The stifled heel run that never happened
Matt Hardy confirmed what fans suspected for two years: Tony Khan flatly rejected turning The Hardys heel in AEW. Speaking on his podcast, Matt revealed that both he and Jeff pushed to flip the switch, arguing their veteran babyface act had hit a brick wall. Khan refused, insisting fans only wanted nostalgia.
That refusal gutted their trajectory. Between March 2022 and their departure in mid-2024, Matt and Jeff were stuck in creative purgatory. They traded wins on Rampage, lost clean to The Young Bucks at Double or Nothing 2022, and drifted without a coherent narrative.
The numbers behind the TNA resurgence
Since returning to TNA at Against All Odds 2024 and capturing the TNA World Tag Team Championships, the contrast is stark. The Hardys have logged 14 television and pay-per-view matches in 2024 alone, exceeding their total AEW match count from the entire previous calendar year. Quarter-hour ratings for their TNA segments regularly peak with a 12% bump over the show baseline.
In AEW, their booking lacked edge. When Jeff took a brutal bump through a table against Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin in February 2024, it produced zero story progression. It was high risk for zero narrative reward. Turning them heel would have allowed them to slow down the pace, work a grounded style, and mask physical limitations.
Predicting The Hardys' final run trajectory
Khan's failure to adapt cost AEW a compelling main-event feud. A heel Hardy Boyz running through top face teams like The Acclaimed or FTR would have provided genuine heat rather than passive applause for 25-year-old entrance music.
My prediction: The Hardys will hold the TNA World Tag Team Titles through Bound for Glory 2026 before putting over a rising duo like ABC clean in the center of the ring. They will not return to AEW under their current contract structure, wrapping up their careers on their own terms in TNA.
