AEW star Matt Hardy recently spoke about how fans have developed a level of “tribalism” in the ongoing war between AEW and WWE during the latest edition of his The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
Matt Hardy on fan tribalism: “One thing I would like to say is the tribalism between WWE and AEW fans, like, you don’t have to do this. I don’t know if you enjoy it, the people that do it online on social media, it just creates such a toxic environment in the big scheme of things. You love WWE, go hard for WWE, and support WWE. I love WWE and you know I’ve said that since day one, and I’ll never say anything differently. Obviously, when I work somewhere else, I’m going to go hard for AEW because they’re the people paying my bills at the end of the day, but just like a pro wrestling match, you take shots at your opponent, and you talk sh** about them.”
Hardy on why fans shouldn’t sweat AEW or WWE guys taking shots at each other: “That’s what AEW is going to do to WWE, that’s what WWE, in theory, is going to do to AEW although they don’t mention AEW in the big scheme of things, they may take shots in other ways behind the scenes. That’s part of the game, part of the business, and don’t take that too seriously. If you have a guy in WWE taking shots at an AEW guy, don’t sweat it. If you have an AEW guy taking shots at a WWE guy, don’t sweat it, it’s all part of the game, baby. It’s all a part of the game and the whole promotion, and the whole fun of pro wrestling. As a fan, don’t work yourself into a shoot, especially with other fans online. Enjoy whatever you enjoy and be proud of it, and don’t let anybody take it differently.”
