Matt Hardy unhappy about being left off PWI 500 list

Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy became four-time TNA World Tag Team Champions in July. In a recent podcast episode, Matt expressed his surprise after he and his brother were omitted from the PWI 500 list.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) gets social media talking every year with its selection of the world's top 500 male wrestlers. The latest list took into account matches from August 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025.

On The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, the 51-year-old admitted he cannot understand why The Hardy Boyz were not included.

"The fact that we have built such a brand and such a name as Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy as The Hardyz, the fact that we have been working a full-time schedule, plus trying to contribute to indies and whatnot, the fact that we aren't on that list is an absolute injustice. Dirt sheets, quote me on that one."

The Hardy Boyz have featured prominently on TNA television over the last year. They also defeated No Quarter Catch Crew and Fraxiom during a brief run on NXT in early 2025.

Matt Hardy elaborates on "mind-blowing" PWI 500 exclusion

This is not the first time The Hardy Boyz have been left off the list. In 2024, the WWE legends were also omitted despite appearing in AEW, TNA, and at several independent shows during the PWI 500 evaluation period.

After hearing about the 2025 list, Matt added that he and host Jon Alba felt they had no choice but to discuss it.

"We actually were deciding what to do today. If we were gonna do Stephanie [McMahon] and her in the Hall of Fame or this, and I was just like, man, it blows my mind that somehow we were omitted from this list. It does not make sense, especially after the incredible year we've had."

The Hardy Boyz are widely viewed as one of the greatest tag teams ever. On October 12, they will defend the TNA World Tag Team Championship against Bully Ray and Devon in a Tables match at Bound for Glory.

Please credit The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart