On a recent episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, AEW veteran Matt Hardy offered a candid assessment of All Elite Wrestling’s current direction in the aftermath of the Dynasty pay-per-view. Hardy expressed admiration for Jon Moxley’s work ethic and legacy within the company, while also calling for a creative shift away from the current Death Riders storyline, which he believes has “run its course.”
Reflecting on the Dynasty fallout episode of Dynamite—particularly the main event where The Young Bucks returned to assist Jon Moxley in retaining the AEW World Championship against Swerve Strickland—Hardy was direct in his opinion. “As I’d said last week before we ever got to the pay-per-view event… I feel it’s one of those times where, you know, the Death Riders thing, it has pretty much run its course,” Hardy stated.
Although he praised Moxley as “the heart and soul of AEW” and commended his physical commitment to the company, Hardy believes the current narrative arc feels stale. “I love Jon Moxley. I think in many ways, Jon Moxley is the heart and soul of AEW. He busts his ass for AEW… takes these crazy risks and puts it on the line… but I think it is time to go a different direction and try and start something new that could possibly catch fire.”
Hardy also voiced broader concerns about AEW’s current momentum and questioned the clarity of the Death Riders’ overall mission. “I don’t necessarily understand their whole mission at AEW. What are they trying to accomplish?” he asked. He emphasized the need for something to “get hot” and reenergize the brand creatively.
Turning his attention to Will Ospreay, Hardy acknowledged the British wrestler’s elite in-ring ability but questioned whether AEW has fleshed out his character enough for long-term storytelling. “Besides being the greatest wrestler in the world, I’m just curious what story they will create,” Hardy said. He speculated WWE would have approached Ospreay’s presentation differently by adding “more substance.” However, he remained optimistic: “I don’t think Will Ospreay has got as big as he can get… There’s going to be just like one more layer of something that is going to help really catapult him to the next level.”
Regarding The Young Bucks’ surprising return and alignment with Moxley, Hardy expressed both interest and skepticism. “It’s gonna be really interesting… I want to see how they explain that. I’m really curious how they’re going to tell this story.” He agreed with co-host Jon Alba that it appears to be building toward a future match between The Young Bucks and the team of Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page.
Hardy also weighed in on FTR’s recent heel turn on Adam Copeland, stating, “I feel pretty confident saying I think FTR is at their best when they are the bad guys.” He further predicted a reunion between Copeland and Christian Cage: “I think everybody sees the writing on the wall that we’re eventually going to get a Cope and Christian reunion in some capacity.”
Addressing recent reports of fan fatigue at lengthy AEW events, Hardy acknowledged that long shows could be causing viewer burnout. “That’s a long time to keep an audience captivated,” he said, noting how events running past midnight might be contributing to crowd drop-off. However, he dismissed the idea that Jon Moxley himself is generating “go away heat.” Instead, Hardy suggested, “I don’t think Jon Moxley, as a performer, has go away heat… But I think fans might just be past the story or frustrated with it.”
As AEW continues its post-Dynasty build, Hardy’s remarks offer a veteran’s perspective on the current state of the company—highlighting both the challenges and opportunities facing AEW’s creative evolution.
