Jeff Hardy has hit out at WWE’s offer of a Hall of Fame induction, saying that it felt wrong and he was “almost offended.”
In the wake of Jeff Hardy’s release by WWE in December 2021, it was reported that the star had been offered the chance to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. However, Hardy rebuffed the offer, with Matt Hardy explaining that his brother was more interested in getting the results of his recent drug tests back.
The test results were key as Hardy was released after refusing to go to rehab, following reports he was acting “erratically” at a live event. When Hardy eventually got his hands on his test results they showed he was clean.
Speaking on the Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, the former WWE Champion opened up about his reaction to being offered a spot in the Hall of Fame. Hardy explained that the whole thing felt wrong.
“It felt completely wrong. It didn’t feel like the time at all. I almost felt offended. I was very emotional and almost felt offended. Like, ‘What? Wait. After my 90 days is up and the Hall of Fame is in April and I do go to AEW, how is that going to work? What are y’all trying to hit me with if I do sign with AEW when I’m free and me going to the Hall of Fame, how would that work?’
My mind and emotion went crazy and I was in tears. This is my career. I know I’ve been a very influential person to a lot of young and misunderstood individuals, but it felt so wrong. It almost felt like, ‘How dare you’ in a sense. I know that sounds crazy. You get offered Hall of Fame and it’s like, ‘Oh, of course, I’m a Hall of Famer.’ It’s never really meant that much to me, the Hall of Fame, whatever it is, but it’s just not time for that.
That’s why I was like, ‘It’s a hard no.’ Especially because it feels like something Matt and I should go in together, as the Hardy Boyz, when the time is right. It’s just weird. I still don’t know how I feel about that, overall, it just felt so wrong. Maybe I should have said, ‘What if I’m in AEW at the time of the Hall of Fame?'”
Matt Hardy commented that WWE would have had him under a deal which prevented him going to AEW, and Jeff agreed that it would have been some kind of legends deal.
Jeff added that he was doing really well, and despite all of the speculation about his condition, the support of his family is all that really mattered.
“I’m great. It’s very common with the outsiders that don’t really know me to go, ‘he has a history of drugs and alcohol, is he okay?’ When you get put in a position to where they want you to go away for 28 days from your family, but your family believes in you, the three people you love most in your life, when they believed in me, that’s all that I need. That’s when you have to be like, ‘Screw the outside world, it doesn’t matter.’
I hope that doesn’t sound mean. ‘Fuck the outsiders,’ when it comes to family, those are the ones that really matter most. Even stuff about, ‘Oh, he should have done the Hall of Fame,’ it kind of makes me sick. I’m very comfortable in my own skin and I believe in myself so much and my family does to, that’s really all that matters.”
During the conversation, Jeff Hardy also reflected on his final months with WWE detailing his disillusionment at not being used more often.
H/t to Fightful for the transcription.