Report: The Hardys Originally Set To Win AEW World Tag Team Titles

Heading into the recent AEW Dynamite Road Rager 2022 special on June 15, The Hardys were set to challenge for the AEW World Tag Team Championships in a ladder match against Champions Jurassic Express, and rivals The Young Bucks.

The Hardys were pulled from the match after Jeff Hardy was arrested on several charges including a DUI on June 13, with the match turned to a Jurassic Express vs Bucks ladder match, with Matt and Nick Jackson picking up the titles for a second time after a table strewn clash.

Whilst conflicting reports emerged following Hardy’s arrest as to The Hardys’ status for the ladder match, it has been reported that prior to Jeff’s legal troubles, The Hardys were set to win the titles, pending Jeff gaining medical clearance following a string of intense high impact matches during the previous month.

Jeff was reportedly on his way to a brain scan when he was arrested for DUI, with F4WOnline’s Bryan Alvarez saying the following on the Bryan & Vinny & Jonathan show:

"The idea was the Hardys were going to win the tag titles in this ladder match, that was the plan for awhile," Alvarez said. "Apparently, at the pay-per-view when the Hardys and the Bucks had their match, Jeff was not looking good. Apparently, they examined him afterwards and he was all beat up and he didn't remember the match."

Alvarez continued, "They had advertised the ladder match. He [Jeff] was never actually going to be in the ladder match. They were going to do the angle where he and Matt were going to be coming out for the ladder match, they were going to be jumped on the ramp and they were going to be carted off and they weren't actually going to do the match. So, whether he had his DUI or not, Jeff was never going to do that ladder match. It was always going to be Jurassic Express vs. the Young Bucks for the tag team titles with the Young Bucks winning."

Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp later reported that Alvarez’s version of events was inaccurate, reporting that even if Jeff wasn’t cleared to compete but was allowed to appear, an angle would have been put in place to write him out of the match, allowing Matt Hardy to represent the team on his own.