AEW: Jeff Hardy on Feeling “Guilt & Shame” for Personal Issues Ruining AEW Career, Scorpio Sky on Current AEW Absence, AEW Women’s Title Eliminator Match Set for Battle of the Belts XI

Jeff Hardy Comments on Feeling “Guilt and Shame” Over His Personal Issues Ruining His AEW Career

A recent episode of the Busted Open Radio podcast featured former AEW talent and current TNA Wrestling talent Jeff Hardy as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Hardy’s thoughts about his current goals for his TNA career and feeling guilt and shame over his personal issues ruining his AEW career. These “personal issues” revolved around Hardy being arrested for DUI and being suspended by AEW over it in 2022.

“Definitely (my goal in TNA) is to win the TNA Tag Team Titles, basically because I have so much guilt and shame within me still just from AEW giving me an opportunity and even Matt (Hardy) to me breaking trust with my personal issues in real life and so I just wanna make that up to Matt and I can say right here that I will not break TNA’s trust. That is in my past and it feels good to have somewhat of a clean slate with all that stuff and kind of start fresh instead of having that guilt and shame about what I did in a certain world of pro wrestling.

The main thing is sobriety and recovery. It’s a huge thing. Back in ‘09, which I got convicted of my first dealing in 2011 and I was completely sober for about two and a half years. But, 2012 was one of my best wrestling years ever in TNA in my opinion because I was straight-up stone-cold sober and I was scared a lot. I had a lot of fear within me but, having good matches and it’s obvious with me when I’m not in a good place. I look swollen and big. It’s pretty obvious if you go back and watch footage. At least I can see every minute of it. But yeah, sobriety and recovery and staying on that straight and narrow and it’s gonna guide me to such a beautiful place in human life and existence and I have two daughters and a wife that I still have their love and their support and that means everything to me and I’m even starting to get a little fearless with comedy stuff I used to do back in those two and a half years of sobriety with character stuff and comedy stuff and I’m trying to turn my music show more into a comedy act because I’m not a great singer but you know, I just give it my all. But, so many things have happened since my last run-in with the law that have been really beautiful, and it’s like an enlightenment connection I have with everything around me. Mainly nature, the force of nature is a huge drive with my eternal love.”

Transcript h/t: PostWrestling.com

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Scorpio Sky Comments on His Current Absence from AEW

Scorpio Sky has been noticeably absent from AEW since this past May and last wrestled for the company in October of 2023.

A recent episode of the Insight with Chris Van Vliet podcast featured Sky as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Sky’s thoughts about his current absence from AEW and the reason not being due to him currently dealing with an injury.

“That’s been the question. I guess I’ve been in and out over the last couple of years. Some of it has been due to injury. Some of it due to bad luck. One thing I will say, there is a narrative out that I’m just this injury-prone guy. ‘He’s gone for a long time, he comes back, he gets hurt again.’ That’s not the case. I want to address that. I did get hurt about two years ago. I was okay within a couple of weeks. The problem is, when you fall out of the rotation, we have so much talent, that it’s hard to get back in the rotation. I compare it to a Ferris wheel. You’re at the top at one point, but you know you’re going to go down, and you have to wait your turn to get back up there. That’s a little bit of what happened. I have had a couple of injuries over the last few years. For the most part, I’ve been healthy for 80% (of the time).

It’s really tough to get back in the rotation because we have so much talent. There is always talent coming in so it’s almost out of sight, out of mind. That’s the best way I can describe it. I’m eager to get back in the ring and flex my muscles a little. I’m in really good shape. I’m excited. Not only in AEW, I want to get back on the indie scene. I haven’t done the indies in a number of years. That would be a really fun thing for me to go back to my roots and see who is out there. See who the hot names are and go and have bangers with them.”

Sky also gave his thoughts about his potential return to AEW.

“I’m ready. I’m ready. I think we’re waiting for the right opportunity. The right situation. There are a lot of guys. A lot of guys in the company and people are coming in all the time. Obviously, our relationship with other companies like New Japan, that provides us with extra talent. It’s a little tough sometimes to work your way back in the rotation. It’s not unlike basketball. You get injured, you might lose your spot as a starter, someone else comes in and kills it in that spot. ‘We’re winning without you.’ You have to figure out a way to get yourself back on the floor.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

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AEW Women’s Title Eliminator Match Announced for AEW Battle of the Belts XI

AEW CEO Tony Khan announced the first official match for the card of AEW Battle of the Belts IX, which takes place on July 27th at the Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas.

This new match match announced was an AEW World Television Championship Eliminator match of Taya Valkyrie vs. “Timeless” Toni Storm.

This Saturday, 7/27
Arlington, TX#AEWBOTB
After #AEWCollision Saturday@AEW Women's World Title
Eliminator

Timeless Toni Storm vs @thetayavalkyrie

After making her return, Timeless Toni Storm takes on Taya, who can earn a shot at the title after All In with a win on Saturday! pic.twitter.com/WaFL6dvtcP

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) July 25, 2024

Current card for July 27th AEW Battle of the Belts XI:

• AEW World Television Championship Eliminator match – Taya Valkyrie vs. “Timeless” Toni Storm