Matt Hardy Recalls 2001 WWE Split Attempt

Matt Hardy discussed a 2001 attempt by WWE to split up the Hardy brothers during an interview with The Stunner. The promotion tried to break apart Matt and Jeff Hardy with Lita positioned in the middle of their Team Extreme group.

Jeff Hardy grew uncomfortable with the creative direction for the split and refused to participate in certain elements of the storyline. As a result WWE removed the brothers from television for a period which Hardy described as punishment though they continued performing at live events.

The company then abandoned the angle and reunited the team because they realized the brothers were not prepared to separate at that time. Hardy confirmed he knew the specific ideas that made his brother uneasy but declined to provide details.

He strongly suggested the discomfort involved Lita who was his girlfriend at the time by stating he would like to stay married. The Hardys remained together for several more months until Matt turned on Jeff during a summer 2002 episode of Raw.

Matt then moved to SmackDown and began his Matt Hardy Version 1 persona while Jeff stayed on Raw before leaving WWE in early 2003.