Matt Hardy has always drawn extreme reactions in Philadelphia.
When he was with World Wrestling Entertainment, Matt was one half of arguably the most popular tag team of all time when he teamed with his brother Jeff as the Hardy Boyz.
After leaving WWE, Hardy would go on to be one of the most hated wrestlers in Philly, when he turned in his extreme lifestyle to be Big Money Matt.
Unlike the loved Hardy Boy, this version of Matt liked to show off all of the money he’s earned while being a top wrestler. He did this by shoving it in our faces.
Philly didn’t like that so much, and they let him know as soon as he stepped in front of the curtain.
After becoming “Broken” and then refinding himself, Hardy is once again one of the good guys in the industry.
And while he’s a North Carolina boy, he’s coming to his second home when Philadelphia becomes wrestling central.
WWE is bringing Wrestlemania to Philadelphia, and because of that, wrestling fans from all over the world will be here this weekend. And Hardy is giving fans a chance to take part in a very unique opportunity.
Hardy will host a live recording of his podcast “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy” at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel as part of WrestleCon, the convention where wrestling fans can meet the stars of today and yesterday.
The podcast, which is co-hosted by Jon Alba, will cover the “TLC” years, which was when Hardy and his brother were stealing every big show with opponents like Edge and Christian and the Dudley Boyz.
Hardy loves taking part in these live podcasts, which include a question-and-answer session at the end.
He enjoys holding them anywhere, but with all of Hardy’s history in Philly, this one should be among the best – and biggest – he’s ever held.
“I’ve had some memorable moments in Philadelphia, the biggest was the cage match Jeff and I had with Edge and Christian following Summer Slam where we won the titles,” Hardy said. “We were going to win the titles in Raleigh (North Carolina), but the night before, it changed, it was our hometown and Vince (McMahon) changed it,” Hardy said. “Sometimes you have a blowoff (to a feud), that’s what you want. But we ended up doing it in Philadelphia. When we first won in 1999 against Acolytes, we weren’t the best tag team in the world. Fast forward a year later, we were deserving and we were over and established, we were helping that tag titles. And they were happy. Philly can sometimes be hard on babyfaces, so we were happy to get that (celebration) after we won.”
While the main event of the podcast will be Hardy’s frank discussion, the entire weekend should be a huge Hardy party.
One of the best parts for him will be visiting with fans, both at the podcast and at Wrestlecon, where he’ll be joined by his wife Reby, his oldest child Maxel, and youngest Ever, who has become quite the tag team partner with her mom on social media.
Fans will be excited to meet all of the Hardys. The family is looking forward to it, too.
It helps that Hardy was a massive wrestling fan growing up, so he knows exactly how fans feel when they’re trying to meet their heroes.
“I feel like I was such a big fan growing up, coolest thing ever, reason I want to do it, they were living, breathing superheroes,” said Hardy, who made sure to keep the cost of his podcast show on the cheap side ($25) so fans wouldn’t break the bank if they attended. “My fans have always supported me and have my back. They’re precious to me. Unless it’s mandatory, like I have to run because I’m going to miss a flight, I will stop and sign pictures and do autographs. I know if Macho Man Randy Savage did that for me, I would love and support him forever. Both myself and Jeff, we love our fans, so we’re good to them. They support us and have been loyal for over 32 years.”
Fans aren’t the only ones who will have fun hanging with Hardy Wrestlemania week.
On Friday, Hardy will take over the Monster Factory in Paulsboro, New Jersey.
He’ll run a seminar that will be geared toward anyone in the wrestling industry.
Whether you’re a wrestler, manager, promotor, referee or announcer, Hardy will share his knowledge of the sport. And he comes from a unique perspective.
Hardy broke into the business by starting his own promotion. He went on to star in WWE, TNA, Ring of Honor, All Elite Wrestling and every other promotion he’s ever worked for.
He’s been a star tag team wrestler, singles wrestler, he’s served as a manager, a mentor and some of the best storylines in the sport over the past decade he’s had a hand in coming up with.
“This will air as a podcast sometime down the line, but it’s a chance to pick my brain,” Hardy said. “I’m looking forward to it. I love talking about wrestling.”
Hardy and his family will sign autographs at Wrestlecon on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets to Hardy’s podcast are available at www.MattHardyLive.com. For tickets to the seminar at the Monster Factory, email [email protected].
