June 16, 1999
Things I Want in Wrestling
Since Jeff and I were small, we have been fans of wrestling. Our dream has always been to be successful and to be tag-team champs. People have always said that we would never make it because they think that wrestlers don't come from Cameron, NC. We always knew what we wanted to do. Always wrestling. Never a second guess. We had set our minds to it, it *would* happen. Now that we are in the WWF, our immediate goal is to become the most over tag-team in history. I think anything is possible as long as you set your mind to it.
Other Things I Want
I want a really good, tight, closenit group of friends. I want people to like me for Matt Hardy, not for Matt Hardy the wrestler. It is becoming harder to weed out the people who really want to be my friend and not just hang out wtih me because of what I do.
The best times I have are when Jeff and I are out with a bunch of friends talking about our dreams and memories. Everything is tangible, everything of monetary value comes and goes. What is really most important is the intangible stuff, like when you can build solid relationships with people, honesty, and loyalty.
Speaking of friends, I am really lucky to have Jeff. He is my best friend in the whole world, not only my brother.
I would defintely love to be in love. I now have my career in line, and it would be nice to come across someone who can be my bestfriend. It's not a sexual thing. The best relationships between men and women are built on friendships. Whenever I do fall in love, I will be more giving than anyone else ever could be. I feel like I have a lot of good qualities to offer someone. I would make them feel like the Queen of the World and like their birthday was every day.
Advice For the Future
Anyone who has in their mind what they want to do, if they know how they want to do it, shouldn't be dictated by what others think. Defy the odds. Believe in yourself. If you see something you want, go for it, and put your heart and your soul behind it. Don't let people tell you what you can and cannot do.
July 8, 1999
An Example of Good Things Happening to Good People:
A couple of months ago, I was seeing someone I really liked a lot. I thought it would possibly amount to something really special. It was something I was willing to invest a lot of time in. But with the way my schedule is now, I'm on the road constantly, so I didn't get to see her very often. One of my best friends started to pursue her behind my back while I was gone. This guy is somebody I really helped out, time and time again. I don't know if it stemmed from jealousy or if he was just trying to compete against me, but the whole fact of the matter is he started seeing her while I was gone. Obviously, I broke up with her. But it was one of those things that made me feel like, the girl was no big deal. I only had a couple of months invested in her. But I had seven years invested with my friend.
It made me ask myself, how much can you really trust people? I thought this was one guy who would never do anything to betray me or disrespect me. Especially after everything I'd done for him. I had helped him fulfill a lifelong dream. At the risk of sounding arrogant, I don't think there is anything he can ever do to repay me. But the least I expected from him was to be honest with me. Anyways, time will tell if the situation between my friend and I can be resolved.
The weight of all this pandemonioum was really being a burden on me. But after the night of June 29, 1999, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, everything was once again okay. Because that was the night Jeff and I became the WWF Tag Team Champions, fulfilling a lifelong dream. Although there had been a small obstacle in the road in my life, because I always believed, and I always lived what I believed, everything turned out okay. Good things do happen to good people. I promise.
I would never have imagined that things would happen for Jeff and I so fast and at so young an age. After I got the pinfall on Bradshaw and rolled out of the ring there was a feeling that came over me that was undescribable. When they announced the new WWF Tag Team Champions, Matt and Jeff Hardy, the Hardy Boyz, it actually set in that it was reality. There was a feeling that rushed through my body that felt like a spirit or a life force, a feeling I've never felt before. As I ran up the ramp to the top of the stage the feeling had completely taken over my whole body and it felt like I had been born again. As I looked out into the crowd, I could see people holding up their hats to us. Looking into individual faces and feeling the connection with them showed me that anything is possible; like seeing Jeff and I fulfill our dreams. Jeff and I gave them a light of hope in their life.
I think a lot of fans look at Jeff and I as regular people, more so than other WWF wrestlers. Everyone that we meet or come across we try to make it a point to not treat them like a fan, but like a friend. We appreciate the response to the P.O. Box. It has been overwhelming. Kudos to everyone who has put a personal touch on the letters. Please continue to do so. As much as everyone knows about Jeff and I, we would like to know about you. A special thanks goes out to Brandi Richardson and Bonnie Fairbrother who both sent us pictures. Please feel free to send us pictures. Remember, you know what we look like, but we don't know how you look. I've made it a point to read each and every letter that I've gotten and I will continue to do so. Checking the P.O. Box is definitely something I look forward to everytime I come home.
I want to thank everyone that has supported Matt and Jeff Hardy through our career up to this point. Whether it be you appreciate where we come from, the work we do in the ring, or the way that we think and believe, each and every one of you has made a special contribution in helping us reach our goals. And we're going to continue to bust our asses to and give everyone something to believe in.
August 3, 1999
~~~Matt
The State of Matt Hardy
First and foremost, I want to tell everyone hello and wish them well. Currently, things are going outstandingly well for me. I have my mind back on what it should be, WWF and wrestling. I have no plans of swaying anytime soon from what our objective is, regaining the tag titles and becoming the #1 tag team in the WWF. Once again I'd like to thank everyone for everything they have sent Jeff and I at the P.O. Box. If you would like an autograph, please send a self addressed stamped envelope (SASE) to the P.O. Box, and we will do our best to respond. I would also like to thank Kat and Memm for the new site. I really appreciate all of your time, trouble, effort, and hardwork.
Away from wrestling, I'd like to thank Michael Hayes for everything he's done for Jeff and I. I really appreciate him. Though in a lot of ways we are different, we have really bonded to a degree. Regardless of whether we are right or wrong, he always sticks by Jeff and I.
I would also like to congratulate Edge, Adam Copeland, on getting engaged. I wish he and Alannah the best of luck in the future.
It was great to hold the WWF tag titles and be champions for the time that we were. Although it was very physical, rough, and painful, it was also great to work against the Acolytes. I think it helped in making Jeff and I a better team. It is good to be on the road full time, but there are a lot of times when we do a ten day loop, where six or seven days pass and we're both dying to come home and relax and let our bodies recuperate. But I'm not complaining. It is going to be very interesting when we start our new schedule at the end of August. We'll be doing house shows on Saturday and Sunday, TV's on Monday and Tuesday, come home Wednesday, and only have Thursday and Friday off. I am very curious as to how this schedule is going to wind up working out----better or worse.
As of late, I can tell a big difference regarding our TV time and push because Jeff and I can't go anywhere now without someone recognizing us, and either asking for autographs and pictures, which I personally think is wonderful. If we're ever out and you run into us, and if you enjoy what we do in the ring, feel free to come up and say hello and speak to us. I think it's really cool to meet everybody that watches you and supports you or even criticizes you. As everyone is, I am a human being and there are times when you are not in the greatest mood or don't want to socialize with anyone. But socializing with wrestling fans is one of my obligations now. I am the one who chose to try to put myself in the limelight. And I'll always remember how it feels when you first start wrestling and nobody recognizes you and no one cares about you. And that, more than anything else, will always make me appreciate everyone who comes up for an autograph or a picture.
On a side note, this is one of my strange tendencies: whenever I walk into a department store or hotel, if there is ever a choice between an automatic door or a door you have to push or pull, I always go through the door you have to open yourself. The reason I do this is because I make it a point not to take for granted that I have full use of my body and I am fully healthy. Because I always see people that are handicapped or are in wheelchairs that have to use the electronic door because they can't get themselves in on their own. It always makes me stop and think I am still able to get this door open, and so long as I can do it, I'm going to. It is such a blessing to be healthy. I pray every night for everyone who is crippled or who has an ailing disease so that they can once again feel what it's like to be healthy. I feel very fortunate each day that I am blessed wtih good health.
That's it for now. Always remember, the saga continues................................
September 10, 1999
~~~Matt
A quick note before we get started: There have been tons of people sending requests and self addressed stamped envelopes to the P.O. Box for autographs. From now on, if you could please send a photo from a magazine, or a print-out from the site, along with the s.a.s.e, I will guarantee you it will be answered. We are all out of promotional pictures and WWF has yet to give us anymore.
A request for you to answer if you are not a Pearl Jam fan:
What is the most mystical thing in existence and why? (i.e.,....oceans, mountains, Kat (oh god!))
First of all, I would like to say hello to everyone and sorry it's been so long since I've put a commentary on here. Currently, Jeff and I have really been treading water for the last month or so. But, if all goes well, we are looking to elevate ourselves in the very near future. There should be some really good stuff happening to us and Gangrel before too long.
By the way, if anyone has any catchy new names that the 3 of us could be called, please send them in to the P.O. Box. Also, the coolest thing ever is riding the elevator up through the flames............yeah, I'm diggin' that.
Also, something I've been meaning to do is give out some hello's and thank you's to close friends. Everyone keep your eye out for Shane Helms. He is one of my closest friends. At the moment, he is out in California doing stunts for the WCW movie with David Arquette. Shane is under contract with WCW and should do really well if given the opportunity. In my opinion, he has one of the greatest minds in the wrestling business. It's amazing how similar mine and Shane's backgrounds are as far as the way we look at wrestling and fans, and how we both taught ourselves how to wrestle. Shane is definitely one of my very closest friends, and I wish him all the luck in the world.
I would also like to thank Thomas Simpson for all the support he's given Jeff and I over the years. Anytime I was flat broke and needed something for our regular wrestling promotions, Thomas was always there and more than willing to help out. Thomas and I made a lot of outstanding things happen for the Omega promotion. I got a ton of great memories of those days that I wouldn't trade for anything. There are already currently 8 guys who worked for Omega who I either trained or was instrumental in their learning process in the wrestling business. Those guys include: obviously, myself and Jeff, Jason Ahrndt (Joey Abbs, WWF), Shannon Moore, Shane Helms, Christian York, Joey Matthews (all WCW), and Angelica (ECW). Steve Corino also wrestled for Omega when he lived in NC. There are also 3 more guys who have tryouts with ECW in the next month: Mike Maverick, Otto Schwanz, and Marty Garner. So potentially, these are 12 people that have legitimately *made it* in the wrestling business who wrestled in Omega. I will personally put that up against any other independent promotion in the U.S. It's occasional that 1 or 2 guys from an outlaw independent promo make it to the bigtime, much less 12. It sucks to a degree now that everyone is doing their own different thing and everyone is off in their own direction because some of the best times we had were after Omega shows when we'd worked all day to put up the ring, get ready for the show, do the show, and then clean up afterwards. Then we would all head out to eat afterwards and we would always spend like 3 hours in Denny's or Perkin's and after the day we'd had, it always felt like such an accomplishment. Those 3 hours were the biggest party ever.
I want to thank all the guys that have ever worked for Omega and especially that solid core group of guys. Individually, I would like to thank all these people who are my closest friends: Shane Helms, Shannon Moore, Mike Maverick, Marty Garner, Joey Matthews, Christian York, Otto Schwanz, Steve Corino, the Thomas Simpson family, Jamie Tucker, Aaron Decker, and Scott Matthews.
I would also like to send out a special thanks to Edge, Christian, Gangrel, Michael Hayes, Blue Meanie, Stevie Richards, Bradshaw, Ron Simmons, Road Dog, Rock, D-Lo, Mark Henry, Undertaker, Paul Bearer, and the rest of the WWF locker room for all being such great people to work with. They've been really great with accepting Jeff and I as part of their family. We see them so much it is more or less like they *are* family. As cold and as cut throat a business as wrestling is politically, it's amazing how many good people are in it.
I'm pretty excited about turning 25. I can now legally rent a car, which means Jeff and I will no longer be stuck at the Hertz counter with no way to get to the show. I'm looking forward to taking a couple of days and going to the beach for my annual "birthday beach trip." Myrtle Beach is the mecca for Matt Hardy. You can never have enough people wish you a happy birthday, so feel free to send me birthday messages. *WOW*!!!!! I'll be a quater of a century old!
If you ever come to the Southern Pines area during the weekends, you should pop in Dockside, the local nightclub. Occasionally Jeff and I hang out there on Friday nights, if we're off. The place is packed with Hardy Boyz memorabilia and photos. I'm personally very flattered with how they've gone out of their way to make the local boys that have made it in wrestling feel special. It's cool to be appreciated. If there's one word I want people to think of when they say, "Matt Hardy," more than anything else, it would be respect. I always try to make it a point to respect other's beliefs, their feelings, and their ways, whether they are like mine or not. And I always give ultimate respect to people who respect me. One of the reasons I try to be a good person and work so hard is to earn everyone's respect...........being respected I think is the highest accolade you can receive in life. This is just my opinion, but if you live your life in a way that whatever you've said and done is thru, and people can respect your for that, then you've done the right thing. Be proud of being respected. It's hard to come by.
In closing, I have wished for so long, but now I wish for you today..............I know what it's like to fulfill a dream and be happy. I pray that everyone else can be as fortunate. Until then...........
October 9, 1999
~~~Matt
First off, I would like to start with a get well soon to Droz...........a very tragic thing took place Tuesday night. Myself, as well as all the other guys in WWF are praying for him that everything will be alright. Darren is such a lighthearted, easy-going, fun loving guy. It's really horrible to think of him not being able to wrestle again, much less not being able to walk. I am definitely pulling for him. I've got faith that he'll be okay, and that he will resume a normal life again. Also, I would like to send my thoughts and prayers out to his fiance, Julie, and all of Darren's family.
As for me, I am really enjoying the best of 5 series we are having with Edge and Christian. I am extremely proud of the match we had Thursday on Smackdown that was recorded in Uniondale, NY. I'm looking forward to the next two matches, especially if all the pieces fall into place.
Right now I'm starting to feel a little bit of the physical wear and tear of being on the road full time. After messing up my ankle pretty bad about 6 weeks ago, I just twisted and hyper-extended my left knee at the TV taping this week. It's really tough whenever you get an injury and you are on the road full time. Because when you are working 5 out of 7 days, your body gets very little time to heal.
Thoughts on the departure of Vince Russo and Ed Ferrera:
I really hate to see both of them go because I think that both of them, especially Vince Russo, were very instrumental in the long success streak of RAW and the WWF. I think Vince Russo has a mind that's hard to compare with when it comes to portraying a story on TV. I especially hate that Ed Ferrera will be gone because he would always have time to talk to Jeff and I, or the middle guys, when Vince was busy with the top guys. I'll never forget that it was Ed who thought of us getting together with Michael Hayes and starting our whole new image. It was especially suprising that they left all of a sudden because they seemed so extremely loyal. But what a lot of people forget is that loyalty isn't the first priority in business. Usually money is. With the opportunity to make more money and not work as much, it would be hard for anybody to turn that sort of deal down, regardless of your loyalty. I hate to see them leave, but I wish them both good luck. I think this whole ordeal will fire Vince McMahon up more than anything else. Anytime that Vince McMahon is presented with some sort of monkey wrench in the plans he always looks at it as a new challenge and rises to the occasion. He almost thrives at overcoming the odds. And that's what I personally respect him for the most. That's the quality I think we share.
I can feel the winter coming. Although I'm not a big fan of winter, there's always something about the changing of the seasons that I dig. It seems like when you enter a new season there is always a fresh new feel of weather and of life that comes in with it. As always, I'm looking forward to the future. My new song for this change of season into the winter time is "When the Dolphins Cry" by Live. Because everyone knows I am notorious for associating songs with certain times and events.
One thing I'm sort of excited about........even though I don't think it's as cool as it could possibly be......I'm happy that Jeff and I have our first t-shirt out for sale. It's always cool to receive little monuments in your career.
And once again, let me thank all the supporters of the Hardy Boyz who continue to cheer and root and write to us. I love reading your letters and hearing your opinions on us, whether they are good or bad. Keep 'em coming!
October 24, 1999
~~~Matt
First off, as always, I'd like to say hello to everyone. And especially hello
to everyone who tuned in to No Mercy. Hopefully, everyone enjoyed it. I was
extremely pleased with the match itself, as well as was the entire WWF pleased
with it. Which was definitely good for Jeff and I. It was really cool because
it was mine and Jeff's concept, one of the first original things in the WWF we
had gotten to do. It culminated in the best of 5 series, and the ladder match
turned out better than expected. It is definitely the highlight of all 4 of
our careers. Even though I must say, with this ladder match, there was really
a ton of pressure because with it being our idea and our brainchild, it was
really up to us to make it special. Meaning if it was a flop, we couldn't go
back and say that the WWF and the creative team wanted us to do this, because
it was our idea.
The pressure really set in the day of the PPV. Everybody from the WWF front
office, to the show's producers, to all the production crew, to all the other
wrestlers, were coming up to us and saying, "guys, we expect this to be the
greatest ladder match of all time and steal the PPV tonight." There was just a
lot of pressure on 4 guys who ages combined don't equal a 100 years. We could,
myself, Jeff, Edge, and Christian, noticeably detect how nervous one another
were before going into this match. Usually, we're real calm, cool, and
collected, and it's just another time we are working together. But this time
we knew that all eyes were on us. And this was our chance to step up our game
a level and steal the show. This was by far the most high profile match any of
us had been in. After we got into the ring, and started the match, all the
pressures, burdens, and butterflies slowly faded away. We all forgot about
expectations. We just started doing what we all do extremely
well........wrestle.
The match started slow, with very little crowd interaction. This bothered me.
I was thinking in my head, "what if we go through this whole thing and the
crowd doesn't come with us?" The first turning point in getting the crowd, I
think, was when Christian and Jeff did the tug of war and Jeff went back into
the corner and Christian dropkicked him off the ladder. The crowd was coming.
From there on, we continued to build our spots and the crowd got better and
better. Before long, we could feel the crowd was on the edge of their seats
with what was going to happen next. I think during the course of the match,
the crowd forgot who was supposed to be the faces and who were supposed to be
the heels, and they just started to feel. I think the crowd felt how hard we
were working, they felt how we were putting our bodies on the line, they felt
how we were giving them our souls. They stopped booing and cheering. They just
felt. The crowd was great in the way that they showed us respect towards the
end of the match, especially when all 4 guys went down. We were all battling
to get back to our feet and the crowd applauded. Once again, I think they
applauded out of respect. I felt that night that we really inspired the crowd.
They stopped looking at us as Matt and Jeff Hardy the wrestlers, and as Edge
and Christian. They saw us as Matt and Jeff Hardy the people, and Adam
Copeland and Jay Reso. And I think they were inspired to see these 4 young
guys busting their asses to make the best of an opportunity that had they
fortunately had been provided with. There was definitely a special feeling of
emotion in the Gund Arena, in Cleveland, on October 17, 1999.
As Jeff and I ran back down the aisle after the match, we stepped through the
curtain and were welcomed back in with a standing ovation from the WWF front
office, including a very warm ovation from Vince McMahon. That was definitely
something that won't be forgotten. As we walked to the back, we were passing
the monitor where all the wrestlers and crew were watching the event, and we
were once again given a standing ovation (from all the boys). Jeff and I were
met with hugs and questions, "are you okay?" and "man that was great!" What a
special feeling that was. What a height that was. It was great that one time
to feel like you were the most important and special thing on the show.
A few minutes later, we saw our battered and bruised opponents. But luckily,
we had all survived with no major injuries. If it wasn't a special bond
between the 4 of us, that match definitely cemented that all of us will always
have a very special relationship with one another. That was definitely the
highlight of my professional career.
Once again, I would like to wish Darren Drozdov best wishes and a speedy
recovery. His progress has been slow, but he is still coming along. May we all
be with him and his family continually through this trying time. Until Darren
beats this, we are all going to keep him in our thoughts and prayers.
I want to say personally that I will miss Jeff Jarrett. Jeff, being a veteran,
was always super cool towards myself and my brother. I've heard many different
rumors and speculations about why he left, and I would rather not comment on
those. Because way too many people already have, and way too many people have
already exaggerated the story, believe me. But nevertheless, I hate that he
couldn't reach an agreement to stay in the WWF. I think Jarrett is a real
stand up guy and a good person. And he fit really well into the WWF family. So
I wish Jeff all the luck in the future.
Jeff and I were fortunately given the weekend off, so we can recuperate from
our ladder match. Needless to say, we are extremely sore, banged, and bruised.
But now, after having 3 days off with no wrestling, I don't know what to do
with myself. It's weird, but I'm almost looking forward to Monday so we can go
back to TV. I think with the performance of the ladder match you'll see a
little more time devoted to Matt and Jeff Hardy as far as developing our
characters, storyline, and mic time. We're ready for this step, I feel.
And I want to reiterate to everyone out there, through hard work, dedication,
belief, and perserverance, you can make anything happen. Jeff and I have never
been given anything more than a small opportunity from time to time. And by
god, we took it and ran with it. You can do the same.
Always believe, and be well.
November 14, 1999
~~~Matt
Hello everybody! I know I'm a little past due on this commentary. Dreadful
etiquette, I apologize. It's been an extremely busy last 3 weeks for myself
and Jeff. Seems like we've done 3 months work. I guess it's good to be in
demand in the wrestling business. Though it can definitely leave you
exhausted..........even a little jaded. Look for some big things to come from
Matt and Jeff Hardy by WrestleMania of next year. Hopefully, our relationship
with Edge and Christian will continue to mature. We would all love four love
to work as a unit for at least a little while. I think we could be a force to
be reckoned with in the WWF.
Have any of you ever listened to the song, "Long Road," by Peal Jam? Some of
the lyrics in the song include, "I have wished for so long, now I wish for you
today," and "we all walk the long road." I always think back to this song
whenever I see young and up and coming independent wrestlers, or people just
trying to break into the business. I know what it's like to put all your hopes
and dreams and faith into something. It seems almost completely unattainable.
But it is not impossible. Once again, I am living, breathing proof of that. I
want all these guys and/or gals to know that it is possible. Through hard work
and determination and believing in yourself, you can accomplish your goals. At
one point in my life I was exactly like you. I was the same person who
questioned myself, if I was wasting my time, if I was stupid for believing I
could fulfill a dream. Or for trying to scrounge up a little more hope to keep
me going. The most important thing is to never stop..........believing.
Eddie Vedder says in one of his songs, "when you trade magic for fact, there
are no tradebacks." I believe that to a degree. When you give up on your
dreams and goals, and accept where you are at, you become complacent and lose
the drive and dedication it takes to get to the next level. That's something
that I still have to continue to instill in myself, in forms of drive and
inspiration. I *REFUSE* to become complacent and happy with where I'm at. At
the risk of sounding arrogant, you can never settle for what you have. You
have to constantly update, try to make your life better, try to become a
better person, and try to achieve more accomplishments. It's hard to do. But
it's a formula for success. So now I say to everyone who is trying to fulfill
the dream, "I have wished for so long, now I wish for you today."
Someone wrote to me and said that Matt Hardy was a liar. They said that not
everyone can accomplish dreams just like I have, and to stop lying and saying
anyone could. This was a person who, god bless her heart, has a paranoia of
being around people, going out in public, and so on. I say to her
this........people achieving their dreams and overcoming their odds, doesn't
mean they have to be a professional wrestler. It could be things as small as
being able to cope with your paranoia or being able to deal with a disease as
such. Some people that are paralyzed fulfill their dreams just by finding the
inspiriation to enjoy life again. Whatever your boundaries may be, there is
still always something within the realm of possibility that people have to
deal with and overcome. That's why I say I think anyone can achieve their
goals and dreams if they believe and work hard enough. If you don't agree with
me, that's perfectly fine. Because it's only my opinion. And my opinion is not
necessarily right. Or wrong. It's just my opinion. You decide how you
interpret it.
Last Saturday night, November 6, 1999, we wrestled in Raleigh, NC for the
first time. The ovation Jeff and I got was extraordinary. I want to thank
everyone that came out to Raleigh and supported myself and Jeff and our battle
against the Dudley's. Fortunately, we won in our home state, much to the
delight of the wonderful crowd. The new Raleigh arena may become the mecca for
Matt and Jeff Hardy.
Congratulations to Amy Dumas. She has reached an agreement with the WWF and
will be starting soon. She is a wonderful and very intellectual person and
should do well for herself. I consider her a really special
friend......someone I can talk to and always be on the same page with. Best of
luck Amy.
Last Friday night I had my tarot cards read. It was the first time I'd ever
done this. One of the first things noted was that I should take a trip
somewhere that I've been putting off and that I'm in very desperate need of
it. I found that very interesting because there have been a couple of times
this summer we were planning on going to Myrtle Beach and didn't make it. The
tarot cards also said that my future is on a very strong foundation and looks
much more positive and brighter than my present. The cards also said that I'm
very compassionate towards the way I deal with others and other people's
problems. It also said I'm very compassionate towards everything in my life
and in order to make it the best it can be I need to lead by example. That was
interesting. It also said that I had helped one of my friends fulfill a dream
of his......and I asked if it was getting him his dream job. And they said no,
you introduced him to true love. The lady said, without you he would have
never found this love. I was responsible. (see July 8, 1999 commentary) The
tarot cards also stated that I have never known true love and it's never came
near me because I shunned it away and was afraid of it. They said within the
next 6 months you will meet someone of the female sex that you will be
magnetically attracted to and cannot stay away from. She will come into your
life and make changes in you that will last forever. Although it might not be
in a romantic scenario. In 6 months I'll have to update on this to see how all
these predictions panned out. I certainly don't trust the tarot cards to tell
my future, but it's great for stimulating thought and creating mental
scenario's.
This is Matt Hardy signing off.................until then.
December 10, 1999
The first issue I would like to address today is called "expectations."
A while back I was reading some results posted online. More specifically,
results from the Toronto house show WWF had there in November. It listed the
results of our match, the Acolytes defeat the Hardys and Dudley's in a 3 way
match. They also said this was the biggest dissapointment of the night for
them..........the Hardys' only did a couple of high flying moves and basically
weren't up to par. If you work extremely hard, bust your ass, and put out the
best product that you can, and you make that product really something special
and something you don't see every day............people sometimes tend to
expect that all the time. But people also forget that Matt and Jeff Hardy are
human beings, not machines, and are on the road 280-300 days a year. There are
times when we're sick, hurt, depressed, or tired. It's unrealistic for people
to expect us to be perfect everytime we step into the ring. That's one thing
that specifically bothers me about internet wrestling fans.........they forget
to take into account that guys are wrestling every night. And even though they
may be working hard, due to conditions somehow beyond their control (such as
physical health, opponents, and booking) they can't always have a great match.
That night in Toronto I felt our match was okay, but definitely not one of our
best. Jeff had severly injured his shoulder the week before at Survivor Series
and I was just coming off a mild concussion and was sick as a dog. So I was
happy with the effort we still put forth. Remember, even wrestlers' are human.
We all have good days, and we all have bad days. Just to play the devil's
advocate, I ask this of you............do you ever mess up at work? Or do you
ever feel like not being at work? WWF wrestlers don't get sick days. The only
way we don't wrestle is if we have major physical injury. Everyone works hurt
at one time or another. We just work around it. Believe me you, we take pride
in what we do. So I ask you to stop and think before you pass judgement on one
wrestling match. Judge on a majority.
More than ever right now I'm looking forward to January 1, 2000. I always
reinvent myself every new year. There is always a feeling to the first day of
a new year that there is a brand new start to your life. It's a clean slate in
which you can start doing things that you've been wanting to do and start
setting goals that you want to achieve. It's easy to get inspired from the
beginning of the year. Just because it's so much................a fresh start.
In 2000 I will get into the best shape of my life. I will become a much better
wrestler. I will become a much better businessman. And more important that all
that, I will become a much better person. Everything I've done up till this
point in my life (December 31, 1999) is nothing to be happy with. Although I'm
happy with my accomplishments and have achieved so many personal goals at such
a young age. 2000 is a new time and everything in the past is nothing I want
to depend on for future success. In 2000 Matt Hardy and the Hardy Boyz are
going to make huge waves. Remember I said that. God willing, I will hold true
to my word. I hope each and every one of you set goals for yourselves in the
year 2000 and I hope you achieve them. Just remember not to give up. Work hard
for what you want. It's the beginning of the millennium.........it's a great
time to start the first day of the rest of your life. Be smart in your
decisions. Be true to yourself. Don't wallow in self pity. Don't succumb to
temptation. Keep your mind set on what you want to achieve. May the year 2000
be the best year of mine and your life.
Remember this terminology: "Special Version 1." You'll hear more about this
later.
The WWF is now more of a home than my actual home is. I see the wrestlers and
employees more than I do my father. And that's really weird because I could
really never fathom that. It's what I wanted to do so I'm not going to
complain about this small nuisance. It occasionally comes in life. It's just
like anything else you get close to..........your family, your mate, your best
friend.........over exposure can sometimes drive you crazy. But if it wasn't
there, you'd be crazy all the time.
I want to wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to my father and
brother, to all my friends, to all my fellow WWF compadres, to all our fans
and supporters, and also to Kat for making it through the end of the calender
year. To everyone out there, best wishes. And for everyone who has ever
uttered the words "Matt Hardy," be it in a positive or negative light, in some
way, somehow, inside of you there is a piece of me and inside of me there is a
piece of you.
Thank you guys for '99. Be well and until then......................
January 15, 2000
Happy new millenium to everyone!
I am extremely excited about the year 2000 and all of the opportunities and
possibilities that lie ahead for Matt and Jeff Hardy. My first objective in
this new year is to get myself back into better ring and physical shape then I
was in before I got injured. My face is coming along nicely, although it is
still a little tender around my inner eye/nose region. After two weeks of not
wrestling, I was beating down the doctor's door trying to get clearance to
wrestle again. I finally did, and I think within the next couple of weeks I
will be back to 100%. I PROMISE this will be the biggest year ever for us, God
willing we don't get injured.
Everyone in the WWF is starting to get excited about Wrestlemania, as it is
rapidly approaching, and what their role will be in it. Please post what you
think Jeff and I will be doing at WM16 on the message board.
Speaking of the message board, I also finally took the time out of my schedule
to get a laptop, so I will try to occasionally respond to comments and
questions.
I would also like to add that due to the fact of the enormous amounts of mail
coming to the P.O. Box, we can not guarantee all pictures will be autographed
and returned. There have been some days where there have been up to 200 pieces
of mail coming in daily. I am always in the process of reading mail and
watching tapes and that will continue. I just can't promise all S.A.S.E. and
photos will be autographed and returned. I'm sorry.
Anyone go to Myrtle Beach for New Year's Eve? We certianly had a blast and
brought the Year of 2000 in in a very fun and memorable night. It was a great
time with alot of good friends including WCW's 3 Count's Shane Helms and
Shannon Moore, two of the Omegapowers. Look for a couple more of the
Omegapowers to be entering WWF very soon--Keep you posted. The Omegapowers was
a slang name for our group of close friends who worked in North Carolina
indies, especially OMEGA, my promotion. There are nine cornerstone members of
the Omegapowers that we knew were in it from the beginning of OMEGA. Try to
name them on the message board if you dare.
Speaking of close friends, we had our annual "Cleansing" on Jan. 2 to start
the year out correctly. The "Cleansing" is something that myself and six
others, including Jeff, have annually done for the last six years at the first
of the year. We go to a remote location, have a campfire, cook food over the
fire, confess all of our sins and mistakes from the last year, and make goals
and resolutions for the upcoming year. We also comment on our perceptions of
one another and air out any dirty laudry there is.
This year was quite
emotional for a few of the guys. I definately made some closure to some
lingering issues that I had with one of my closest friends. The absence of our
close relationship had really damaged his life. I think we can now start to
rebuild after finally talking through everything with no inhibitions as well
as the fact that I have forgiven him for his mistakes. Life is too short and
too good for me to harbor any kind of negative feelings. The "Cleansing"
always leaves me with a feeling of clarity and rejuvenation. A fresh start
almost.
Commentaries will start to come more often now. Everyone please thank Katya
for the tremendous job she has done on the website for the last year.
By the way, could someone find out for me exactly what is the contents of the
"Documents" that Chris Jericho carries around? If anyone finds out, please let
me know.
Everyone, be well, and until then.
February 11, 2000
Hello, everyone! Sorry it has been so long since my last commentary, but our
schedule has been particularly grueling for the last month or so. Currently,
it's 3:20 a.m. and I am sitting in front of my computer with a huge bag of ice
on my shoulder. Last night, in Austin, TX, Jeff and I wrestled Steve Blackman
and Al Snow, and once again I suffered a very untimely injury. As Steve
Blackman clotheslined me out of Al Snow's arms, I came down with my body's
weigh landing on my right shoulder. I immediately heard something pop inside
my shoulder and it started tightening up quickly. I was able to finish the
match, although you can see me trying to protect my shoulder for the remainder
of the contest. As I came back into the locker room, I couldn't move my
shoulder at all and I feared it was broken or surely separated. I went to the
hospital and had X-rays done, and fortunately there was no breaks or
separations within my shoulder. The doctor thinks that I maybe have a torn
rotator cuff or torn ligaments. I'm going to be having an MRI within the next
couple of days to find out for sure what the problem is. I must say that today
it has felt much better--I have had a good range of slow motion, so that is an
excellent sign. I guess I just have to continue to believe that what doesn't
kill you makes you stronger. I will be wrestling again hopefully before any of
you knew I was even hurt.
Now to move on to some more uplifting topics--so far this has been a
tremendous year for Matt Hardy. I was just starting to get back into a regular
groove with my training before I got hurt. This injury will hopefully only be
a small nuisance to my training, though. I have alot of "busting my ass" to do
in the next few months. There hasn't been hardly any free time for myself and
Jeff for the last month between house shows, T.V.'s, appearances, autograph
signings, and media events. About the only free time I get is if I stay up a
little later than usual and just relax and wind down. And believemeyou, it's
not going to get any easier, that is why an injury is especially frustrating
at this time. Oh well, I refuse to let it affect my mental state--you gotta
stay positive. You can't let the little things "put you down". I leave
tomorrow morning for Denver, Saturday is in San Diego (an autograph signing
and event), Sunday in Davis (an autograph signing and event), and Raw and
Smackdown in San Jose and Fresno. I'll be home late Wed. night to leave first
thing Friday morning for an appearance at a hockey game in West Virginia, and
then wrestle until that following Thursday. My career is going better than I
could have ever imagined this EARLY in it. I can't wait for Wrestlemania-- it
will be the Hardy Boyz first ever, and I'm sure it will be special as we are
going to play a big role in it.
I wanted to talk for a moment about the relationship between wrestlers and the
public. There should be a reciprocated respect between both parties. You know,
I have now accepted the fact that wrestling is MY life at this point in my
life. It is hard to do that. It still drives Jeff crazy sometimes that we are
always on the go because of wrestling, and our actual moments of free time are
very few. We are at the point where if we're out in public we're usually
recognized, so basically we have to always be on guard and on duty. I can't
stand it when some of the other guys (wrestlers) complain about being bothered
in public. I guarantee you if they could go back to NOT being recognized, and
NOT being on T.V., and NOT making money, they wouldn't mind it so much. I am
always approachable and try to be friendly if someone speaks to me, even if
I'm not feeling well or am in a good mood. The point I'm attempting to make is
that we are under the microscope all day except for those few hours in our
hotel rooms, and when we're at home. But don't get me wrong--I wouldn't trade
it for anything--I love it. I feel like being in my position gives me a great
opportunity to spread what I feel is the positive message of being a good,
inspirational person. I want people to talk to me and leave thinking, "Hey,
you don't have to be a jackass just because you're on T.V. weekly", or "Hey,
that guy seems just like me--down to earth--and happy to be doing what he's
doing". I've already seen so many people in this business start to believe
their own hype and forget about where they come from. I hate that. There IS a
ton of pressure on all of the WWF wrestlers day in and day out to perform and
put out-whether your happy or sad, sick or injured. It is quite an
accomplishment to do something special in this business--but DON'T forget
about the person you are--and were--and will be again, when the wrestling days
are over. Fortunately, their are alot of level-headed guys in the WWF right
now. With all that said, I think it is very important for the fan to treat the
wrestler with the same respect. Don't forget, we're just people, too. Almost
every night, someone sits down uninvited at our table at a restaurant and ask
for an autograph. Alot of times this occurs while we're eating or ordering, or
on the phone. I'm definitely not saying this is the scenario with everyone,
I'm just saying there's alot of time when people treat us disrespectfully by
interrupting us while we're in the middle of doing something. I have NO
problem signing anything or taking pictures or talking--I just wish people
would try to be as polite and considerate as possible. I know sometimes people
get excited, but sometimes they forget that we normal people as well with
feelings, moods, and fuses--we just wrestle for a living.
I want to thank everyone who bought the original Hardy Boyz "2Xtreme" shirt.
We have a new shirt coming out that has a silhouette of the senton bomb in
mid-air with motion rotation surrounding it reading "Hardy Boyz" on front. On
the back, it says, "Fear is only a four-lettered word". It should be cool.
Our feud with the Dudleyz has been really taking it's toll on all the
participates involved. I was extremely happy with our performance at the Royal
Rumble in the first ever tag team table match. I hope you guys enjoyed it as
well. Jeff and I were really honored they featured a killer video piece on
"Halftime Heat" during the Superbowl.
I'm really proud of Shannon Moore and Shane Helms, two of the OMEGApowers, who
are busting their ass to get a good spot on the WCW rooster. It's amazing that
Shannon is on national T.V. now. I have footage of me beating him so
unmercifully on our trampoline back in 1990 (he was only 9 or 10 at that
time), it is hilarious.
As close as Matt and Jeff Hardy and Christian and Edge are in front of and
behind the camera, it should be very interesting to see where are on air
relationship goes next. As much as I think it would be cool to form a unit
with these guys, I think it might be cooler to go back head-to-head again. Who
knows?
I heard Chris Jericho stated that "if that nosy Matt Hardy wants to know the
contents of the documents, he'll have to take them from me" or something
similar to that. Well Chris, I KNOW exactly what the documents are--and that's
quite an embarrassing name for what's inside your briefcase, poser. Besides,
it's not like taking ANYTHING from you would be difficult, or even a
challenge.
I noticed a few people have made some comments on my favorite Pearl Jam song
"Corduroy". The reason it is one of my all-time favorite songs is because it
describes my life so well. I can almost relate every line of that song to an
experience in my life or the premises of how my life has progressed. I would
love for some of you guys to attempt to relate the lyrics of "Corduroy" to my
life on the message board.
Speaking of the message board, that is one of my favorite things to look at
when I get a free chance at night in my hotel room. When ever I have time, I
will try to respond to post. I want to thank Katya and Memery and Tiffani for
keeping the ship at sea so to say.
Everyone--do yourself right--and don't be afraid to believe in a longshot
every now and then. Be well, and until then.......
March 11, 2000
~~~Matt
Finally, I've made myself sit down and write a new commentary--it's been way
too long since I last posted. It's 3 in the morning and I'm just sitting back
icing my shoulders and finally getting a chance to catch my breath. The last
four weeks may have very well been the hardest four weeks of my life. Let me
give you a small chronological summary of the last thirty days of my life.
Feb 8-Austin ,TX--I suffer a grade one separation of my right shoulder in a
match against Steve Blackman and Al Snow. I am in the emergency room until
3:30 a.m. that night. I fly back home at 7:30 that same morning. I can't sleep
on my shoulder because of a continual sharp pain. I sleep miserable for the
next couple of nights.
Feb 11-Jeff and I fly to Denver, CO to start a 5 day loop with 5 appearances
besides just our wrestling commitments. During these five days, I did a very
minimal amount of physical activity in Jeff's single matches. I hope this week
long rest on my shoulder will be enough to let it heal so that I can start
back wrestling the following weekend. The doctor's prognosis was that I should
be off 4 to 5 weeks--not just 10 days.
Feb 16-Jeff and I get home late in the evening from California, and I have a
ton of things to do on my one day off, which will be tomorrow, the 17th. My
shoulder has healed some but it is no where near one hundred percent.
Feb 17-I have been running errands and washing clothes and paying bills and
banking and returning phone calls since early morning. As I am trying to make
my way to one of my friends surprise birthday party, my car was ran off the
road, my front tire blew out, and I slid off an embankment into the woods. My
1999 Ford Mercury Cougar was totaled and I suffered a severe gash in the back
of my head (from where my head busted out the drivers' side window), an ankle
injury, and a ton of small lacerations on my body from the broken glass. My
shoulder ached from being aggravated again but it was fortunately not hurt
very much more. The driver of the truck that ran me off the road stopped to
check on me, in a very respectful move (he could have easily kept going to
avoid being in trouble). I refused medical treatment from the EMT's. I was
sick of the fact I had to leave to go to work in the morning with this burden
now on my shoulders.
Feb 18--Jeff and I are supposed to do an appearance in Huntington, WV today. I
can barely walk between my ankle and the soreness today. When we get to the
airport in Raleigh, our flight is delayed 35 minutes. It makes us miss our
connection in Charlotte to Huntington. We wait for the next flight in to
Huntington at 4:30 --it is canceled because of weather. We attempt to get on a
flight to Charleston, WV, but it is canceled right before it's departure at
6:20. The last flight to Huntington is full at 7:30 and they expect it to be
canceled as well. They book us on a 8:50 flight back to Raleigh that ends up
leaving two hours late. We get back to Raleigh at 11:40 p.m., and the airlines
had lost my clothes along with my phone charger, among other things. We
haven't accomplished anything today and it's midnight--and that's after
starting our morning at 7:20 a.m. It was a nightmare of a day. We stay in
Raleigh that night so we can leave early the next morning.
Feb 19-We do a 2 hour office, non-paid appearance before the Knoxville house
show. This was my return to the ring--very painful return to the ring. They
thought they had found my clothes at the Knoxville airport, but it was a false
alarm. We left the airport in our rental car at midnight. The next day was an
afternoon show in Augusta, GA--it turned out to be 350 miles away. Jeff and I
drove until 7 a.m. the next morning to get to the town.
Feb 20-To protect my right shoulder, I was bumping almost completely on my
left side. After three days of doing that, my left shoulder starts bothering
me.
Feb 24-I have two days off, so I try to rest and recuperate my shoulders as
much as possible, as well as try and do some car shopping. The airlines
finally track down my lost clothes and return them to me.
Feb 26-We do a autograph signing in Baltimore, MD. It was an office
appearance, which means Jeff and I make no money at all from it--it's just
something we have to do for the WWF. It was to promote WWF Video sales. Since
it was free to attend, over 2000 fans showed up. It was a pretty hectic setup.
We were only slated to be there for two hours, but we ended up staying two and
a half hours until management made us leave to catch our flight to Hartford.
It would have been impossible to meet everyone in that allotted time. From
what I understand, there was quite a few people who were upset with Jeff and I
personally for not getting to meet us or claiming we left before signing for
everyone. That's quite unfair. We had nothing to do or say about when we came
or when we left or who we meet.
Feb 27-We wrestle a 20 minute match on the pay per view against Edge and
Christian. After taking a good number of bumps in the match, I was in major
pain form my right shoulder. I almost passed out after the match due to pain.
As you can see, I'm not getting anytime to let my injuries heal correctly.
Feb 28-We wrestle the Acolytes in Madison Square Garden--I was afraid I wasn't
going to be able to wrestle because my right shoulder throbbed all day.
Mar 2-I buy a new car.
Mar 3-We start a seven day loop in Toronto. The next day, we fly to Ottawa
first thing in the morning, and we go to breakfast with contest winners--an
office appearance. We wrestle Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn that afternoon.
Directly after that, we are driven straight to Montreal, where we have another
office appearance in a club and shoot pool against some local tournament
winners. Following that, we have to go to dinner with Canadian TV people,
another office venture.
Mar 7-While wrestling Viscera in Boston, once again aggravate my right
shoulder. I have wrestled every day of this loop.
Mar 8-I luckily make it through my match against the Dudleys in Indianapolis
without doing further damage to my right shoulder.
Mar 9-I am off until Sunday morning--I am focusing all my energy on treating
my shoulders. It's only 4 more weeks to Wrestlemania--I want to be as healthy
as possible for that. I refuse to let my attitude be negative. I will heal. I
will get into the best shape I've ever been in. I always believe it is darkest
right before dawn, and we all have these "dark periods" in life we just have
to get through.
I think this is a really good example of how my life, or anyone else that is
portrayed as being bigger than life, is very far from having a perfect life.
It's just one of those times where you have to suck it up and get pass a bad
time in your life. I hope you all are experiencing very positive times in your
life right now. Make sure to make good use of your free time--you don't know
how valuable it is until it's gone. I will talk with you all again very soon.
Be well, and until then...
April 28, 2000
~~~Matt
Hello, everyone! It's been quite a while since I last posted--dreadful
etiquette, I apologize. Alot of great things have happened since my last
commentary.....
Wrestlemania---I was extremely happy with the performance of all six men
involved and I definitely think that we made a hell of an effort to steal the
show. Both Jeff and I got through relatively unscathed physically, but we both
felt that it mentally drained us for the next week or so. I think the pressure
and expectations for the quality of the match was really taxing
psychologically. It was awesome to play such a huge role in Wrestlemania. The
only thing that could have made it sweeter would have been a win for the WWF
tag team titles. In due time, I guess. Of all the feedback I have gotten, not
one person has said that they felt the Wrestlemania Ladder match was a
disappointment compared to the first one--and that was important to me.
Continued Physical Health---With the exception of a knee injury a couple of
weeks back, my body is feeling better. With all the dates we're doing now, my
body gets little or no time to rest and heal. My left shoulder is feeling good
while my right shoulder is feeling better. I've actually started back training
on a regular basis. God willing, I will be back to 100% soon and getting into
tip-top shape.
Continued Popularity---It's amazing how supportive the fans have been of Jeff
and I the last couple of months. Almost anywhere we go, we run into some
people who have a "Hardy" story to share with us. Ours fans have been ultra
cool and respectful when it comes to being appreciative of the chances we take
in the ring.
Hardcore Championship Reign---Although it was short, it was neat. It goes down
in the record books as Matt Hardy's first WWF singles title. It was great to
wrestle Jeff in a hardcore-style matchup, I hope everyone else enjoyed our
little brotherly battle. Jeff is a truly awesome wrestler. I think that either
one of us would make a fantastic Hardcore champ. I felt as if our match was
one of the best Hardcore matches that has been on free TV. More than anything,
I will be glad when the Backlash PPV is done so that Jeff and I can go back to
our primary goal of winning the WWF tag team titles.
Our official action figures come out in May after months and months of
waiting. Thank God.
Jeff and I just made a small cameo in the new Run DMC DX video. You'll see us
jumping from a ledge into a mosh pit during the video.
Our new T-Shirt is now being released in dark purple, which looks really cool.
It has a outline of Jeff doing the Swanton on the front and has the saying
"Fear is only a four-lettered word" on the back.
I want to once again thank everyone at the site for keeping it up to date--and
also thank everyone that comes to visit.
By the way, Pearl Jam has a new album coming out in May.
Someone once told me, "You reap what you sow", in reference to something that
they did to me that was wrong. I just heard what's currently going on with
this person, and their life is bedlam. I truly believe in what goes around
comes around--or as Kid Rock says, "You get what you put in, and people get
what they deserve".
Congratulations to my former OMEGA alumni, Mike Howell and Murray Happer, aka
Beau and Jack Dupp, who are doing great in their early WWF days.
Do you ever stop and think what all it would take to make your life perfect? I
do sometimes.
I hope that Jeff can keep his love for wrestling and not feel like it's a
chore day to day. With everything we're doing nowadays, it's really easy to
get burned out. I always reflect back to when we would have done anything to
wrestle--and remind myself of how fortunate we are. Jeff, on the other hand,
needs time to be Jeff--he's not a schedule type person. The hectic weeks
drives him nuts.
I'm glad my friend Tracy Caddell is still running some independent shows in
the old OMEGA stomping grounds. He runs shows under the letters NFWA, or New
Frontier Wrestling Alliance. Their next show is in May in Sanford, NC.
I hope everything works out for my Three Count friends, Shannon Moore and
Shane Helms, as they don't know exactly what they're doing in the future.
If all these Pro Wrestling Sheetwriters and Internet Pro Wrestling experts
were such geniuses, why don't they open their own little territory and show
WWF, WCW, and ECW how to successfully run a company. Yeah, that's just what I
thought. And they have the audacity to criticize myself and Jeff and the
people we work with--the people that are currently successful and making very
good livings in the business.
I hate it when people blatantly lie to me. I would rather hear the truth, even
if it was something I didn't want to hear.
I think it will do wonders for Jeff and I when the WWF starts to develop our
characters and lets us get some mic time. We're waiting in line patiently as
we have been.
If I had to quit wrestling tomorrow, I would be happy with everything I had
accomplished for a 25 year old. It has been an awesome trip. I can't wait to
write a book one day--it will be a bare all story. I think that would be the
only way to do it.
Thanks for thinking about the individual named Matt Hardy for at least one
iota during your lifetime. Be well, and until then...
June 15, 2000
~~~Matt
To begin with, I hope everyone is doing well and that your days have been
happy and constructive. It has been an extremely busy work week for Jeff and
I, as we started in New Mexico, went to Missouri, and ended up in Chicago for
Smackdown. The last couple of hours I have been reading through posts on the
message board, and as always, we appreciate all the input you guys give
Mattandjeffhardy.com. I've also read several e-mails, and I love to here your
opinions, regardless of if they are pro or con.
While we are on the subject of e-mails, I have also read a few negative
messages directed towards our webmistress. I would just like to reinterate
that this site is not here to issues personal attacks because you have
differences with the way it is run, or the way that our webmistress, Kat,
handles the interactions with visitors. Kat works EXTREMELY hard to keep this
site up and running--if anything, thank her for her efforts. It provides
everyone a chance to get to know more detailed things about Jeff and I, as
well as hear our thoughts and comments on different issues. It also allows
Jeff and I a chance to read the message board and e-mails so that we can learn
about the people that have so graciously supported us. I would hate to not
have these opportunities, and our webmistress is the one who makes everything
happen. I'm glad that Kat does such a good job with the site and allows us to
be as interactive as we are with our fans.
And now on to other random thoughts...
When Jeff and I get a chance to establish our personalities, it will do
wonders for our careers and popularity. It will also dumbfound the EXPERTS
that think we have no character or mic skills.
It has been a while since we have really been involve in a hot storyline,
since Wrestlemania, I would say. I think that will change soon--the drought is
almost over.
My body is feeling the best it has in quite a while. Ever since February when
I suffered a separated shoulder, I have been trying to recuperate while
working a full-time schedule. I only took a week off after that incident
because I wanted to make sure that I didn't miss out on Wrestlemania. During
the months of February, March, and April, I was working in pain. I can't
describe how good it feels to be healthy and able to train and lift weights on
a regular basis. In the next couple of months, I'm going to be working my
hardest ever.
Speaking of health, let's talk about my baby brother, Jeff Hardy. For the last
month, he's been plagued with a severe pain in his side. At first they thought
it was his appendix, but it wasn't. To add to the original pain, he acquired a
terrible case of food poisoning. The doctors then thought he had an infected
gall bladder, and they prescribed him some antibiotics and other medicines. It
turns out that his gall bladder is okay, but they still haven't been able to
pinpoint the problem. The medications have stopped his pain for the last week
and he feels relatively normal. Its almost frightening to me all of the abuse
his body takes from his wrestling style combined with our unbelievablely
exhausting schedule. Both of us, especially Jeff, are always susceptible to
dangerous internal injuries with what we do. I hope Jeff's pain stays gone and
he is fine. God-willing, we will both be healthy as long as possible while in
this business.
The last couple of weeks, we have wrestled several singles matches. I think we
have both done really well, considering we're very unaccustomed to wrestling
one on one. We both wrestled Chris Benoit, who is an awesome talent, and it
was a good learning experience for both Jeff and I as singles. I think
everyone has also realized that Matt and Jeff Hardy have distinct individual
wrestling styles--and that we can both hold our own on our own. I think we're
such a good tag team because we compliment each other so well. I feel as if
I'm more of a solid wrestler and fighter, who isn't afraid to take a chance
when it's there. Jeff, on the other hand, will take any chance at any time,
and isn't as much of a fighter as I am. Alot of the time Jeff is reckless in
his style and that's why people can't get enough of his ringwork. Jeff can do
some of the most amazing stuff ever though--especially when his mind is fixed
on it.
Don't look forwards to a split between us though--that's not gonna happen
anytime soon.
It's going to be very interesting to see how the Hardy Boyz relationship with
Lita develops. I think that we can do alot of cool stuff that's never been
done before. Lita (Amy Dumas) has alot of talent--I think that she could
become the most talented women in wrestling in time. Jeff and I have known her
for a while and she is one of our closest friends. I been reading everyone's
postings on their opinions about the possible Hardyz-Lita team. Keep them
coming.
Look for Mike Howell and Murray Happer, two of the Omegapowers, to start on
WWF TV soon. I'm happy for them and I hope they are ultra-successful in the
future.
If you ever see Michael P.S. Hayes out in public, please tell him Jeff and
Matt Hardy say "Thank You." P.S. has been a huge influence in our wrestling
careers and continues to be as he now works in the WWF office. He has taught
us alot about tag team wrestling, and definitely a contributing factor in
making us such a great tag team.
Two other quick thank yous--Dawn and Rita for Pearl Jam concert tickets, and
Tammy McBain and Deeanne Blagdon for making us a simply AWESOME scrapbook. It
has almost every picture and article of the Hardy Boyz in it. It is
unbelievable--Thanks!
The new Pearl Jam album is good--my pick for the breakout song is "Light
Years". I also like the new Perfect Circle album.
Always try to not take anything for granted. You don't realize how precious
something is until it isn't there. Be smart in all the decisions you make and
always think about consequences and reactions to what you do. I have really
tighten up my decision making in the last month. I have too much good stuff
going on to do something stupid, and so do you. We should all do things that
will only make our lives better, not worse. It sounds simple, but that simple
mindset will take you a long way.
Have no fear and dare to dream, make tomorrow the first day of the rest of
your live. Every day counts. Be well, and until then...
From WWFHardys.com
1/9/01
First and foremost, I hope everyone had a great holiday season, and I hope everyone's gearing up to make 2001 the best year of their life yet. I feel like that's the way you've got to look at it. The only way for your life to get better is for you to make it better.
It was nice getting to see everyone over the holidays. On Christmas Day, the Hardy Boyz, all three of us, myself, Jeff, and pops, went to our family gathering and got to see some aunts, uncles, and cousins that we haven't seen in years. We also saw our last Grandparent, our grandma who is doing great at age 90! Amazing. I often hope I'll be able to make it 90 more days in life, much less years.
On New Year's Eve, I continued my four year tradition of spending it in the Carolina's own Myrtle Beach. It was a long day to get the final destination, but well worth it.I had flown in to Raleigh from San Antonio, Texas, picked up Lita, met with Joey Matthews and Christian York, and drove three hours to the beach. It's always good to see Joey and Christian, I've known them since they started in the wrestling business. Joey and Christian were a part of our circle of friends that we call the Omegapowers (along with myself, Jeff, Shane Helms, Shannon Moore, the Dupps, Cham Pain, and Joey Abs). We used to have best times doing independents because we all shared the same desire for making it and all gelled in the ring as well as out of it. Two of my best friends from high school, David Johnson and Aaron Decker made it down, which was awesome because I never get to see them. We had a great all night party with 16 people which was a fun way to bring in 2001. Joey Matthews won the award for staying up the latest--he went to bed at 9:30 a.m. I had to give in at 7:30 a.m. because I had only slept two hours the night before in San An.
The New Year also brings around another tradition for Matt Hardy. Some of our fans who have followed us closely have probably heard of "The Cleansing." Six years ago, myself, Jeff, and five other close friends sat around a campfire on New Year's Day and talked about all the regrets we had from the previous year and what our goals were for the coming year. We all took turns speaking that night. One at a time, we confessed, complimented, critiqued, wished, and shared all our thoughts about ourselves and the other six. When you were done speaking, you would place a log on the fire--the log represented everything from the previous year. Once you put your log on the fire, you had a clean slate for the upcoming year. Jan. 3 was the sixth "Cleansing." Sadly, not all of the seven members made it to the fire this year. It's amazing that every year I feel rejuvenated after spilling my guts. We all do. It's good to have people you can be open and honest and true with. For the last six years, I've been lucky enough to continually have better years. The year 2000 will definitely be hard to top. I'm going to give 2001 everything I have to make it my best year yet-- why don't you do the same?
Thursday, 13-Apr-2000 02:39:31
This is a great question. I DO NOT have a set idea or fixiation on what kind of female I'm looking for. I think that really narrows down your options. I'm not specifically looking for some one, certian type of female--I think that by some strange TWIST OF FATE I will just meet the right person. I don't have a concrete concept of how I would want her to look and acct at all. If I build a mold for some one type of person, then I might end up passing up someone who could be perfect, just not what I had envisioned. If it's right I believe it will feel right. Obviously, we would have to have some of the same beliefs, things in common, and a physical attraction would have to be there. But rest assured, there is no one "has to be exactly what I have imagined" girl that I'm roving the world for. There you have it. Be well, and until then...
Matt Hardy
