On the next installment of Monday Night Raw , WWE superstar Matt Hardy will face Randy Orton in a No Holds Barred match. The bout might also mark Hardy’s final appearance for the company — he reportedly rejected a new contract offer recently — and if that’s the case, he wants to make his final match a memorable one. As quoted by Fightful , the superstar posted a video to social media where he cut a promo on “The Viper,” but he also referenced some non-WWE personnel, suggesting that his future lies elsewhere.
The promo comes across as a last-stand moment for the WWE veteran, and the hardcore nature of the match is a perfect way for his character to be written off of television. However, in true Hardy form, the speech is also very ambiguous.
“Randy. I need to ask you a favor. On Monday, ‘Legend Killer,” do your damnedest, do your best to kill me off. Because I don’t think you can. I am defiant and I believe that I am forever. I don’t think anyone can kill me off. I don’t think Randy Orton, Vince McMahon, Bruce Prichard, Paul Heyman, Tony Khan, Joe Koff, Ed Nordholm, I don’t think anyone can kill me off.”
During the promo, Hardy also told the fans that no one knows where he’ll end up in the coming weeks. While All Elite Wrestling seems to be the most likely destination, the superstar appears to be keeping his options open. Furthermore, the fact he named some members of WWE’s management team suggests that he hasn’t completely ruled out re-signing for the company.
However, the superstar also said that he’s going to visit a place that allows him to be himself. This is perhaps confirmation that he’ll leave WWE, as the company has creatively stifled him since he returned in 2017, essentially making him reprise his old Hardy Boyz moniker.
His short-lived “Woken Warrior” gimmick felt like a diluted version of the “Broken” character he portrayed on the independent circuit. Furthermore, his current social media persona is nothing like his WWE character. His wife, Reby Hardy, recently blasted WWE for rejecting his storyline ideas, so it’s highly unlikely that he’ll be allowed to exercise some creative freedom if he remains with the company.
The superstar’s deal doesn’t expire until March, so WWE still has time to give him a reason to stick around. Of course, it remains to be seen if they’ll offer the superstar more than money to do so.
