Dwayne Johnson put the entire wrestling world on notice with his surprise return to SmackDown, and while we’re waiting to see what’s next for his future, it’s never a bad time for someone to sing his praises regarding big moments from the past. AEW’s Matt Hardy recently took to his podcast to discuss the impact “The Great One” had on his and brother Jeff Hardy’s early days with the WWE.
On his podcast The Extreme Life Of Matt Hardy, the legendary tag-team wrestler is known for sharing fun and insightly anecdotes about his past, and he recently dedicated an episode to former co-superstar The Rock. As WWE fans wonder if Dwayne Johnson will return to wrestling part-time and compete in WrestleMania 40, Hardy talked about the early days working as a WWE extra alongside his brother Jeff, and how Johnson helped give them a leg up before they turned into “household names.” In his words:
[WWE] would see us every few weeks, every couple of months, as we were trying to get jobs, trying to secure jobs ourselves, but he was always so nice. I will never forget…there was a point we were going to State College and I remember we were driving around and we weren’t sure where the building was and we pulled up to a stoplight, and he was there. Like, ‘Hey, what’s going on, Hardys, how you doing?’…He said, ‘Follow me I know where I’m going, I’ve been here before.’ We followed him and he got there and said, ‘Yeah the guys behind me they’re booked here too. They’re here to wrestle.’ Sometimes it was hard for us to get in there because we weren’t household names…and we’re like, man, what a cool dude.
It’s hard to imagine today, but there actually was once a point in the past 30 years of professional wrestling when Jeff and Matt Hardy were “nobodies” in the business. Fortunately, they had someone like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson with ties to the business watching their back and ensuring they were able to skate in to participate in shows without fear of trouble from security. And even if he wasn’t yet at the height of his own fame, Johnson’s family and wrestling legacy were no doubt large advantages for him and those he looked out for.
Eventually, The Hardy Boyz became legends in their own right, and while I don’t think anyone would put them in the same territory as a heavyweight like The Rock, they’re definitely recognized by most fans who follow wrestling today. That said, Matt Hardy is with AEW these days, so I wouldn’t expect to see him at any upcoming WWE events to help support Dwayne Johnson for his good deed back in the day.
Matt Hardy might not show up again in the WWE anytime soon, but he is telling plenty of great stories about the organization on his podcast. The superstar recently released an episode where he recalled what he was going through in the company during the September 11th attacks, and Vince McMahon’s decision to host one of the first televised mass gatherings following the attacks.
As mentioned, Dwayne Johnson hinted he’d be available for WrestleMania 40, but also recently explained he was virtually locked down for WrestleMania 39 before he had to pull out. He was blown away by the response to his SmackDown return, but who knows if his schedule will load back up with the potential end of the SAG-AFTRA strike in the coming months and more upcoming movies starring Johnson are announced.
Clearly, the wrestling world is psyched by the possibility of Dwayne Johnson’s return to the WWE, but we’ll just have to keep watching SmackDown on Fridays on Fox at 8:00 p.m. ET to see if he’ll make another appearance in the near future and confirm an appearance at WrestleMania 40.