Matt Hardy has had enough of the toxicity.
The wrestling world certainly isn't immune from tribalism. Ever since AEW was formed back in 2019, there have been some mind-numbing fanboy wars on social media. Even though Matt currently represents AEW, he sees conversations going south on both sides.
Matt Hardy Sends Message To Keyboard Warriors
During an edition of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Matt said there's nothing wrong with supporting the company you prefer. With that said, he doesn't understand why fans work themselves up over brand loyalty (via Wrestling Inc).
“One thing I would like to say is the tribalism between WWE and AEW fans, like, you don’t have to do this. I don’t know if you enjoy it, the people that do it online on social media, it just creates such a toxic environment in the big scheme of things.
"You love WWE, go hard for WWE, and support WWE. I love WWE and you know I’ve said that since day one, and I’ll never say anything differently. Obviously, when I work somewhere else, I’m going to go hard for AEW because they’re the people paying my bills at the end of the day, but just like a pro wrestling match, you take shots at your opponent, and you talk sh** about them.
“That’s what AEW is going to do to WWE, that’s what WWE, in theory, is going to do to AEW although they don’t mention AEW in the big scheme of things, they may take shots in other ways behind the scenes. That’s part of the game, part of the business, and don’t take that too seriously.
"If you have a guy in WWE taking shots at an AEW guy, don’t sweat it. If you have an AEW guy taking shots at a WWE guy, don’t sweat it, it’s all part of the game, baby. It’s all a part of the game and the whole promotion, and the whole fun of pro wrestling. As a fan, don’t work yourself into a shoot, especially with other fans online. Enjoy whatever you enjoy and be proud of it, and don’t let anybody take it differently.”
AEW star Bryan Danielson also spoke about tribalism in wrestling during an interview with Sports Illustrated back in Sept. 2021. He doesn't believe the issue solely rests within the industry.