Exclusive Ring Rust Radio interview with former WWE and current TNA star Jeff Hardy

The hosts of Ring Rust Radio – Donald Wood, Mike Chiari and Brandon Galvin – were recently able to interview for WWE and current TNA star Jeff Hardy. With Hardy returning to Impact Wrestling after missing several weeks because of an injury, Hardy looks to get revenge on James Storm as well as discussing the resurgence of tag team wrestling and the future of the Hardy Boys as a team in TNA.

Donald Wood: You make your return to Impact Wrestling Friday night at 9 p.m. on Destination America when you square off against James Storm in a Six Sides of Steel match. Are there any reservations for you in a match this dangerous after you suffered your most recent injury in a similar bout?

Jeff Hardy: None. With this one there is actually a roof on the cage.  It’s kinda like the Lethal Lockdown match, I don’t know if you’re familiar with the Lockdown pay-per-views from the past, but there’s a top on this cage.  So there is no escape whatsoever.  There are weapons hanging from the roof, we went in there and we tore it up as you will see this Friday.  The show is all about Hardy’s revenge.  I’ve been out for a month, James Storm knocked me out with the cowbell, I hit the stairs and was unconscious, and I get my revenge this Friday.

Mike Chiari: Your willingness to do high-risk spots and kind of throw caution to the wind is obviously a big reason why you became so popular in the first place. And you’re obviously still capable of doing those big spots as evidenced by falling on the steps against Storm, but as your career progresses do you have any thoughts of toning down your style, or do think that’s always going to be who you are as a performer?

Jeff Hardy: It’s always how I’m gonna be till I can’t do it anymore.  It’s kinda of a day by day, match by match process with me.  I’m pretty sure I know what my body is capable of doing and getting away with without getting seriously injured.  That’s the main thing is to avoid that big, serious injury.  I feel confident in whatever I come up with in my mind that I can pull it off.  I always go for it unless someone shuts me down.  As long as I am able to wrestle I will always be that Jeff Hardy style people know and love until I can’t.  

Brandon Galvin: Your fall onto the steel steps at Lockdown garnered mainstream attention, which s always a priority for any company, but how important is that for you as the performer knowing you created such a buzz for the product?

Jeff Hardy: It doesn’t even really matter to me.  Matt is more the social media guy.  He is the one that wants to get it everywhere.  I’m kinda stand behind the evolution of it all.  I don’t even tweet that much but I will tweet a picture after a match with my face paint and say thank you Orlando or wherever I am.  That’s really all I do, I’m pretty much an anti-social when it comes to that.  That stuff is more along Matt’s territory where he cares about all that stuff and I really don’t care about the impact it makes on others.  I just care if it was a great match and if the story is good.  This Friday on Impact at 9 p.m. on Destination America it is Hardy’s revenge.  You gotta tune in to check it out, I get so much revenge on him you just won’t know what to do.  It’s a great match, great show, and a flawless story.  TNA is doing great right now and we’re just gonna keep climbing. 

Donald Wood: While you are returning Friday to square off against Storm in a singles match, you are still very much part of The Hardys and the quest for tag team gold. You and your brother have yet to win the championships in TNA. What would winning the titles mean for you as an individual and as part of The Hardy Boys legacy?

Jeff Hardy: It’s all about the collection you know?  It’s something to add to the collection and naturally as a pro-wrestler you want to every title you possibly can.  From the lightweight championship, tag team championship, US title, intercontinental title, world heavyweight championship which is the metaphorical brass ring to grab they say.  Naturally you want to win them all to add to your collection.  To look back on your career and say that you did that, that is something Matt and I haven’t done yet.  We have had some killer matches in TNA with the Wolves, Team 3D, and we are going to continue to have those matches until we win those World titles.  It’s inevitable that we are and I am looking forward to it.   

Mike Chiari: You and Matt getting back together as a team is something that I think a lot of fans have enjoyed, especially since you’ve gotten to mix it up with some of the up-and-coming teams like The Wolves. The Hardys were instrumental in the resurgence of tag team wrestling in the late-1990s, so do you and Matt kind of view your reunion as an opportunity to do that again and restore the importance tag team wrestling?

Jeff Hardy: Kind of yea, I would think so.  I was always a believer of tag team ranks could be just as important as the world championship and singles matches.  I think we could see that down the road in some company where the world tag team titles are more important than the world heavyweight title.  Back in the day when we were just the Hardy Boyz before we went our solo ways, we just went out there and had the greatest matches ever.  We wanted to steal the show every night and I feel that way now with Matt every time we get together and have a match.  I always want to mention the Young Bucks, cause we have wrestled them several times and it is a blast getting together with those guys.  We always put together killer matches and tear it up.  This weekend we are wrestling RVD and Sabu at WrestleCon out on the West coast.  That will be another dream match for sure.  It’s just so cool later in life, especially with what I have been through and what Matt has been through, and to come out of the dark times on such a good note and be better than we ever have been in the ring at this age.  It’s a good feeling, and therefore the future is limitless as to what we can do and accomplish.

Brandon Galvin: As far as years in the business, you're one of the most experienced wrestlers at TNA. Do younger wrestlers come to you for advice and do you view yourself as a leader in TNA's locker room?

Jeff Hardy: I never view myself as a leader.  I compliment people when I see something I really like and tell them that was good, keep doing what you’re doing.  That’s as much as advice as you will get out of me.  Matt is more that trainer to help a young star be better.  If he ever opens a school I might pop in and my big claim to fame is selling and how to take a good butt whooping.  I never saw myself as a leader but Matt definitely is that guy.

Donald Wood: At the end of last month, you became the first OMEGA Heavyweight Champion since 2000. With so much family influence on this independent promotion, what has it been like creating something new and unique in the business?

Jeff Hardy: It’s extremely cool.  To capitalize on that like Shane Helms the Hurricane has, all the power and weight behind those shows and everything it takes to pull those off.  He was hanging at my house one weekend and we watched a show where the Hardy Boyz wrestled the Briscoe Brothers.  Just from beginning to end it was such a good show and all I could say was wow.  It was pay-per-view worthy and it was just a match at a high school.  All the way through it was built and built until the main event perfectly.  Now the possibilities are endless especially now that I have this alter ego Willow.  Now when I have these crazy ideas I run them by Shane and he says, “Oh wow, yeah that is cool.”  It’s a new day in pro-wrestling and with Omega we can and we will pull of anything.  Down the road with Jeff Hardy and Willow you are going to see some really cool, I almost want to say magic-like and special setups for some alter ego Willow stuff going on with Omega.   

Mike Chiari: Sting is a guy who you worked with pretty extensively during his time in TNA, and one of the biggest stories in professional wrestling right now is Sting making his WrestleMania debut on Sunday. What were you able to learn or pick up from Sting when you worked together, and how do you think he’ll perform on the big stage?

Jeff Hardy: I think it’s overdue and about time he gets that WrestleMania moment because he deserves it.  I saw the Wyatt promo on Raw, which I loved, then I saw the whole Vigilante vs. King promo for Triple H and Sting’s match.  I got goosebumps from it, I wasn’t even a wrestler at that point I’m just a fan.  Sting was one of my first and biggest influences.  One night in North Carolina when I reached out and touched his shoulder, he had the face paint on, and I didn’t know why but I loved it.  I wanted to be just like him and I was only 11 years old.  Now that he is going to be in a match at WrestleMania blows my mind.  I can’t wait to see how it turns out but I know it will be great I am sure.  Every time I was in the ring with him it was just a blessing for me to be in there with a role model and a guy I looked up to so much.  I can’t wait to see his moment in WrestleMania.

Brandon Galvin: Throughout your career you've competed in some of the most high-risk and ground-breaking matches. TNA is often looking to try new types of matches. Is there a different variation or completely new type of stipulation that you think fans would want to see in TNA?

Jeff Hardy: Stipulation as in match wise?  There’s always room for that.  I have an idea but I haven’t pushed it yet.  I asked the guy in TNA that does the ring work if there was a way to spin the ring like WCW did back in the Universal days.  It would spin around so I got to thinking, and I asked if he could put a ring on a thing that would spin to make it go around and around, make it go faster and slow it down.  A rotating match to pull off in the future, where you start the match and at a certain time it’s going to start to rotate and go faster and faster.  If you could pull off spots while the ring is rotating would be awesome in itself.  Anything is possible if people are willing to attempt to pull it off and get over the fear of trying.  I’m willing to try anything.