Matt Hardy Says There’s Freedom In Working Outside the WWE Machine

On the latest episode of his Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, Matt Hardy discussed the creative freedom he and Jeff Hardy enjoy in TNA with the tightly controlled environment of WWE, and made the case for veterans taking bookings outside the major companies. The conversation started with Adam Copeland taking his first non-WWE, non-AEW match since 2001 with MLP Northern Rising. You can check out his comments below:

On the Freedom Of Working Outside the WWE Machine:

“It’s very good for building your equity. Especially once you have name value like Adam Copeland does, it’s something you can do. You can make money, it can be very financially beneficial, and you kind of get to dictate your terms. That’s one of the cooler things about doing those shows — you’re in charge.

“It’s very different from being at the machine of TKO/WWE, where they kind of control everything that you’re doing. You get a lot of say in what you’re doing, and that’s one of the reasons I enjoy TNA so much. By the beginning of January, I had everything mapped out in this Righteous storyline, all the way through July, and it’s very enjoyable. It’s very cool to be in control of your own destiny.”

On His Generation Giving Back To Younger Talent:

“You can go out and make money, and you can also give back and work with younger guys. You can give them rubs at appearances and different things. That feels very worthwhile to me — we are giving back. There were a lot of guys, especially when we were coming up in the ’90s, who didn’t want to share their secrets. They didn’t want to give people rubs necessarily. It was very hard to get those guys to help you. Now I feel like our generation is more willing to help the younger generations than any other generation that’s ever been.”

On Potential Headlines About Him Claiming Creative Control:

“Give me the headlines, give me the heat. I am very comfortable with my standing, because there’s going to be a segment of some specific fan bases that say, ‘Oh, Matt Hardy, shut up. Nobody cares what you say, you’re irrelevant, whatever.’ And that’s fine. I understand the gig. But you talk to people who have worked with me and been with me personally, and they will sing my praises, no doubt.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Extreme Life Of Matt Hardy with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.