Matt Hardy Interview Prior to HIs Return to Pro Wrestling

Matt Hardy is planning his pro wrestling comeback, his upcoming show in Ploughkeepsie ha spromoted this recent US interview, extracts below.

"I'm really excited about the show," said Hardy, the former World Wrestling Entertainment star who departed WWE in October.


Hardy will face former tag-team partner and rival MVP in the main event of NEW's Wrestlefest 15 with a bell time of 7:30 p.m. Hardy said he became aware of NEW when his brother — Jeff Hardy, the current champion of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling — wrestled on an NEW show in Newburgh in early 2010.

"I heard that he did a Grade A, really top-notch show," Hardy said. "MVP is one of my biggest enemies and friends and we're both hungry to prove ourselves and tear the house down."
Tickets for the show are available at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center box office, TicketMaster or www.northeastwrestling.com

Also on the show is WWE Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler, who will be facing Eastchester resident Tommy Dreamer in a steel-cage final battle, as well as Arlington High School graduates Rob Begley and Dale Chapman, who wrestle as Vik Dalishus and Hale Collins, The NOW. Begley and Chapman will wrestle NEW champion Matt Taven, Ring of Honor wrestler Mike Bennett and Extreme Championship Wrestling alum Sabu in a five-way tables, ladders and chairs match.

Hardy, who asked for his release from WWE last year, said working on independent wrestling shows like the NEW shows run by New Windsor's Michael O'Brien are pro wrestling in its purest form.

"It's not a run-of-the-mill independent wrestling card," Hardy said. "It's so fun and so pure when a show is run and promoted as a very good independent wrestling event. They're just simply fun. There's no pressure. You get to do your thing. When the pressure and politics are taken away is when wrestling becomes fun again. That's what you work for."

Also appearing on the show are former WWE wrestlers Shane "Hurricane" Helms and Carlito, and WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter, as well as NEW's usual slate of young wrestlers.

Hardy broke into the wrestling business by training himself, sewing his own wrestling gear, and lying about his age to get into shows. These days, with young wrestlers promoting themselves on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, there are more avenues for people to get noticed.

"There's so many outlets to publicize yourself," Hardy said. "You need to take advantage of it. They weren't around 25 or 30 years ago. There's a lot of people out there who will follow you online and watch your stuff."

Hardy said promotions like NEW are a great breeding ground for the superstars of tomorrow.



"It's very important," Hardy said. "You look at a place like NEW and it's really the closest thing to a territory that you've got. To be able to have shows like that is a really good forum. You learn how to do the thing live. There are people of all experience levels working on the shows."