At AEW Grand Slam: Australia, Mercedes Mone successfully defended her TBS Championship against Harley Cameron in what some saw as an expected outcome. However, former AEW star Matt Hardy recently spoke on his podcast about the booking decisions in AEW, criticizing the idea that Harley wasn’t given the title shot because she doesn’t match Mercedes’ in-ring ability.
Hardy pushed back on the “work-rate” mentality that AEW often promotes, arguing that character work and fan engagement should sometimes take precedence over pure wrestling ability.
“Who cares? Harley doesn’t match her in the ring? That’s irrelevant. That’s one of the issues with AEW – Tony pushes like, ‘Where the best wrestle,’ or best wrestling, it doesn’t make a difference. These people are characters. If you want to build this character into something else, it doesn’t make a difference if she if she doesn’t match up. That’s what drives me nuts, man.”
Hardy further emphasized that pro wrestling is an entertainment business, where popularity, merchandise sales, and audience interest should be as important as in-ring skills.
“Once again, this is entertainment property at the end of the day. It’s nice. There are a lot of people who can do great things, wrestling-wise, be very athletic. But like because she doesn’t match up? If you’re an over character, and people are interested, it’s going to help sell tickets and move merch, and someone that is popular, utilize them and make the most out of it.”
Hardy’s comments highlight a longstanding debate in AEW—whether the company should prioritize technical in-ring competition or focus more on character-driven storytelling.
While Mercedes Mone remains one of AEW’s biggest stars, Hardy’s argument suggests that AEW could benefit from giving more opportunities to stars who are over with the audience, even if they aren’t the strongest in-ring competitors.
With Tony Khan continuing to emphasize AEW as “where the best wrestle,” it remains to be seen if the company will adjust its approach to better balance in-ring ability with larger-than-life personalities.
Matt Hardy on one of the issues with AEW
“It drives me nuts man."
(Extreme Life of Matt Hardy) pic.twitter.com/tjRSSFkwJB
— Vick (@Vick_8122) February 23, 2025
