Add as a preferred source on Google Matt Hardy has defended TNA President Carlos Silva following the recent criticism over TNA pulling talent from independent matches involving AEW wrestlers.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Hardy addressed the situation after Silva made the call to pull names such as Leon Slater and Nic Nemeth from previously announced matches. Slater had been scheduled to face Ricochet at the WrestleCon Supershow, while Nemeth was set to face MJF at Create-A-Pro’s Monumental Moment event.
Hardy said that, with TNA now working closely with WWE, the TNA vs. AEW matches probably should not have been approved in the first place.
“In my honest opinion… we probably shouldn’t do TNA-AEW,” Hardy said.
Hardy also noted that Silva tried to make the situation right financially. According to Fightful, Hardy said the wrestlers pulled from the matches were paid their full fees, while WrestleCon promoter Michael Bochicchio confirmed Silva reimbursed Leon Slater’s flight and hotel expenses after Slater was pulled from the show.
Silva had addressed the backlash earlier this week on Busted Open Radio, saying that the decision was made to protect TNA. He also took ownership of the call, saying that part of his job is making hard decisions when the company’s business interests are involved.
“We’ve gotta protect TNA,” Silva said.
The controversy comes at a time when TNA’s relationship with WWE and NXT remains a major part of the company’s direction. WWE and TNA officially announced a multi-year partnership in January 2025, with the deal designed to create crossover opportunities for NXT and TNA talent across weekly TV, select WWE Premium Live Events and TNA pay-per-views.
TNA also moved into a new television phase earlier this year. The company announced a multi-year media rights deal with AMC Networks in December, bringing Thursday Night iMPACT! to AMC and AMC+ starting January 15, 2026.
Hardy remains part of TNA alongside Jeff Hardy. The Hardys continue to work with The Righteous, with Jeff scheduled to face Vincent on this week’s episode of Impact and Matt coming off a loss to Dutch on last week’s show.