Matt Hardy believes one of his most iconic on-screen rivals could have ended up in AEW.
Appearing as a guest with MCW Pro Wrestling, the leader of the Hardy Family Office spoke about Sting in AEW and how it's great to see him write the final chapter of his career the way he wants to. This led to them talking about other superstars that had trouble gaining medical clearance from WWE, most notably, Edge. Hardy posited that the WWE Hall of Famer would be in AEW if he hadn't gained clearance from WWE. He said the following:
"That was one of those things too -- I think, like, if they hadn't have cleared Edge and let him wrestle, he was going to end up in AEW. So they kind of had to go, 'Oh, well, if we don't want him to go we got to let him have his way.' Then it's one of those things where, I mean, I guess because they're a publicly traded company they have to answer to other people. They just really don't want to take unnecessary risks and I feel like if you're a performer there, that sucks in some ways because you might not get the opportunities you really want."
Hardy proceeded to mention how Vince McMahon saw him transitioning into a backstage role even though he still has a few years of wrestling left in him.
Edge was forced into retirement in 2011 due to a number of neck injuries but made a surprise return at the 2020 Royal Rumble after nearly a decade away. He is currently feuding with Seth Rollins, who is trying to put him back into retirement.
AEW is now the home of Christian Cage, Edge's longtime tag team partner in WWE. Back from a seven-year retirement, he is now the reigning IMPACT World Champion.
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