Ahead of Jeff Hardy’s return to the ring and possible AEW debut, WWE officials are reportedly taking AEW to court.
When Jeff Hardy was released by WWE in December 2021, the immediate assumption was that ‘The Charismatic Enigma’ would be debuting for All Elite Wrestling. That’s where a large number of ex-WWE Superstars, his brother Matt included, turned to when their time in Vince McMahon’s sports entertainment giant came to a close.
Hardy to AEW has technically already been announced, albeit inadvertently; the former WWE Champion blurted as such during an interview with Jared Myers. He expressed his excitement about joining the Tony Khan-helmed promotion, though he later clarified his comments on social media.
In the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer has now reported that WWE will be looking into legal action against AEW for allegedly tampering with Jeff Hardy’s WWE contract (h/t EWrestling News):
“Look, we all know Jeff Hardy is coming in. Jeff Hardy himself said it until he realized, ‘Oh my god, I just f****d up!’ So, he had to say, ‘I didn’t mean it,’ because it’s like…of course, he’s coming in, unless something falls through. It’s understood. Everyone in wrestling knows it, but you can’t say it.”
Hardy, today, is under contract to WWE. If you say that, it’s like, it’s frickin’ admission to tampering. Jeff saying it’s already a problem with WWE, because, of course, they’re looking to do something legally in this situation. I mean, they’re looking for that mistake.
When, exactly, Jeff Hardy debuts with All Elite Wrestling remains to be seen. It’s expected that he’ll come in to team with Matt as The Hardy Boyz enjoy one last run together. As it stands, Matt is scheduled to team with Andrade El Idolo and Isiah Kassidy against Sting, Darby Allin, and Sammy Guevara at the Revolution pay-per-view on Sunday.
Jeff Hardy, alongside Matt, returned to WWE at WrestleMania 33 in April 2017, capturing the Raw Tag Team Championships in a hectic four-team ladder match. During this run, the master of the Swanton Bomb would also capture the SmackDown Tag Team Championships with ‘Big Money Matt’, while also enjoying singles success as he won both the United States and Intercontinental Championships.
The Hardy Boyz are due to reunite for the first time in three years on 12 March, as they face the winner of The Briscoes vs. The S.A.T at a Big Time Wrestling event.