Matt Hardy believes that AEW’s current trajectory may risk losing its audience if the booking of shows does not improve.
Speaking on his podcast “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy,” he expressed his concern about the promotion’s current state, suggesting that AEW has passed its peak.
Hardy pointed to the recent AEW World Championship match at Revolution 2024, where Swerve Strickland failed to capture the title, as a pivotal moment. “They’re not in the honeymoon phase right now, that’s kind of over.
People loved what they were doing but that honeymoon phase is over,” Hardy remarked.
“I feel like since then, the company has cooled off. Has Swerve cooled off? I don’t know but the company has cooled off.”
He highlighted the CM Punk controversy and what he sees as “start-stop booking” as factors contributing to AEW’s decline.
Hardy specifically mentioned Wardlow as a victim of inconsistent booking, stressing the importance of following through on storylines to maintain audience interest.
“I would love to be able to book a guy like Wardlow because I’ve said that here on the show, I think he’s a good-looking dude who has got an incredible attitude, just a phenomenal attitude,” Hardy praised.
“I think you really have to follow through with these people and see it to the end because if you don’t the audience will cool off from them, or if they go away, they will forget about them or whatever, you might lose that opportunity to make someone.”
