Do you find it difficult, as you've gotten older, to have that gas in the tank? Do you still have as much wind? Because if anybody can drag you into deep water in a singles match, it's Nick Nemeth.

Yeah, without a doubt.

He's definitely got that, that Rocky, you know, type of cardio, man, that's, that's, like, almost superhuman.

Um, but I've got some of [audio distorts] that, ah, as well.

And, and the people, you know, I, um, I've got such a connection with the, with the fans.

Even, like, Jeff Hardy haters, you know, I, I, I appreciate them, man.

And, ah, a- and if there's, you know, a few out there.

[laughs]

Yeah.

Matt, Matt has told the stories here on the podcast before about waiting to see what the reception would be, hearing that the WWE wrestlers had watch parties for it while they were in Japan.

You're pretty off the grid, Jeff, when it comes to social media.

When did you know that this was a success? I think I just heard, like, through the, even though I didn't, I wasn't into social media much at all back then, I just heard the rumblings, I guess, and from what Matt, you know, was saying, oh yeah, there's a lot of great feedback.

Um, but yeah, I just, uh, I don't know.

I, it really, I think too, like the first m- that match we had, uh, gosh, with the Young Bucks in, was that in New York? Was that the first time we showed up at Ring of Honor as the Broken Hardys?

Right.

And, and [laughs] many people consider that to be one of the true significant signature moments of your career, and Matt and I have done an episode about it many years ago, talking about it and his perspective of you climbing that ladder, making yourself famous.

And if you have the berries or any of the flower, you will get extremely sick.

Oh, dang.

Yeah, so being a part of that first ever Wicked Garden match, naturally watching that back and going, oh, my God, this was chaotic.

But still, it makes me go, okay, what about what's next time going to look like? I still get so much joy out of dreaming up something and then bringing it to life in a professional wrestling ring.

in front of a live audience, and that's just the stuff I live for.

You can see Brother Nero's.

He's still

how gradual is that though you go right right to like six foot ladder how like how how's that work the gradation up to what you guys eventually do

So for you, Modest was a theme that came from within Jeff Hart.

Yes, for sure.

It was like I went through a period of writing really...

it was like a group, I think it's like six songs, a group of like six songs.

Never.

They all had this special kind of vibe, like modest had.

And another me was another one of those songs.

How cool was it? And tell me a little bit about the experience of working with him on the live version of your entrance theme.

So do you have anything to add to that from that perspective, if I can ask?

Yeah, we still hear it every day and it always goes, you probably know this and you probably hear this all the time, but y'all were my childhood.

So we hear that so much, man.

It still means so much of how the connection we have developed over the years and the people that still show up.

with love and support for us, especially me through my recovery journey.

It's always cool to hear somebody say, I'm two months sober and you've got a lot to do with that.

I'm like, that feels so good.

What do you think they can bring to your specialty, to the Hardee's realm, effectively?

What do you remember most from that night when all of it went down?

Uh, just blown away, burnt, uh, blown away.

Um, as far as what had happened and, uh, it was hot.

It was very hot.

And, uh, One of those things, man, you never expect to happen, and I'm just blown away.

Matt was going to college to be an engineer before we made it in pro wrestling, so I was just Super impressed how he rigged up the pyro to almost kill me.

So props to him for getting away with that and how he made that happen.

And it makes me very proud of him.

Am I correct in saying that?

Correct, yeah, very much so.

I love TNA, man.

It's my third run, I think, in TNA, and I think it's going to quite possibly be our best run in TNA, being the inmost extreme hearty run, and we're off to a great start, and Slammiversary last year, man, was something else, and this year, it's going to be just as impressive, if not more impressive than last year.

How have you done it? What's your secret sauce?

Yeah, ice baths have been, like I said earlier, a game changer for us.

uh, I think I started doing them after about a year and a half of sobriety.

And I really like, I went under at the very end of it, about three minutes.

I felt that in the building, being emotionally Thank you

Oh, for sure, yeah.

There was tears.

And I think I was not only just thinking about, oh, my God, this is the end of the Dudleys, Team 3D.

And then also I thought we're kind of near the end of our careers, too.

So it all kind of, like, warped up and, like, it all kind of came out like – in that ring that night and um and so but yeah watching it back I mean overall I'm super proud of the way it turned out and one of the things that that's an interesting fact is there was almost going to be probably the most sketchiest Swanton ever done it was going to be over the entrance from on the bleachers and uh and I'd said like I always do I went up there and I got and I looked down I was like, yeah, I think I'll be fine.

I think I can do it.

Sometimes I think some promotions don't get enough credit, but where do you, how do you feel about where wrestling is now with all the promotions?

Uh, it must be kind of cool to be at this stage of your career and still being, you know, faces of the company.

Yeah, it's super cool, and I, I, I've made the, I totally made the right decision whenever, uh, you know, the time came for me to...

I could have stayed with AEW or come join my brother in TNA.

I had no idea Matt even was going to TNA.

I came up from working out one morning, and my wife said, "Uh, honey, did you know that Matt, uh, showed up in TNA?" I said, "No, I, I didn't." And then I watched the footage, I was like, "Oh my God, that's crazy." I sent Matt a text, "Hey, congratulations, man.

How'd that feel?" He said, "Oh, it was great." So, uh, right then I was like, "Okay, that, that's where I've gotta go." We gotta, we gotta get back to being The Hardys and, uh, and help TNA, uh, evolve e- even bigger, and, uh, it feels exactly like we're in the right place at the right time, all that good stuff, and, uh, everything's kind of worked out the way it was supposed to.

Are you at a point in life where can you fully appreciate the impact you've had and the influence you've had, or is that something that maybe comes whenever it is you do, you know, call it a day?

I c- Ever since coming back to TNA, and especially these meet and greets, that really, like, it set in with me, like, wow, people do care about us a lot, and especially me through my personal issues, uh, with drugs and alcohol, man, the support.

We got along with all those guys great, and still do.

Oh, you know, on, on this show, we like to remind people that, you know, success, it, it's rare that you get success in any, you know, business format, for sure, without, uh, help.

You know, without somebody who either is bringing you up in the right conversations or, you know, who gives you that shot, gives you that opportunity.

You know, it's, it's, it's a, it's a road that you have to make a lot of friends, and you make it- have to make a lot of believers on the way to success.

So who are some names, um, off, off you guys' top, uh, top of your head, that without those names, whether it be them having conversations with the right people or just giving you a shot, what are some names that you attribute the success of The Hardys to?

I don't think I have any regrets.

I've, I've got two.

Like, with RVD, I went through a table vertically instead of, like, horizontal, the way you normally go through it, and I went through it just vertically.

So it's been very interesting to see this side of you.

Yeah, it's crazy.

In school, you know, Matt was always the really smart brother, you know.

I was always, you know, average, but in art class, man, I was, I was on top of my game.

Like, that's where I excelled.

And I was about to go to, like, uh, art school, uh, in Atlanta before we, like, signed our developmental deal.

So, uh, so I chose wrestling over that, but man, it's just, it's always been in my brain.

Did you need time away from the business? What was going on at that time?

Okay.

I was looking so forward to seeing the ladder match tomorrow when I watched it back, because we were... did an appearance today and we're gonna be on a flight tonight.

But, uh, getting to see it live in- in front row was just incredible.

Uh, so yeah, we didn't have time.

We got here right before the show started.

... something's going on.

And I finally got to use the, uh at our last big show, Slammiversary, the cable ladder, which I wanted to use after TLC II, I think.

Great question.

I, I, it did run through my mind when, when my wife said, "Hey, d- did you know Matt was going back to TNA?" I said, "No, I had no idea." And then I watched the footage.

I said, "Whoa, that's pretty cool." And I sent him a text, like, "Oh, man.

That, that was really cool, man.

How'd it feel?" You know, and a part of me...

Uh, man, should I just maybe do a solo thing and stay in AEW for another year and see what happens? Or should I go back to TNA? And I was like, "What am I even...

why am I even considering not doing this?" I had so many great moments and memories in TNA.

Why do you like that one?