Reby Hardy recently joined PWMania.com’s T.J. Stephens for an exclusive interview. Reby discussed breaking into the wrestling business, possibly returning to the ring, and enjoying working behind-the-scenes. She also talked about Matt Hardy, WWE, AEW, and much more.
Below is the complete exclusive PWMania.com interview with Reby Hardy:
Everyone is aware that you’re married to Matt Hardy, you’ve kind of been on the outskirts of wrestling the last few years, but you were actually active for quite some time. Before that you held a supporting role in the off-Broadway musical, Secrets of the Desert. How did your interest in acting in singing come come to be?
“You really went into the archives there. Yeah. So I’ve always sort of been in entertainment. Just growing up as a kid in New York, I really took for granted all of the resources that were there in hindsight now but I’ve always in like dance or piano lessons or some form of the arts and that happened to lead me to a belly dance group and that’s how I ended up on that Broadway thing.”
You also performed at the New York City Radio City Music Hall.
“So that was actually with the afformentioned belly dance group there. He was releasing a solo album and was doing some promo at Radio City Music Hall and they needed some sort of like an opening act of entertainment and that was, you know, lucky to get that gig with the group that I was with. And that’s how that happened.”
Did you get to meet Ringo? How was he?
“Yeah, it’s insanity, and I’m a huge Beatles fan. So I was p*ssing myself the whole time.
“Just real cool. Like just laid back like definition of like, textbook cool dude. Really, really nice guy. I’ve heard some pretty terrible things about him but I had a good experience. I don’t know if it had anything to do with the fact that I was in like, four inches worth of sequins. But you know, he was a nice guy.”
Your intro into professional wrestling was being a host on MTV 2 for “Lucha Libre USA Masked Warriors.”
“Well, that was sort of like the big break per se in wrestling. I had been wrestling before that. But I guess with wrestling how it goes, if you don’t have any outside legitimacy from another brand or name tacked on, you’re not worth a sh*t. So yes, that was my sort of first big break, I guess in wrestling.”
When did you start wrestling then?
“Not too long before that, to be honest. How that even came about, I was doing a reporting gig for like a indie wrestling sports entertainment company and I was at some at some indie show I can’t even remember, but it was in Long Island I think and was just sort of interviewing everybody on the show beforehand, boring questions. There was a guy named Mark… Marco Corleone, I don’t know what his real name is, to be honest but he was in a pinch and he was helping produce that show on MTV 2. I think they had thought of the backstage interviewer as sort of like a the secondary thing and they were in desperate need for someone right away who could speak Spanish. He was like, “Oh, well, you’re interviewing you speak Spanish. You want this gig?” And I was like, Well, f*ck yeah I do. That really how it happened that randomly, you know, just interviewing indie wrestlers, at an indie show and I got that gig on MTV 2.
“It was cool. You know, it was sort of just thrown right into the world all at once, which is, you know, again, looking back on it super grateful for that. That doesn’t happen for a lot of indie performers. You know, you’re just kind of stuck on the Indies and you don’t really get that TV taping on the road experience unless you’re assigned to a major brand and I was afforded that with that Lucha Libre USA gig, which is really cool, you know, like a different venue every few days and doing announcing work on the fly and calling matches and working as an emcee, and then that even parlayed into an actual spot as a performer on the show. So that was really cool.”
From there to Shine Wrestling in 2012, it says you’re on the inaugural show.
“Yeah, Shine 1, which is crazy, because they’re up to like, Shine 697 or some shit, you know. I Love Shine. Such an amazing opportunity there. You know, the whole time I was there I was kind of thinking, Well damn, I feel like I don’t really belong here. But you know, not everyone can be like Strong Style, super technical women’s wrestler of the world, there’s a place for everybody in the business and you know, to this day, I’m pretty sure that my match on Shine one is the most downloaded match on the Shine, video on demand website.”
Before we get to TNA, I was looking over some of your independent work in the wrestling world and I see here you tagged with Paul London and Brian Kendrick beat Miss Jackie (Jackie Gayda) and the World’s Greatest tag team.
“In Mexico, well, in in one of the one of the rings calls when you think it’s WarGames when you got two rings at once, so in Mexico, they do that, but they elevate it to the next level. So they had I think they had four rings. It was like a Super Mario level of wrestling rings. And there was just rings and you had to jump up from one ring to the next ring. And then you go over there was I was like, it was really I felt like I was in a video game, it was insanity. But yeah, I teamed London who, I felt like, we got along great. And then he went on and talked mad shit, because I think him and my husband f***** the same dumb bitch. I don’t know. But anyway. There’s always some stupid drama like that in wrestling, right. But yeah, that was a great match. I had a great time.
“Jacqueline Moore actually was my first opponent on a television match, which is insane. Talk about terrified, and I was still learning sort of the ins and outs of like, not only technicalities of wrestling, but like, you know, backstage bullsh*t. You know, you got to shake your hand a certain way. And I was just, you know, I was losing my mind. I was scared. I have so much respect for her. And I was like, this bitch is gonna hate me like, but she was she was so cool and so gracious and everybody in that match was. I got really lucky in the beginning with just really cool people. Wasn’t till later on till, you know, I ended up finding myself with a bunch of dickheads. But ya know, I was really lucky in the beginning really, really lucky.”
Your next big step is TNA. You were there for three years. So what was your what was your experience and your first impression when you got to TNA?
“I was so excited to get to TNA and a lot of people assumed that just because of the popularity of the act that I was associated with TNA that that was sort of my introduction to TNA and my first rodeo there but they used to do this knockout knocked down… kind of introducing new girls, you know, on this girl’s centric pay per view, which was really cool. That was the beginning of my TNA career I guess you can say although career is a very strong word, but you know what it is what it is. The thing with me though, is every single time I’m very close to catching a break, I ended up pregnant. And that’s what happened there. They actually offered me a contract after the Knockouts Knocked Down pay-per-view and I was so excited and I’m like yes, this is gonna live my dream. I’m gonna be a wrestler. This is it like legitimized! Nobody can tell me nothing and boom pregnant. That was sort of the end of that. But yeah, that was great. That was a great experience. I left everybody on there.”
Matt Hardy has been in the business 21 years here in 2015 and he wins the World title in TNA. What was that like? What was that experience for him like? What did that mean to him to be the World Champion?
“He is, like, probably the biggest wrestling fan that I know, in addition to just doing it himself. So stuff like that means, I’m sure it would mean a lot to anybody, but it really meant a lot to him. And that was a huge deal. We came out, we just had our baby King Maxel and it was in his hometown, well not his hometown… Well it was like an hour away, so kind of in the hometown, and his dad came, and it was a big celebration ring. That was very emotional for him, too, because I think it was considered like a major world title for him. And he’s only got like one other of those. Sort of like a, an important thing later on in his career that he could finally do, and he was really excited about that.”
You are actually there for the celebration. On TV, and then ya’ll then went and turned heel. Why?
“Why would I do that? Listen, I have tried the being a face thing. And it worked, to be honest, a lot better when I was younger and prettier. I could get away with it. But you know, once the babies came, and all that kind of came to an end, it just seemed natural. I think for me, personally, I’m way better as a heel. It just comes more naturally. And I think for him to, especially when he’s by himself. Now when he’s with Jeff, I guess it’s a different story. With what was going on with his storyline, I think it was ECIII at the time. It just it just seemed to click. And I feel like people they really bought it. They really weren’t with it.”
He returns in 2018 to WWE. And we’re gonna skip ahead a little bit. I remember when he returned at WrestleMania almost three years ago, now. The reaction when the New Day introduced the Hardy Boyz was off the hook, like they blew up for them. When the Hardys returned, did you think this was sort of going to be the last chapter of the Hardy Boyz and sort of winding their careers down a little bit?
“No I didn’t. Because I feel like logically, most people would say, Oh, this is gotta be it, right? Go out with a bang. Why wouldn’t this be the end, he’s old, blah, blah, blah, you know, but like I said, he’s the biggest wrestling fan, I know, he’s not going to stop until he physically has to stop. And even then, you know, I feel like he’ll be out there in a wheelchair, getting heat. So I didn’t think that was the end at all. But it did feel like full circle, sort of like something that he felt needed to happen and that he wanted to happen and we were happy to be able to work that out. That was a very, like, chaotic, last minute morning of practically sort of thing, just with the transition from TNA and drama with, you know, the “Broken” name and all that stuff. It was all very chaotic time, but it ended up being worth it for sure for that moment. They needed that that part in their story to come full circle.
“We went to Disney World the next day, and I was stopping and taking a break, get some rest up and the guy next to me was watching it on YouTube. I mean, it even transcended, you know, just the everyday wrestling fan because people are remembering them their childhoods or when they were younger and there’s that element of nostalgia and then there’s also that, sort of like, viral moment from even casual watchers like “whoa, wait, what’s going on? This is a huge thing”, so that you know, it really was a moment.”
A big part of the two and I think WWE throughout the years does not get the credit it deserves to hide these comebacks, nobody knows until they show up. Like nobody knew the Hardys were coming back in WrestleMania until they came out.
“Nobody in the building bro. They literally snuck us in wearing like, they had somebody go and get these tourists hoodies, and they dress us on these hoodies, and they took us in the back way and we were literally running and hiding and ducking. Nobody knew. Nobody knew I had all my friends asking, “Hey, are you going to be at the show? Where are you?” When we landed in Orlando, we took a picture and we said, “Alright, we’re going to all post this”, after we had like a meet and greet or something or ROH show, you know, after that, we’re gonna post and say, “Alright, see you later. Have fun.” So people think we’re flying out. And you know, we’re not going to be in the state for Wrestlemania. I mean, this was like, Mission Impossible operation here. And we pulled it off, because, everybody wants the scoop everybody wants to be the cool guy with the info and the intel, which drives me fucking crazy. Just enjoy it. Why are you ruining it for yourself and other people. But you know what, we had to be careful because of that. They pulled it off. They really did.”
What has Matt’s experience been like in AEW? He has more creative freedom. Now he’s been doing more things. He’s kind of been tinkering with the managerial role.
“You know, I don’t want to speak for him. But he is, he’s happy there, and not as happy as he could be. You know, some circumstances are out of his control. But he’s making the best of it and he is happy. He’s very happy there and he’s grateful to be there.”
What is the future for you and Matt going forward? Not to get too personal but have you had the talk with Matt, like, “I think we’re getting to the point, you know, injuries are starting to rack up, maybe we ought to think about, you know, wrapping this up and moving into a different role?”
“Yeah, we had that talk about 10 years ago. But you know, what, you have the talk once and you kind of see where it stands. Like I said, he’s not going to stop until he has to stop. He is still hoping to achieve some goals that he has already previously mentioned in AEW, some of those include his brother, some of those don’t. But he got some stuff that he wants to do there still, and he’s, he’s gonna do it. One way or another. He’s gonna do it.”
I read that you are a New York Giants fan… and you have football themed handbags?
“I did. This was a long time ago. They actually chronicled a bit of this on the MTV show True Life. Then I ended up having some intellectual property issues with the NFL and had to cease but it was good while it lasted. I’ve always tried to you know innovate different revenues, you know, to get money and make a make a life for myself and the football world was part of it. You know, the football world is actually how I ended up even parlaying into wrestling at all. I was doing an interview for the MTV show for Sirius NFL, and the host of that show ended up being my co host on the Sirius XM show about wrestling, so kind of everything is really strangely interconnected. And you know, right place right time and kind of meant to be type stuff, bit it seems that all roads lead lead to wrestling”
Is there any chance… We’re gonna see a tag team of Matt Hardy, and Reby Hardy in the future?
“CHANTS: “ONE MORE MATCH, ONE MORE MATCH”
“So you know, this is crazy. Just a couple weeks ago, right after Thanksgiving here, I did a show and it was my literal first time in a public ring in over five years. And that was versus Jeff Jarrett there, I was managing Matt. And there was some talks of possibly doing some sort of intergender tag match with his girl and me and Matt, but, I wouldn’t go that crazy. I wouldn’t go that crazy but I would say never say never. You know, our days as an independent tag team, I think maybe at an end, unless, I could go back to wearing the babies on my back and stuff. I feel like my place in wrestling is more behind the scenes. At this point. I produced a ton of WWE vignettes and in video footage, TNA stuff, a lot of stuff that led up to the AEW, debut stuff for AEW. So I feel like a lot of people don’t realize that a lot of that stuff was like, you know, my producing, my filmmaking, my ideas. That’s where I kind of have the best time in wrestling as of now, aside from the musical part of, you know, writing entrance themes and stuff, but, you know, I’m pretty busy. You know, I got the four kids, I homeschool the four kids, I have a legitimate day job, I’ve got my content creation, it’s a lot going on. And wrestling is sort of an afterthought nowadays, because again, you know, I’m old and fat and ugly.”
I talked to Al Snow like two weeks ago, and he was at Ric Flair’s last match. We just we mentioned the age thing, Ric Flair, just had a really good match at 73 years old, so there’s that. But Al and I both, we just started raving about Jeff and Karen, they were phenomenal out there together. And I think there would be appeal for that match, believe it or not, I really think there would be.
“I think so too. It’s only for the you know, the ridiculous aspect of it, you know, it’s, it would be it would be a show it would be like a carny level spectacle. I get that part of the business for sure. I get when you need to play a role and when you need to almost sort of ridicule yourself, and I feel like I’m pretty good at that. I feel like I’ve made a good career out of ridiculing myself, to be honest. So you know, I’m not above that for sure.”
I think I’ve taken up enough of your time. Thank you for being here. But before we go, you do have a Twitch and a TikTok. So where can we find you on those avenues?
“Thank you. Yeah, you can find me on Tik Tok @RebyHardy, on Twitch it’s sort of the whole family that goes on that channel, Matt included, and the baby and everybody’s on their, senior Benjamin, who knows? And that’s @HouseHardy on Twitch.
“It’s mostly horror games and, you know, kids are the kids that are always busting in the room. And so a lot of kid friendly stuff right now. It’s like Cult of the Lamb, Poppy Playtime, Little nightmares, sort of, you know, horror stuff like that.”
