"Pro wrestling can still be unpredictable" - Matt Hardy on how his TNA return came together, Jeff Hardy's reaction

Former AEW star Matt Hardy shocked the wrestling world last night when he made a surprise return to TNA at the Rebellion pay-per-view. Hardy appeared with his infamous 'Broken' persona and attacked TNA World Champion Moose, teasing a title push, to close the show.

The legendary star's contract with All Elite Wrestling expired early this month, and he departed the young promotion after a four-year run. His brother Jeff is still signed to AEW for the time being.

The older Hardy brother teased a WWE return several times but swerved fans by showing up in TNA last night. Speaking on the Busted Open podcast, he claimed that he loved AEW, but he made the decision to field offers from all the major promotions before deciding where to go.

"I spoke with AEW, and I will preface it by saying I love AEW," said Matt Hardy. "I love working with Tony Khan, he's a great guy. My contract ended up expiring. We hadn't reached a deal yet, and we're still in the midst of talking. I have literally – in the last week, I have talked to every promoter from every promotion that there is." [4:37 - 4:56]

Matt kept his TNA return a secret from everyone, including Jeff Hardy. He emphasized the importance of keeping secrets in order to make wrestling exciting and unpredictable.

"Last night was me showing that pro wrestling can still be unpredictable. I popped up; this was done on a couple days' notice. (...) I didn't tell anyone. Like, my brother texted me this morning. It was late last night and he goes to bed super early. He was like, 'Oh my god, that was great last night! How'd it feel to be out there? That was killer.' You know, if you wanna keep a secret, just keep a secret. Just go about your business and do your thing, he said. [4:57 - 5:36]

You can hear the entire episode of the podcast here:

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Matt Hardy reveals his current status after TNA return

Amid the teases and hype for a potential return to his old stomping ground, few expected Matt Hardy to return to TNA. That made his appearance at last night's Rebellion pay-per-view all the more shocking for the fans.

However, it doesn't seem that Hardy is on a full-time deal with the Nashville-based promotion. Despite teasing a challenge for the TNA World Championship, he has confirmed that he is still a free agent.

Matt Hardy took to X (formerly Twitter) last night to let everyone know that he can show up whenever he wants.

"No. I’m a free agent. I will appear when I want to appear."

This means that, much like Matt Cardona, Hardy can compete in TNA and any independent promotion he desires. As he approaches the final stretch of his in-ring career, it will be interesting to see where he turns up next, and whether Jeff Hardy will join him.

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When using quotes from this article, please credit Busted Open and give a h/t to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.