AEW president Tony Khan did right by Sting, now he must do the same for Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy has confirmed that his contract with AEW will expire this month. The veteran talent also noted that talks are ongoing regarding a new deal. Hardy's contract situation follows hot on the heels of Sting's retirement match. Sting is a different caliber of legend. Yet, Hardy has carved out a significant place within wrestling history in his own right during his career.
"As far as that goes with my contract, people had asked about my contract coming up," Hardy said via the "Extreme Life of Matt Hardy" podcast, with h/t to Fightful for the transcription. "Obviously I've got responses, after that news broke earlier today and it didn't come from me because no one had, had known anything about it...Yes, it is coming up in March and, we've spoke about it and we've talked about it and I guess we'll see what happens."
Hardy's in-ring decline has been clear for everyone to see. His movements have slowed and his sells are less believable. Still, there's room for the veteran high-flyer within the wrestling world. The logical move would be to keep Hardy on TV while minimizing his actual wrestling. Have him operate as a "manager" or mentor to some of the younger talent.
By keeping him fresh and putting him in matches that make sense for his story, AEW could begin building toward a potential retirement match. Of course, Hardy would need to indicate that he's considering bowing out of the business.
When that time comes, AEW president Tony Khan should give him the farewell run he deserves, just as he did for Sting. Speaking at a news conference after Revolution, Khan discussed his conversations with the retiring legend as he tried to ensure that Sting had the match he wanted. That working relationship ended up producing a send-off that befitted such a stellar tenure within the professional wrestling world.
"When I talked to Sting about when he wanted to go out and how he wanted to go out, it felt like this was the right time and the right place, and I feel like we've done everything perfectly," Khan said. "It was a perfect night."
Hardy has been in wrestling for decades. Most adult fans remember him and his brother, Jeff Hardy, bursting onto the scene as two young upstarts in the tag team division. It would be fitting that both brothers retire together, too.
However, there's no guarantee that's going to happen. Either way, Khan has set the bar for how he treats wrestlers at the end of their careers. Matt and Jeff Hardy deserve the same treatment. After all, they're Hall of Fame talents.
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