WWE is wishing Matt Hardy well as he moves on.
At midnight on Monday, Matt Hardy announced he let his WWE contract expire, officially making him a free agent. Hardy said he was on a different page than WWE, feeling he had more to give and wanting creative input. Hardy didn't rule out a return to WWE at some point in the future, but would weigh his options in free agency.
On Monday evening, WWE put out the following statement:
Matt Hardy's contract expires
Matt Hardy’s contract with WWE has expired.
A trailblazer throughout his 19-year WWE career, Matt and his brother Jeff pioneered the first tag team Ladder and TLC Matches in WWE, stealing the show at WrestleMania on several occasions. Matt, who competed in his first WWE match in 1994, captured nine tag team titles with Jeff, in addition to two other reigns with MVP and Bray Wyatt.
He is also a former ECW, United States, European, Cruiserweight and Hardcore champion, and he won the Fifth Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34.
But Matt is perhaps most revered for the uncanny connection he has cultivated with the WWE Universe over the years, even as his character has transformed. From a gravity-defying daredevil willing to take any and all risks to becoming one of the most eccentric personas ever seen as “Woken” Matt Hardy, all incarnations had one thing in common — the adoration of WWE fans.
WWE thanks Matt Hardy for his contributions to sports-entertainment and the WWE Universe and wishes him the best in his future endeavors.
Hardy has already booked his first post-WWE appearance, revealing that he will be at The Big Event 18 in New York on Mar. 7.
