"Just an average-sized guy" - Legendary star says John Laurinaitis stopped his push in WWE

Matt Hardy has revealed that John Laurinaitis blocked his push as a heel back during his rise as a singles WWE Superstar in 2002.

After spending many years in the tag team division, Hardy debuted his 'Version 1' gimmick after breaking away from his brother shortly after the Invasion angle. Matt confirmed that WWE originally wanted him to feud with Edge, an up-and-coming babyface at the time.

As recalled by the AEW star on his podcast, Matt Hardy was slated to attack Rey Mysterio and help WWE write the legendary Luchador off TV with a kayfabe injury. Edge was supposed to make the save, which would have kickstarted a long-term program with Matt Hardy.

"Edge was going to make the save, and then I was going to go into a long-form angle with Edge earlier on when he was the big babyface, and he had a strong push at that point. And then I was going to get the big push as a heel," revealed Matt Hardy. [10:47 - 11:07]

The initial idea was for Matt Hardy to be groomed as a credible singles heel by having him wrestle a series of matches with Edge.

However, John Laurinaitis stepped into the picture and suggested WWE give A-Train (Matt Bloom) a monster heel push instead of Matt Hardy.

The tag team legend revealed that Laurinaitis saw more potential in a physically larger wrestler like A-Train and altered the creative direction of the angle, resulting in Matt Hardy's push witnessing a premature end.

Hardy also briefly spoke about his contentious backstage relationship with the former WWE Head of Talent relations, as you can view below:

"But John Laurinaitis was the guy who ended up ultimately getting that changed," Hardy continued. "He was like, 'Well, you know, Matt's alright, but the guy we really need to push is this big guy A-Train. I think we need to put A-Train, let him take out Rey Mysterio, let him work against Edge. There is much more equity in him. He is a big monster. Matt's just an average-sized guy, or whatever.' And then, A-Train ended up getting that angle; it was the beginning of the disagreements between John Laurinaitis and me after WCW came into WWE." [11:08 - 11:36]

"I hated that I missed that angle with Edge": Former WWE star Matt Hardy

After losing out on a promising on-screen rivalry with Edge, Matt Hardy "laid low" for his next big opportunity to shine on TV. Hardy got into a Cruiserweight title storyline with the returning Rey Mysterio, and the veteran admittedly enjoyed the championship feud.

However, Matt Hardy felt that his 'Version 1' persona could have been successful in WWE had he been given a chance to battle Edge.

While Edge and Matt Hardy proceeded to have memorable clashes in later years, Matt regretted not working with the WWE superstar during the early stages of their respective solo runs.

He added:

"So, ultimately, I just laid low, and they offered me that Cruiserweight angle with Rey Mysterio after he came back, and I was all up for that. I ended up winning the Cruiserweight title from Billy Kidman and went into an angle with him. I hated that I missed that angle with Edge, though. Especially with myself and Adam's chemistry, and I think he would have been the one that could have really thrust Matt Hardy Version 1.0 to the next level if we had done that angle properly." [11:38 - 12:00]

Is Matt Hardy one of Edge's greatest rivals ever? Share your views in the comments section below.

---

While using any quotes from this article, please credit 'The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy' and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.