Former WWE star Matt Hardy has recalled an idea Paul Heyman had for him, where he would team with another star following his split with brother Jeff Hardy in 2002.
Hardy has played numerous gimmicks in his legendary career, and during a recent edition of his “Ask Matt Hardy Anything” show, he revealed that Heyman wanted him to team with Chavo Guerrero before he began the Matt Hardy: Version 1 gimmick.
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“There was a pitch, because Paul Heyman was also in creative too, where he wanted me to join Chavo [Guerrero] and change my name, where I was no longer going to be Matt Hardy and have some other name. Maybe even like a more Hispanic-based name or something else. Be something completely different,” recalled Hardy. “I had a totally different identity and I was like shaming that I used to be a Hardy, that it was terrible, that I didn’t want to do it. It probably would have garnered the desired effect.”
The former WWE and AEW star explained why he rejected that pitch, emphasizing the importance for him to stick to the Matt Hardy name.
“I was also thinking big picture. I’m like Matt Hardy and there’s a lot of equity in this name, and plus it’s my real name, I do want to keep that because I got that at this point. I ended up pitching the whole Matt Hardy: Version 1 thing, and once I started doing promos and I was super delusional and over the top, Vince [McMahon] actually fell in love with it,” said Hardy.
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Hardy pointed out how Vince McMahon’s love for the character was evidenced by his shock win over The Undertaker. The tag team legend stated that he wanted to stick with the Hardy name which is why he rejected Heyman’s idea.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
