Wrestling News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Image credit: ClutchPoints

Adam Copeland opens up about reconciling with Matt Hardy in WWE

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Matty Breisch | Last updated 5/11/24

When Adam Copeland “stole” Lita from Matt Hardy back during their glory days of WWE, it created one of the great work/shoot feuds of the last decade, with the latter getting fired in no small part because of the dispute and the duo ultimately duking it out in a steel cage match and later a Loser Leaves RAW Money In The Bank Ladder Match in 2005.

Discussing what it was like to still work with Harrdy in WWE after that feud and working together once more in AEW following his entrance into the promotion last fall in an Insight interview with Chris Van Vliet, Copeland explained that it wasn’t as big of a deal as some fans might have expected, as they were able to co-exist together ever since.

“We’re here, right? Okay. So, how do we try and pull some positives out of a lousy situation, a lousy situation that I made the bed, right? Um, and that’s really all you can do. It’s like, okay, we’re here now, let’s try. And, you know, if the company wants to run with this, let’s try and make a good story out of this, a good program out of this, let’s try and make some money out of this. Um, because at that stage, what else are you going to do?” Adam Copeland told Chris Van Vliet via WrestleZone.

“Uh, so that’s really what it boils down to: okay, right, put the personal aside and try and make some business out of this. And hopefully, hopefully on the tail end of it, we can both come out of it better. In a perfect world, that doesn’t always end up being the case, though.”

Was it awkward for Copeland and especially Hardy when the Lita situation went down? Most assuredly so, but hey, in the end, they made it work, had some important matches together, and ultimately worked together years later in AEW, with both men happily married to other wrestlers three decades into their professional wrestling careers.

Matt Hardy explains why he broke once more in TNA.

Speaking of Matt Hardy in 2024, the 14-time Tag Team Champion recently opened up on Busted Open Radio about why he “Broke” once more in TNA following a few years of relative normalcy in AEW.

Would Hardy be excited to keep doing his Hardy Boyz schtick with Jeff in AEW or elsewhere? Sure, but in the end, when the opportunity came up to return to TNA on a per-appearance deal, Matt knew he needed to bring back his “Broken Brilliance” once more.

“We talked about it. We kind of came together on it. But I feel like Broken Matt was the way to go because TNA is in my DNA when it comes to Broken Matt. That is the genesis of Broken Matt. That gave me that opportunity, they allowed me to think outside the box and really go crazy and do something special. They have a fanbase that is very accepting of the normal course of pro wrestling, which is cool,” Matt Hardy explained on his Extreme Life podcast via WrestleZone.

“It’s very different than the die-hard base of AEW. They’re obviously a lot more sports-centric, a lot more wrestling-based. So TNA is very fun for me to do. But once again, I don’t have a lot of time left to do this. A couple more years, we’ll see. I feel good right now, I’ve been taking care of myself, I’ve had time off. But I don’t want to squander the time I have left. I want to contribute as much as I can, and I want to cement my legacy, and hopefully, myself and my brother’s legacy is my goal.

“So I want to land somewhere where I’m going to be able to contribute as much as possible. And that is my goal. While I can go, I want to go. I want to make an impact in pro wrestling. I want to help the next generation and the younger guys, too. That is definitely a goal of mine. So, upon talking with TNA, Tommy Dreamer had reached out to me. We started talking about things. We started talking about Broken Matt, that came up in the conversation.

“I talked to some of the writers, we were talking about some ideas for the Hardy Compound, some stuff to do with The System, and it was really appealing to me. I was like, man, this would be fun, especially doing my off-time because once again, I’m not locked in anywhere, I’m not under contract. So I am not the type of individual that’s gonna sit at home, waiting for the phone to ring. I’m gonna go out and get it. That’s what I do. I go out and seize opportunities. That’s what makes Matt Hardy Matt Hardy.

“It’s one of those things where it’s 2024, and there’s so many people on social media that love to go talk trash about me or whoever else or someone that’s been around for a while. This run that I’m doing right now, that I am engaging in, it’s all about defying the non-believers, defying the critics, defying age, defying what is the normal status in pro wrestling, and I want to inspire people to defy the odds. If there’s something you want to do, you can set your mind to it, and you can make it happen.”

Say what you will about Hardy’s run in AEW, but plenty of fans were disappointed to see Tony Khan turn away from the “Broken” character because it didn’t fit his vision for AEW. Fortunately, this second “Broken” run in TNA should scratch that itch one way or another until Hardy ultimately decides on his next career move.