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A former WWE Superstar has revealed that AEW star Matt Hardy might have been a little too rough with him when they first started getting into wrestling as kids.
The star in question is Shannon Moore, who fans will remember from his two stints with WWE during the 2000s. He was quickly paired with Hardy during his time on SmackDown in late 2002 due to the fact that the two men had known each other since they were kids.
Speaking to Bryan Asbury on the Developmentally Speaking podcast, Moore opened up about what it was like growing up with The Hardys, and that he was actually closer with Jeff in the beginning.
"We grew up in Cameron, North Carolina, in a small town, and me and Jeff [Hardy], like we were unseparable. We'd become really good friends like just best friends at an early age because we went to the same middle school. They had a trampoline and their dad had a video camera, and Jeff invited me over to you know at that point it was TWF... We had the trampoline and we turned it into a little arena." [2:58-3:27]
As part of the 'Trampoline Wrestling Federation,' Shannon was usually the smallest member of the team, which led to him suffering some nasty bumps before he had even turned 10. This included Matt Hardy dropping him on a post, and nearly breaking his ribs from a suplex.
"It was brutal, even being on the trampoline, just being so tiny and getting thrown around. I remember crying at times because – one time Matt dropped me on the post two or three times because he botched a spot, and then I took a suplex and about broke my ribs. It'd be like grabbing your youngest kid and beating them up. I think that's pretty much what happened to me at the beginning you know, but I loved it." [4:16-4:46]
Shannon Moore helped Matt Hardy win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
So far in his three years with AEW, Matt Hardy has yet to win any sort of championship or tournament. But maybe if he had Shannon Moore by his side like he did in 2003, he might be in with a shot.
During his time as the 'Number One Mattitude' follower, Shannon (in storyline) helped Matt cut weight in order to reach the limit of 215 pounds in order to compete for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, a story that was widely praised by fans.
All of Shannon and Matt's hard work paid off as Hardy went on to defeat Billy Kidman at the 2003 No Way Out pay-per-view to become the WWE Cruiserweight Champion. Matt would later defend the title against many top stars including Rey Mysterio, Brian Kendrick, and Tajiri.
Did you enjoy Matt Hardy's 'Version 1.0' gimmick? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit 'Developmentally Speaking' and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling when using quotes from this article.
