Jeff Hardy Wanted a Wild “Penitentiary Match” Against The Usos

Jeff Hardy had a vision, and it involved stepping into The Uso Penitentiary—literally.

When The Hardy Boyz made their legendary return at WrestleMania 33 in 2017, Jimmy and Jey Uso were already one of WWE’s top teams. While they had a few encounters, the two legendary duos never had a full-blown rivalry. But if Jeff had his way, they would have battled inside an actual prison in a cinematic “Penitentiary Match”.

“I always had a cinematic match in mind with The Usos. Their deal was ‘The Uso Penitentiary.’ I wanted to go to an old penitentiary that people go and do paranormal gigs on and have a match with them,” Jeff revealed on WWE Retrospective. “It would naturally be called a ‘Penitentiary Match’ of some kind between The Hardys and The Usos.”

Matt Hardy loved the idea, but the dream match never happened. Instead, The Usos ended up battling The New Day inside Hell in a Cell—something The Hardys never had the chance to do.

Despite that missed opportunity, both Hardy brothers have nothing but respect for The Usos.

“The Usos, man, we were so excited to work with them,” Matt said. “I always thought they were great… The stuff they did with The Bloodline and Roman has just been incredible. You could see that potential in them. They were so enjoyable to work with.”

Jeff echoed the sentiment, recalling their early years. “I remember when they were so young through Umaga, you know, getting to know them when they were super young, and just getting into the business. Man, it was so cool to actually be in the ring with them and tearing it up.”

While the Hardy Boyz vs. The Usos rivalry never fully materialized, the story may not be over just yet. Matt and Jeff currently hold the TNA World Tag Team Championships, and with TNA Wrestling and WWE now working together, the possibility of a final run under WWE’s banner remains open.