Matt Hardy has once again refuted Perry Saturn’s assertion that he reported Saturn’s in-ring conduct to Vince McMahon. On the September 25 episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Hardy responded to videos where Saturn discussed him, which fans had tagged him in. Earlier this month, Saturn shared on Maven’s YouTube channel that McMahon warned him for working too stiffly with Hardy, and he believed Hardy had informed McMahon. Saturn also brought up similar issues in a 2024 Wrestling Shoot Interviews episode, mentioning conflicts with Hardy and Dean Malenko over match planning.
Hardy stated that the account doesn’t align with his recollection. “I saw a couple of clips where he said I told Vince that he was hurting or roughing me up, which I never did. Perry said Vince’s response was, ‘Get used to it, you’re working with him,’ but I was never in a program with Perry. The only storyline was with Dean Malenko involving Amy, but nothing long term with Perry. I don’t know what he’s talking about,” Hardy explained.
Amy refers to Amy Dumas, better known as Lita, who was the Hardys’ on-screen partner during that time. Saturn and Malenko, both members of The Radicalz, opposed the Hardys in late 2000. When Saturn retold this story in February 2025, Hardy replied on X (formerly Twitter) that he had shared the ring with Saturn many times, mostly in tag matches with The Radicalz.
Hardy believes any tension likely stemmed from a disagreement about match structure after The Radicalz moved from WCW to WWE in 2000. “I recall Perry saying how things would go, and I told him, ‘Hey, me and my brother have established ourselves here, and while I respect you guys’ styles from WCW, we have to blend in some of our style,’” Hardy said.
He emphasized that he holds no bitterness. “I never had an issue with them. This all seems to come out of nowhere, and I feel a bit sorry for Perry given his tough past. You won’t find many people saying ‘Hardy’s a jerk’ because most I’ve worked with respect and care about me,” Hardy added.
Responding to Critics
Hardy’s comments emerged during a broader discussion with co-host Jon Alba about how he distinguishes genuine criticism from online noise at age 52. “I know what I’m doing as a professional wrestler. I can handle long matches or intense No Disqualification bouts like the one I had with Nic Nemeth last week,” Hardy said.
On September 10’s episode of TNA Impact, Hardy challenged Nemeth for the TNA World Championship in a No DQ match but lost after Nemeth hit him with a wrench. Hardy also tackled the criticism that his career is overshadowed by his brother Jeff’s. “People say if it weren’t for Jeff, I wouldn’t have achieved anything. But when Jeff was released, I thrived more than ever with my solo persona, and Vince loved me and had plans for me—until I got injured. I’m not on Jeff’s level, but at 52, I know who I am and what works for me. That’s a win in itself,” Hardy stated. “If you’re successful, there will always be people who resent it.”
Fan Take: This exchange highlights the longstanding, complex backstage dynamics in wrestling, showing how narratives can diverge between peers. For fans, it’s a reminder that respect and conflicts behind the scenes shape the stories we see in the ring and can affect wrestler’s legacies and careers.
Source: wrestlingnews.co
