Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy were given some real creative control over the October 15 episode of TNA Impact, but they didn’t get everything exactly the way Matt wanted it. Matt revealed that TNA changed the running order he originally had in mind for the show, including where he wanted The Righteous and The Sicks’ tables match to happen.
Speaking on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Matt explained that he specifically wanted a tables match as part of the Hardys’ 35th anniversary celebration. Considering how closely he and Jeff have been associated with tables throughout their careers, it felt like an obvious addition.
“But in my mind, too, I also wanted to see a tables match. I feel like a tables match is something that, you know, the Hardys are very famous for in this day and age. Obviously, tables, ladders, and chairs — we’re very closely associated with all that.”
Once Matt started thinking about who should actually be in the match, he landed on two teams that had caused plenty of problems for the Hardys. His thinking was pretty simple — let their enemies beat the hell out of each other.
“And I was like, ‘Huh, who would we put? Who would I put if I was legitimately booking the show?’ I feel like I’d probably book two of our most hated rivals, you know, The Righteous and The Sicks, and maybe they can destroy one another. They’ll do us a favor by just sticking them together in a match.”
That’s how The Righteous and The Sicks ended up in the tables match, but Matt’s original vision didn’t stop with simply picking the participants.
“And we put those guys in a tables match. And in reality, if I would have formatted the show, I would have put that match before the Ryan and Nic segment, I think, because I really like, if you have an opening segment, have a hot match that people are invested in after that. And I would have probably done The Sicks.”
Matt confirmed that was how he’d hoped the episode would actually play out. Instead, Nic Nemeth vs. Ryan Nemeth came immediately after the opening segment, while the tables match happened later in the show.
“That’s what I was, yeah. Whenever I was thinking about it, that is kind of how I was hoping to roll it out.”
Matt didn’t seem upset that TNA changed things around, though. He figured there may have simply been a production reason for the switch, especially since the tables match needed more time than the Nemeth segment.
“But, you know, I don’t know if there was even a difference in the format where they needed a little more time, and the reason it might have been a shorter segment is why they did it.”
Matt Hardy also acknowledged that putting the tables match later may have actually given everyone more room to work with.
“Because the Ryan and Nic segment wasn’t that long, and we needed more time for that tables match, and they may have had more time if they did it following that.”
The Hardys clearly had legitimate input when it came to putting together their anniversary episode, but that didn’t mean they were handed complete control over every minute of Impact. Matt had his preferred running order, while TNA ultimately made some adjustments when it came time to put the final show together.
What do you think about TNA changing Matt Hardy’s original idea for how the Hardys’ 35th anniversary episode should have been formatted? Let us know in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
