"I don't blame Tony Khan at all"- Former world champion reveals why Jeff Hardy's run in AEW didn't work out (Exclusive)

Jeff Hardy is a veteran of the professional wrestling industry, having wrestled in promotions like WWE, AEW, and TNA throughout his storied career. The 47-year-old has been an active wrestler since the 1990s and achieved success in every company. However, his run with Tony Khan's promotion has much left to be desired.

Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion Vince Russo recently revealed why Hardy's run in the Jacksonville-based promotion didn't work out. The high flyer signed with All Elite Wrestling in 2022, joining his brother, Matt Hardy, who was already in the company. However, his legal troubles disrupted most of his tenure in AEW, something that had become a regular occurrence with Jeff.

While talking about the former six-time World Champion on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Writing with Russo, Vince Russo said that Jeff Hardy messed up a lot. He even said that he doesn't blame Tony Khan for Hardy's failed run in the promotion.

"I like Jeff a lot. But Jeff messed up a lot of times. And, you know, there's going to be a hesitancy to, you know, invest money in Jeff and give Jeff a push with the track record Jeff has. I mean, it's it's it's really that simple. I don't blame Tony Khan at all," Russo said. [3:12 onwards]

Ever since leaving AEW, both Jeff and Matt Hardy made their return to TNA in 2024. They have since won the TNA World Tag Team Championship and even made an appearance on WWE NXT as part of the working relationship between the two promotions.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Kebin Edwin Antony