 12. It will be the first time Matt & Jeff have teamed together in three years.