Reby Hardy responds to Ed Nordholm interview, denies Matt Hardy asked for $100,000 pay increase, the legal claims to the Broken Universe, and discusses contract negotiations with GFW

Reby Hardy spoke with Sports Illustrated in a response to an interview that Anthem executive Ed Nordholm granted to the same outlet. The following are highlights of the interview, which can be read in full at SI.com.

Reby Hardy on whether Matt Hardy demanded a $100,000 pay increase as Nordholm indicated: “That is not accurate, but it is laughable. During contract negotiations, when I started to notice as well as hear from friends about Jeff Jarrett’s shady business tactics, I did two things: I immediately filed a trademark for ‘Broken’ Matt Hardy, and started to record every conversation between Matt and anyone at that TNA office, including Ed Nordholm and Jeff Jarrett… In the phone call that Ed Nordholm is referencing, it is very clear that Matt did not hold Anthem up for any money. He did not request $100,000 more.”

Reby Hardy on whether Anthem is correct in claiming they own the “Broken Universe” intellectual property: “There is enough question in the contract, in terms of gimmick development and intellectual property, that our attorneys strongly feel that there is a case. If there were no question about it, like Jeff Jarrett and Ed Nordholm continue to say, then I would not be discussing it, and neither would Matt. There is enough of a question in the contract that it is worth fighting over. If it were as cut-and-dry as Anthem is trying to make everyone believe, then we would have stopped pursuing it. That’s not the case. There are legal questions over the verbiage in the contract, and we have a good chance of winning this battle.”

Reby Hardy on contract negotiations with GFW/Impact Wrestling: “Jeff Jarrett’s plan was to give Jeff Hardy all the money, and he actually said to pay Matt as little as possible because he believed Matt could not go anywhere without Jeff Hardy. I had reservations about WWE for a long time, but I forgot all of my reservations and our loyalty to the TNA brand after I learned that. F— these guys, to put it bluntly. After Matt financed his own shoots and put hours and hours of his own time writing the shows? F— these guys. We didn’t have any scripts. They’re claiming IP, they’re claiming this is their character and development, but we never had one script or one shoot sheet. That was all Matt pouring himself into the character and dedicating himself to it.”

Powell’s POV: Reby also addressed the role that Billy Corgan played in attempting to mediate a settlement between the two brands. She covered a lot of ground in the interview than listed above, so be sure to check it out in full. As I’ve noted repeatedly, I have no idea what Anthem officials feel like they are gaining by not negotiating a settlement other than negative publicity. Company officials thought this would blow over quickly, yet here we are all these months later, and Reby’s latest comments continue to make the company look bad.