Jeff Hardy's WWE run ended in 2021 on something of a sour note after he walked out of a match at a WWE Live event. After the former WWE Champion refused to go to rehab, the company parted ways with him, resulting in his stint in the company ending after just four years.
His brother Matt later revealed that a drug relapse had nothing to do with Jeff's strange behaviour and it appeared WWE may have jumped the gun. That was evident from them offering him a WWE Hall of Fame induction just months later.
Instead, Hardy joined his brother in AEW. During a recent interview, Jeff reflected on that emotional call from WWE and explained why he wouldn't want to be inducted without his brother.
"For sure, man, and when I denied it the first time, it just didn’t feel right, and going in there without Matt. I mean, I cried after that phone call," he admitted. "I was just thinking about all the really cool moments I’ve given to the pro-wrestling world. I’m so proud of it, but it didn’t feel right at all."
"So, I just wanted to wait. If I did do this, I’m definitely doing that with Matt. You know, it would be a Hardy Boyz thing. I just want one ring. I don’t want two rings," he concluded.
Elsewhere in the conversation, Jeff opened up on his time in AEW. It wasn't much of a success as he and Matt were hampered by bad booking and issues behind the scenes.
Of course, Jeff was also arrested for a DUI in June 2022 and went to rehab; following an April 2023 return, he was used very sparingly and what was once one of AEW's most high-profile signings saw The Hardy Boyz become little more than an afterthought.
Asked what else he still hopes to achieve in the pro wrestling world, Jeff said, "Definitely to win the TNA Tag Team Titles. I still have so much guilt and shame from AEW giving me an opportunity, and even Matt, to me breaking trust with my personal issues and real life. I want to make that up to Matt."
"I will say right here that I will not break TNA’s trust. That is in my past," he continued. "It feels good to have somewhat of a clean slate with that stuff and start fresh instead of having that guilt and shame about what I did in a certain world of pro wrestling."
You can watch the full interview with Jeff in the player below.