According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, unless there is a major change over the next two days, TNA Tag Team champions Matt and Jeff Hardy are leaving TNA Wrestling.
Johnson states that The Hardys did not receive new contracts until just a few weeks before their current ones were set to expire. One TNA source confirmed to Johnson that the contracts were late in arriving, explaining that they were behind due to the changeover involved in TNA.
Johnson was also told that The Hardys were not happy with the last minute rushed nature of having to sign and some of the language in the contract, leading to the decision to leave the company.
Despite verbally coming terms on a new contract back in December 2016, no one involved has signed a new deal that would see the brothers remain with TNA.
Another factor reported is that Matt Hardy had extreme creative control over his character and the “Broken Universe.” Under the new ownership, that likely would not have continued. Instead, Anthem brought back Jeff Jarrett as the new Chief Creative Officer and Jarrett began installing his own booking team, including Dutch Mantel and Scott D’Amore.
It is also being reported that new contracts being offered by TNA management include a clause that would require talents to have their outside appearances approved by the company and would require the talent to pay TNA 10% of those earnings.
Basically The Hardys were looking at signing deals that would diminish their creative control (and leave them open to being broken up as an act, as Jeff Jarrett has been said to be keen on pushing Jeff Hardy as a top singles talent) and require them to pay a percentage of outside appearances to TNA.
The TNA management side appears to be that the company is looking at rebuilding the entire company and from their perspective, no one is irreplaceable. If The Hardys indeed depart, we are told it will free up a lot of money for other potential signings under a regime that is very much about the bottom line.
Reportedly, The Hardys have offered to come to this week’s TV tapings and drop the belts if requested, but as of right now, there’s been no agreement that that would be happening.
There is a chance they will not work TNA’s Impact Wrestling TV tapings, which are scheduled for this week 3/2-3/5 in Orlando.
Stay with PWPNation for more on this developing story.
