Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images
Former WWE champion Jeff Hardy debuted for All Elite Wrestling on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
Hardy made the save when his brother Matt was getting beat down with Sting and Darby Allin by Andrade El Idolo, Private Party and the Butcher and the Blade. He was announced as an official member of the AEW roster by Tony Khan.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
JEFF HARDY IS IN @AEW 🤯 pic.twitter.com/7I1lazCQEp
Tony Khan @TonyKhan
It’s official! @JEFFHARDYBRAND is ALL ELITE!#AEWDynamite @TBSNetwork pic.twitter.com/v3brS82rPo
Hardy was released by WWE in December after a strange incident at a live event in Corpus Christi, Texas, during which Hardy left through the crowd in the middle of a six-man tag team match.
According to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, WWE offered Hardy the chance to go to rehab, but Hardy declined, which resulted in his release.
Jeff’s brother, AEW star Matt Hardy, provided some more information regarding Jeff’s WWE departure on his Twitch stream in January.
During the stream (h/t WrestlingInc’s Eric Mutter), Matt said Jeff was given a drug test by WWE prior to his release. Matt said the result never came back but that Jeff knew he had passed because he hadn’t been using drugs.
Matt suggested WWE jumped the gun by releasing Jeff and expressed his belief that the stress of working for WWE is what prompted Jeff to walk out rather than any issues with drugs or alcohol.
It wasn’t long after Jeff’s WWE release that he and Matt went public with plans for a Hardy Boyz reunion on the independent scene.
That naturally fueled speculation that Jeff would eventually join his brother Matt in AEW for one last run as the Hardy Boyz on a big national stage.
The Hardy Boyz are undoubtedly among the greatest tag teams of all time, having held tag team titles in WWE nine times, as well as the TNA and Ring of Honor Tag Team Championships.
Jeff has accomplished a ton on his own as well, holding the WWE Championship, World Heavyweight Championship, Intercontinental Championship and United States Championship in WWE.
The 44-year-old Hardy’s recent run in WWE suggests he still has plenty left in the tank, and signing a wrestler of his caliber is another major coup for AEW.
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original source: Jeff Hardy Debuts in AEW Following Controversial WWE Release
