On a recent edition of his “The Extreme Life Of Matt Hardy” podcast, AEW alumnus Matt Hardy analyzed AEW’s decision to air the All In 2023 footage of CM Punk and Jack Perry’s backstage altercation on this week’s episode of Dynamite.
The podcast was recorded before the episode aired on Wednesday night.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On AEW airing the All In footage: “It’s intriguing. It’s very unlike AEW to do this, but I’m not opposed to it. Because I am someone who says more than anyone: wrestling is entertainment when it’s all said and done. And like, pro wrestling isn’t primarily about pro wrestling. It’s about entertainment and it’s about following different characters, the journey, and their story arc and being invested in them. That’s — you know, I said that all the time. I’m okay with them doing it, like I’m not opposed to it. I think it’s gonna be really interesting to have a follow-up to this. Because I think it could be something that is beneficial to AEW. And if they do it, and there’s a lack of follow-up on how they do it. Or if they do it in a way that seems untruthful, it could backfire. It could be detrimental. So I’m really curious to see how the whole presentation happens and how it goes down.”
On what he hopes happens out of it: “And I also — in the big scheme of things, in reality. I feel like if you were going to pull the trigger on this, I would have rather had been pulled months ago when this was a lot more current and relevant to day-to-day situations. I think out of this, you’re probably going to get Jungle Boy back, which I think is a good thing. I think Jungle Boy shouldn’t have been punished as hard as he was. I understand, he was at fault too. Because he started this thing, and he made that snide comment. But it started before that. And these guys had a little bit of an issue that should have been squashed from the beginning. It should have never been allowed to get to this point. So it is what it is. But I’m hoping that Jack Perry ends up being back, he ends up being a hill and you put him with the Young Bucks. I think that’s a winning combo.”
On pushing the envelope: “I mean, they’re totally going to be interest in it. And I know they’re looking to pop ratings, they feel like maybe numbers have been stagnant or whatever. And I’m here for this like. Especially if Tony Khan pushes for more controversy, trying to build attention because of a story he’s telling or something that seems controversial. I’m here for that. I think that’s important in pro wrestling. Pro Wrestling is not just pro wrestling, you have to do things outside the box. And the longer AEW is in existence, then the more you’re going to have to do that, I think.”
On AEW thinking outside of the box: “I think it depends on the presentation [not being able to deliver on the match]. You know, if it highlights and focuses more on Jack Perry, and have the Bucks talk about how Jack Perry shouldn’t be a scapegoat, how he shouldn’t have been exiled. And I don’t think he ever should have been exiled from all that at the end of the day.
“I mean, you have to go back in time, when you look at the CM Punk experience. And when you go back All Out — I mean, when he started speaking to the scrum, it had to be stopped right there. If you stop things right there, then we don’t get a lot of these events that transpire. None of this happens. I really believe Jack shouldn’t have been exiled as he was, and you can’t take all the blame for him. Is he at fault? Of course, sure. They’re both at fault to a degree, right? But it’s one of those things, I feel like his punishment outweighed the crime. That’s what I believe when it comes to that. And I think Jack Perry is a big asset to AEW, and I’ll be happy to have him back.”
