Jeff Hardy was interviewed by SEScoops, ostensibly to plug a new movie called "The Favorite" in which he plays a former MMA fighter turned promoter, but the conversation quickly pivoted to his new deal with Ring of Honor, the situation with IMPACT Wrestling, and the possibility of a future back with the WWE.
There have been some conflicting reports about the contracts that Jeff and his brother Matt have signed with Ring of Honor. Some are saying that the contracts are through May, while others are reporting that they are more of a short tern deal. Jeff was asked if he and Matt have a short term deal.
"We do, it’s a short term deal and it’s cool because we can still work the indies like we’ve been doing," Jeff said. "We’ve really had a good time on the independent circut. We sell a lot of merchandise and take a lot of pictures with fans. It’s great to be your own boss and being able to do TV with Ring of Honor as well."
Matt and Jeff left IMPACT Wrestling because they felt they were being disrespected during contract negotiations. Turns out they might have been entirely justified in their feelings, as since they've left, they've now been sued by IMPACT's parent company, Anthem Sports Entertainment, to stop Matt and Jeff from using the "Broken" gimmick and name. Jeff spoke about the state of the cease and desist lawsuit.
"It’s kind of in limbo right now. It’s just very heartbreaking," said Jeff. "I gave 7 years of my life to Impact Wrestling and TNA and for them to hold this against us .. When they threatened to sue Ring of Honor .. What they said was a complete lie, that “they developed the Broken Universe” for us, which is so untrue. We did that all on our own. It started when I broke my leg in April of 2015. The positive outcome of [my accident] is that Broken Matt Hardy was born. Brother Nero was born as well. The stuff we did at our home, Final Deletion, was the highest rated show all year for Impact Wrestling and it was just 4 guys and a couple sound people. We did it all on our own and we totally developed the characters all on our own. For them to hold this against us like this is very sad and heartbreaking. But I think in the end, we’ll come out on top."
Jeff also says that eventually, he'd like to inject a taste of the "Broken Universe" into the WWE Universe.
"I would love to introduce the Broken Universe to WWE eventually. I think it would be huge. As far as character driven or just a fresh vibe in in the pro wrestling world, yeah I think eventually I’m sure I’m going to jump back into the solo dimension and I’d love to be the world champion again," said Jeff. "In my career in WWE, if it works out, the whole Hall of Fame and all that stuff. It started there and I’d like to end there. For now, I’m just having a blast doing the indies and I love the Broken Universe stuff with Matt, I think it’s the best thing he’s ever done. It’s just hard to keep a straight face around him at times, but he can be serious and make sense in a weird way, it’s just so fun. I hope it lasts as long as it can."
You can read the entire interview at this link.
