On a recent episode of Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, the wrestler opened up about a missed opportunity to engage in a storyline with John Cena during WWE in 2009. Hardy explained that the feud was set to happen after his rivalry with Jeff Hardy but was halted due to injuries he sustained at the time.
Details Behind the Cancelled Feud
Matt Hardy described how a broken hand and surgery for an abdominal injury forced him out of action. During this period, Vince McMahon had shown interest in pairing Hardy against John Cena following his heel run with Jeff Hardy. However, when Jeff faced his own challenges with restless leg syndrome and decided to leave WWE, plans shifted. Upon Matt’s return, he was brought back as a babyface instead of continuing the original storyline.
“But there was talk if I had been healthy going through that program with Jeff and we got through it, and I was a heel and had heat, that I could work with Cena. Which I would have loved, and that would have been fun to do. Because I worked with him back in the day, you know, when he first started, but it would have been fun to work with him on a much bigger level.”
– Matt Hardy, Wrestler
How Matt Would Have Approached the Feud
Hardy reflected on how he might have shaped the rivalry, suggesting he would have evolved his character after moving past Jeff. He considered incorporating their past history, expressing feelings of rivalry and jealousy toward Cena as a way to deepen the storyline. Hardy imagined a narrative where he confronts John about being instrumental in Cena’s early success but later feeling abandoned.
“Once I went past Jeff and I kind of kept talking about being the black cloud over his head, I would obviously tried to change my direction and kind of what my trajectory was for what I was doing. And I don’t know, maybe I would have even leaned in to some of our history back in the day about, ‘Hey, he’s become such a big star.’ And I was one of the guys who helped work with him in the very beginning. And you know, ‘They trusted me to work with you and to team with you. And after all that I did for you, you never tried to help me later on. You just said, ‘To hell with you.’ You know, maybe something like that. I felt like the being jealous of Jeff, maybe even being jealous of John, I could have came at it from a different angle or something, because that, that routine worked pretty good at that time.”
– Matt Hardy, Wrestler
Ongoing Reactions to His Transformative Role With Jeff Hardy
Matt also discussed the lasting backlash he has received over a pivotal moment—the chair shot at the Royal Rumble—that turned against his brother Jeff. Fans remain upset with him, even years later, blaming him for costing Jeff the championship.
“People still hate me to this day. You know, for that, that chair shot at Royal Rumble. They just said, ‘Man, I was so mad at you as a kid. I swore I would never, ever, I never, ever watch a match of yours again. I hated you so bad once you cost your brother the title.’”
– Matt Hardy, Wrestler
This revelation sheds light on the complexities behind the scenes of WWE storylines involving Matt Hardy and John Cena. Had injuries not intervened, fans might have witnessed a high-profile feud that could have added significant depth to both wrestlers’ careers. Moving forward, this insight provides context to longstanding emotions tied to Matt’s past rivalries and emphasizes how physical setbacks can alter the trajectory of wrestling storylines.
