Wrestling superstar Jeff Hardy is in the news again after his latest DUI arrest, which went down in Florida. AEW originally booked the wrestler to tag-team with his brother Matt Hardy in an upcoming match on AEW: Dynamite, but it appears that isn’t at all in the cards following footage of the arrest going public, with officers having pulled their guns during the process. In the wake of all this news, both Matt Hardy and Tony Khan shared statements regarding the situation with Jeff Hardy, which we'll go further into detail on below.
Matt Hardy Shares Support For Jeff Hardy
Matt Hardy was one of his brother’s strongest supporters in the wake of Jeff Hardy’s ousting from the WWE. During that time, Matt spoke out about how the WWE handled Jeff’s dismissal and even mocked his brother’s now-infamous exit mid-match from a house show on AEW. Following the new details surrounding Jeff Hardy’s arrest, Matt Hardy took a more somber tone.
In a brief tweet, Hardy shared with fans how he was feeling after the news and continued to express his support for his brother getting well:
It was disheartening to hear the news about my brother yesterday. Recovery isn’t a linear process & I’ll continue doing whatever I can to help my brother be healthy. Being healthy & well is the most important thing for Jeff, his wife, his children & our family at this time.
Matt Hardy wants to help his brother in whatever way he can, and stressed Jeff Hardy’s health is what’s most important. No doubt he’ll continue to support him with whatever comes next, and try to help get his brother back in a wrestling ring so they can continue to put on matches worthy of their past matches (which fans can revisit with a Peacock premium subscription).
Footage Of Jeff Hardy’s Arrest Surfaced On The Internet
TMZ Sports obtained footage of Jeff Hardy’s DUI arrest, which depicted a disturbing scene. Officers approached Hardy’s vehicle after successfully pulling him over, but when he apparently refused to comply with their demands, multiple officers were seen with their guns drawn and pointed at the vehicle.
About a minute after the stop, and following what appeared to be Hardy having an issue putting the car into park, the WWE vet agreed to exit the vehicle. Following a brief conversation, the officers performed a field sobriety test in a nearby parking lot. Hardy was unable to keep his balance during the test, and officers cuffed him and put him under arrest. TMZ reported that Hardy blew three times the legal limit on two readings, .294 and .291.
AEW's Tony Khan Responds To Jeff Hardy’s Arrest
AEW’s CEO Tony Khan didn’t immediately comment on the situation with Jeff Hardy, but fans wanted to see how he’d respond, given how the wrestler's on-screen future was put in jeopardy. As mentioned, the Hardys were originally part of a ladder match set to happen on June 15, but that is no longer the case, and fans shouldn't expect to see them tagging up again for a mandated amount of time.
Tony Khan posted an official statement about the situation on Twitter and laid out what Jeff Hardy’s future in AEW is contingent upon:
We were able to resume contact with Jeff Hardy this afternoon. AEW does not condone Jeff’s alleged behavior. We’ve made it clear to Jeff that we’ll assist him in getting treatment for substance abuse issues, which he has indicated that he’s open to receiving. In the interim, he is suspended without pay, and he can only return to AEW upon successfully completing treatment and maintaining his sobriety.
AEW’s offer to Jeff Hardy sounds similar to the deal the WWE offered him back when he was having issues with Vince McMahon & Co., but Hardy rejected getting treatment at that time. Hardy also rejected an offer from the WWE to be inducted in the Hall of Fame, so perhaps he was just unwilling to work with McMahon’s organization on many fronts. This time, he’ll likely be more receptive, since according to the statement, he won’t be welcomed back to AEW, and now will he be paid, until he completes treatment and is sober again. Until then, he’ll be away from television, and fans will have to wait and see when he might return and what he may do after.
AEW: Dynamite airs on TBS on Wednesdays starting at 8:00 p.m. ET. Tune in to see if the show addresses the situation any further and what may replace the originally planned ladder match.
