Matt Hardy alleges WWE "punished" him because of his brother Jeff Hardy

AEW star Matt Hardy has opened up about his belief that WWE punished him for his brother Jeff Hardy's success in TNA.

Jeff departed from WWE in April 2003 and joined TNA in 2004, where he elevated his status to that of a main-event wrestler. In 2006, he made his comeback to the Stamford-based promotion.

The brothers teamed and feuded until Jeff Hardy rejoined TNA in 2010. Matt Hardy stayed with WWE for a few months post Jeff's departure but was released in October 2010 after being sent home from a European tour.

During the latest edition of Extreme Life podcast, Matt Hardy shared that he believed WWE was punishing him for Jeff's TNA success.

“I thought, ‘Well, they can’t punish Jeff but they can punish me. So they’re trying to mess with me since they can’t mess with Jeff.’ So like, just because I’m his brother, because we share the same genes, we share the same blood, they can punish him through me here," Hardy said.

However, Hardy also stated that he might have blown the situation out of proportion in his own mind:

"I think I over-exaggerated that in my head when it was all said and done. I should have just kept my sh*t together and worked hard and did what I could do and finished the contract. Or being as hard as that was just said, ‘I’m hurt, and I need time away from wrestling.’ But I just tried to step it up and fight through everything." [H/T - Inside the Ropes]

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Former WWE Superstar Matt Hardy discussed the difficult time when he got released in 2010

After over a decade in WWE, spanning from his debut in the late 1990s to an impactful run in the 2000s, Matt Hardy was released in October 2010.

Speaking on the same episode, Hardy revealed that he severely beat up physically, contributing to his struggles with pills.

"I mean, I was physically very badly beat up at that time. And that is why my pill issue became so problematic during that time. I mean, I was physically beat up. But at that point, looking back in hindsight, I just needed to say like, ‘Hey, I need to leave and I need to take a year away from wrestling and like heal up physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, everything," Hardy said.

Hardy's release marked a pivotal moment in his career. Going into TNA, he found immense success alongside his brother Jeff with the "Broken" gimmick.

What are your thoughts on Matt Hardy's run in TNA with the Broken gimmick? Sound off in the comments section below.