Whenever I interview wrestlers, I like to break the ice by asking them about the wrestling legends that influenced them in one way or another. Although I had a feeling which team AEW World Tag Team Champions Private Party would bring up when we chatted ahead of their Full Gear four-way match, I still had to ask. I’m glad I did.
No surprise here, but Isiah Kennedy and Marq Quen laughed when the question came up and instead asked me who I thought were their favorites growing up. Knowing their history, in-ring style, and flashy personalities, I immediately responded with the Hardy Boyz, to which Kennedy responded with “Definitely the Hardyz” before adding:
The Hardyz influenced both of us to be professional wrestlers. Jeff was the first person I saw when it came to the wrestling scheme of things. And then I did my research and I found out that he has a brother that's also doing the same thing. And then after that, I was hooked.
What followed was a quick-yet-impactful trip down memory lane where we chatted about how Matt and Jeff Hardy influenced an entire generation of future stars, gave fans some of the most iconic Attitude Era moments, and constantly reinvented themselves and wrestling as a whole over the past 25 years.
But what stood out most about the duo? Kennedy added:
So for me, what really stood out about the Hardy Boyz was they were different. As a kid, that catches my eye. You know, you're watching all these big beefy guys in trunks and tights, you know, the regular wrestling look. But these guys came out in fishnet, armbands, and baggy cargo pants and face paint … and I'm like, these dudes are cool.
Tagging in to share his experience growing up watching the Hardy Boyz put their lives on the line each and every week, Quen talked about how much he was shocked finding out just how big Matt and Jeff were meeting them years later:
When I saw the Hardyz, those were the ones that made be like, wait, maybe I can do it. And then when I finally meet the Hardyz, they're big guys too. They're big boys. I was like, what? I said you guys were in the cruiserweight division back in the day.
Kennedy, Quen, and I, though from different parts of the country and different walks of life, had a lot of shared experiences watching these two brothers from North Carolina pull off death-defying stunts in our formative days. Touching on this, Kennedy shared how the pair’s charisma and attitude made him a fan on day one:
And then you hear the music, you see Jeff dancing, you see Matt going all crazy. And then to top it off and put the cherry on the cake, man, they're out here doing crazy stuff. As a kid, how can you not love that? You got them doing jumps off of ladders through tables, using chairs, Swanton bombs, the twist of fate, all that good stuff. I'm like, yeah guys, you got me, you got me. I am a fan.
Private Party has had quite the history with the Hardy Boyz. This is especially true with Matt, who has worked with the team multiple times over the years. A few years after the Hardyz defeated Kennedy and Quen for the House of Glory Tag Team Championship, Matt paired up with the team in AEW. At one point, Kennedy started working under the name Brother Zay while Quen was out with an injury.
Only time will tell if Private Party gets a chance to face off against Matt and Jeff Hardy at some point in the future, but it would give me even more reason to be excited if those two teams met in the ring at an upcoming AEW pay-per-view or anywhere else really.
