As you all should know by now, I demanded to be released from ECW by General Manager Theodore Long last week. I had decided to jump to Smackdown to deal with my issues with Jeff Hardy. In an idiotic decision, Theodore Long granted me my request. Although I wanted out, I honestly couldn't believe he let me go they easy. I thought I was gonna have to put up a fight to get out of my ECW contract. But no, I was allowed to leave the brand at the mere mention of "I want my contractual release."

This incident reinforces how bad of a G.M. Teddy Long is. I was the ECW Heavyweight Champion for nearly 5 months and I carried his company on my back. I was undoubtedly the greatest WWE ECW Champion there has been. I made the Sci-Fi program of ECW a must-see event if I was on it. The show will be severely damaged without my presence. Teddy Long made a terrible business decision-no if, ands, or buts about it. Teddy Long may have actually made a good personal decision though. If he had reservations about granting me my release, he may have found a "Black Cloud" over his life. Maybe he learned from Jeff Hardy's mistakes. 

I led several of Theodore Long's ECW roster members to the best matches of their careers. Mark Henry, John Morrison, The Miz, Evan Bourne, Fit Finlay, and Jack Swagger all had one common denominator in their best ever ECW performances-Matt Hardy. I made all these guys into bigger stars than they were before wrestling me. That's what I do, I make people stars. I get more out of human beings than they've ever known their capable of. I've done it my entire career. I've done it with Jeff Hardy, Lita, Shannon Moore, Joey Abs, Joey Mercury, Shane Helms, and even Edge. Edge didn't become the superstar he is today until I created the "Rated R Superstar"-through our personal issues. Whether you want to accept it or not, it is the absolute truth-I am "The Starmaker" Matt Hardy.

I will be on the February 6th episode of Friday Night Smackdown. I understand that "Hurricane" Helms will voice his opinion on my situation with Jeff Hardy on Smackdown. I'll be watching and listening close Shane. I predict your comments will predict your immediate forecast for the future. 

"Cold Blood" Matt Hardy

Then tune into Smackdown on January 30th, 2009 at 8 o'clock sharp.. I will open up the show and give you the answers you are looking for. Last Sunday night was the beginning of a new era in the WWE.. The Era Of The Sensei Of Mattitude, The Starmaker, The Black Cloud.. The Era Of Matt Hardy.

Hey guys and gals! I hope everyone is healthy, happy, and faring well in their day to day life. I am doing fantastic, busier than ever. But what else is new? HA! It's been a bit since I've had the chance to post something.. Sooo.. I MADE the time today because I felt like I owed you guys. 

First and foremost, it's time to get my ECW Championship back at the Royal Rumble in Detroit on Sunday. I gotta give it to Jack Swagger, he's a helluva talented guy and his best days are definitely ahead of him. But with that said.. Swagger wouldn't even be the ECW Champ right now if he didn't have the help of an exposed turnbuckle to knock me out. I proved last Friday on Smackdown that I had his number-when I became the first person to pin him and beat him on WWE television after he suffered an unfortunate Twist of Fate. 

I wanna thank everyone who has asked me about Jeff and his condition after that crazy pyrotechnics accident. I have to admit, that's one of the most freaky, horrifying events that I've ever seen-especially considering my brother was in the middle of it. Rest assured, I'm taking care of Jeff. As always the case with my brother, he may be down, but he's never out.

Let's get into the topic that I'm gonna address today, which is also the title of this blog-"Byproducts That Are Created By Success." For me, there are many positive byproducts created from my 10 plus year career and hectic schedule with the WWE. The first being happiness and gratification. Being a WWE Superstar was a dream for me in the true sense of the word as a kid. Whether you love me or hate me, there's no denying I've had an amazing WWE career and stand out as one of today's top stars. Being fortunate enough to have accomplished that standing has led to other things for me. Being able to influence and inspire others,  being able to give back to the wrestling business, amazing life stories, personal satisfaction, and financial security.  Whenever I look in the mirror I remind myself how blessed I am. I'm also happy and at peace with the person I see in the mirror looking back at me. I did things the right way, by earning everything I've ever received. I started from the absolute BOTTOM of the pro wrestling world with no inside connections to fast-track me. I have busted my ass every step of my journey and was happy to do it. I've never stabbed anyone in the back or cut anyone's throat to get where I'm at. And whether you agree with that or not.. I will always be proud of that fact.

There are so many wonderful and positive things my success has made possible and allowed me to do. On the other end of the spectrum though, there are other byproducts created by success-critics and negative opinions. It comes with the territory and I have learned to not only accept them, but to embrace them as motivation. Which brings me to some comments that were made about me that I was recently made aware of. I'll be the first to admit, I love keeping up with my profession on all levels, including the rumor-mill known as the internet. The last two weeks I've had such a hectic schedule between my day job and my other projects, I've haven't been up to speed on the current internet "topics." A good friend of mine showed me some comments a former power broker in the sports entertainment business made about yours truly. After I read his comments, I actually started laughing they were so off the mark. He then proceeded to make a couple of comments about Jeff, without knowing actual facts, which just made him look like a rotten person. Here's verbatim what was said about me..

"Matt, you are a friggin goof. Your recent recap of your “lifestyle” frames you as a candidate to the Jake Roberts Hall of Fame. Your suggestion that you and your generation are “smarter and more responsible” than previous generations of wrestlers makes me sick. You are a mid-card talent that should be grateful to even get a check every other week. Enjoy it while it lasts. And rather than looking down your nose at previous generations of professional wrestlers, donate a portion of your check to one of them and ask them to point out all the parallels between your current career path/lifestyle and theirs.

I find it funny that my "suggestions make him sick", yet he cares enough about me and my blog to read it and actually comment on it. Because I certainly didn't even know he had a blog or gave a damn about it until someone made me aware of it. So I'm gonna give this individual just what he was looking for by taking a couple of ignorant jabs towards someone he apparently cares about-some publicity on the net.  Alright, let's break this down..

"Matt, you are a friggin goof. Your recent recap of your “lifestyle” frames you as a candidate to the Jake Roberts Hall of Fame."

Hmm.. Absolutely no disrespect toward Jake Roberts, a guy who sacrificed to keep the business up and running so I could work in it one day, I don't think you could possibly be any further off. Besides my wrestling income, I have other projects and situations that produce income for me. I'm a little bit of an entrepreneur, kinda like you, HA. I could have retired already, dating back to 2005. I'd say that's pretty responsible for someone who just turned 34 years old. I'm not a drug guy either-I've never been in trouble, I've never had to battle demons, and the Wellness Program loves me. For the record, when I was out all night at Shane Helm's place, it was a New Year's Eve party. The majority of America stays up late that night. I was off the next day, and was able to get enough sleep to catch up. The following Friday after our Ft. Lauderdale live event, I went to eat with a friend after the show around midnight and hung out for a while. And because my sleep schedule had been wacky for a couple of days, I was wide awake. Sorry, didn't have or was willing to take any kind of "substances" to put me to sleep before my 4:30 a.m. wake up call. Had to disappoint you. Or the condescending "pro wrestling journalist" who writes for the preposterous Minnesota .com site who also made some patronizing remarks about the same situation. Once Saturday night rolled around, I was back on my regular sleeping schedule. You guys do realize we keep outrageous hours at work that constantly change depending on scheduling and traveling right? Just checking..

"Your suggestion that you and your generation are “smarter and more responsible” than previous generations of wrestlers makes me sick."

First and foremost, hope you're feeling better. And by the way, since you were singling him out, my brother does not make up my entire "generation." Things have changed SO much for the better since I started with the WWE full-time in 1998. I consider my generation roster beginning from around the time myself, Jeff, Edge, and Christian started with the WWE, 1998ish. Even before the Wellness Program began, the majority of my generation didn't want to end up dying early or broke if they were fortunate enough to make a good living in the business. And we learned that from those who had come before us. The majority of us were smart enough to learn from the mistakes of those who paved the way for us. The business isn't perfect, but it's damn sure better and more responsible than it's ever been. I stand completely behind that statement. If you have an issue nowadays, you have to either change or be gone. If I'm not mistaken, you're friends with DDP-he was around some of our generation for a while, ask him his opinion on the subject. On top of that, Vince McMahon and the WWE have been working diligently on all levels-in an honest attempt to keep their employees as safe and as healthy as possible by utilizing the Wellness Program, cardio testing, impact testing, and constant physical check-ups. 

"You are a mid-card talent that should be grateful to even get a check every other week. Enjoy it while it lasts."

HAHAHA!! Ewww.. Scott Hall finger thing.. Mid-Card, grateful to even get a check.. Wow, that's upsetting. I'm going on 11 years with the WWE and my 1099's (which I just looked at for 2008) certainly don't have a number on them that implies I'm lucky to be getting a paycheck. And just for the record, for the last 11 months, I have consistently been at nearly all televisions tapings-more than any other talent has. Enough of justifying myself though, I feel in good company. If I'm not mistaken, that's the same sentiment you had about Steve Austin-and he turned out ok. Maybe there's a small ray of hope for me yet..

"And rather than looking down your nose at previous generations of professional wrestlers, donate a portion of your check to one of them and ask them to point out all the parallels between your current career path/lifestyle and theirs."

I don't look down my nose at anyone. No one from any walk of life. I don't even see how you could take my comments out of context that far to even suggest that. I am especially grateful to the previous generations who kept the business alive so I could leave the life I do today. Anyone who knows me well personally knows that. I've busted my ass for a long time with a master plan of positioning myself into a certain situation. A situation that I'm responsible for where I'm happy, secure, and free to dictate my daily activities. On my own, I've more or less gotten to that point. I've never asked for any donations, so I don't feel responsible to give out any. And call me crazy, but I think my current career path/lifestyle is gonna be just fine. 

Thanks for giving me some good, yet easy, topics to respond to and blog about. Made my morning go by faster. 

Quote of the day - "Never mind what haters say, ignore them 'til they fade away" - T.I., Live Your Life

Matt

First and foremost, Merry Christmas my friends! I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday season and getting to spend some quality time with the people who mean the most to them. It's Christmas Eve-and in just a few hours Santa will be cranking up the old sleigh-in preparation to give out presents to all the little boys and girls who've been good this year. Hope that counts whoever is reading this right now, HAHA! But in all seriousness, I hope everyone has an outstanding Christmas experience.

It's fortunately been quite a good year for me, although I planned for that going into 2008. I've had my most successful year career-wise that I've ever had on all levels. I started out the year recovering from an appen..omy and elbow surgery. I ended up returning with a bang at Wrestlemania, winning the U.S. Title, and then capturing the ECW Heavyweight Championship. I've held gold (or platinum) pretty much the entire year. And with Jeff closing out the year by winning the WWE Title, the Hardys have had a helluva year. The Hardy Renaissance is upon us! Not too bad for a couple of little kids who used to bounce around on a trampoline with big dreams that became realities. I wanna thank all my supporters who have always believed in me and stuck with me through thick and thin.

As 2008 closes, I have much bigger and better and more focused goals for 2009-professionally and personally. I wanna continue to move up in the ranks of the WWE, I want be the best ECW Champ that I can be, and I also have two other major titles I'd like to add to my resume. Although unbeknownst to most people, I was very physically banged up the last couple of months which made staying in shape tough. Now that I'm getting healthier, it's my goal to get in tip-top shape once again. I'm planning on making training, cardio, dieting, and sleeping better a lifestyle for 2009. 

By the way, we had a little Matt Hardy Christmas Bash last Friday (that's an oxymoron if there's ever been one).. All I can say is.. WOW!! There was tons of people, tons of food, tons of adult beverages, karaoke, face-paint (some voluntary, some involuntary), hot-tubbing, shenanigans, stories, and then there was ME.. I have to be honest, I over-tuned a bit, HA! Good times were had by all, I unfortunately can't quite remember all of them, LOL. The MHBACB is certainly becoming a annually historic event-and the stories are becoming legendary!

Merry Christmas once again-enjoy the holiday season, and I hope Santa is good to all you guys and gals! 

Quote of the day - "I am myself, like you somehow" - Pearl Jam, Release

Matt

First and foremost, I want to congratulate my brother Jeff-I am SO proud of him for never giving up of never being detoured. Tonight history was made. Jeff and myself, as the Hardy Boyz, are one of the greatest, most legendary tag teams in the professional wrestling business. That can not be denied, regardless of how smart of a fan or critic you are.

We broke barriers in Ladder Matches, Tables Matches, TLC Matches, and several other areas. We semi-main evented Wrestlemania, we did everything you could do as a tag team. At the risk of sounding overconfident, for the record, we have sold more merchandise than any tag team in the history of the business. That is a fact. We have the greatest fans in the world-they've made all these things happen.

When a great tag team splits, one member usually goes on to be great while the other one struggles. That's not the case with us, nor ever will be. We are the first ever true blood brothers to go on to have extremely successful singles careers and both become World Heavyweight Champions. That has never been done in the WWE.

Thanks again to all of our supporters and the people who have stuck with us through thick and thin. And I can promise you this-we're just getting started on our singles success journey. Look at my default picture-a picture say a thousands words-this one is no different.

Jeff and I LOVE our diehard supporters, because without them, we would have never made it this far. And there's NO ONE, regardless of how smart or sarcastic they are, that can put a dent in this amazing feat we've achieved. We've came quite a long ways from kids playing wrestlers on a trampoline and wrestling in the Southern Pines National Guard Armory for a couple bucks. We exemplify a living, breathing dream that people can believe in. No one can take away what two little country boys from rural Cameron, North Carolina have accomplished.

We wanna thank our Dad on Earth and our Mother in Heaven, I know she's looking down on us with a smile on her face and pride in her soul. We wanna thank everyone who has believed and supported us, you're more important to us than you could ever imagine. We wanna thank the critics and non-believers for driving us, hope you enjoy those negative words as you swallow them. We don't care about star ratings, match reviews, or what people out of our circle think about our "pushes" and careers (That's not a blanket statement directed towards everyone, some peeps "get" what we're doing actually).

We most importantly care about satisfying our casual fans, giving back to the kids that are wrestling fans (which at one time was us), and being examples of success that people can be motivated by.

I love my brother more than you'll ever know-and I have NEVER been more proud of him than I am right now. God bless you all, I can't say thank you enough.

Dreams do come true-Matt and Jeff Hardy are proof of that.

Matt Hardy
ECW World Heavyweight Champion

Jeff Hardy
WWE World Champion