Matt Hardy: I Could Potentially See Dolph Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, And Mustafa Ali In AEW

Matt Hardy comments on WWE’s latest round of releases.

Matt Hardy comments on WWE’s latest round of releases.

On September 21, WWE released Dolph Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, Mustafa Ali, and several other stars in a wave of cuts. Previously, a number of WWE releases, including Isaiah “Swerve” Scott’ (Swerve Strickland) and Aleister Black (Malakai Black) have landed in AEW.

Speaking on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, the AEW star was asked about Matt Cardona’s post following the releases in which he stated that the work and the money are out there for those who work hard. Hardy complimented the way Cardona has thrived since his release and noted that other stars could have similar success. He also stated that the cuts could open up some possibilities at AEW.

“He is the perfect living, breathing example of it, a guy who, when he was laid off, the stuff he’s done now where he’s the Indy God and he won all the titles. He’s just killing it on every level. He is willing to bust his ass, he’s willing to work, put in the sacrifice and do it yourself. You really have to be someone that’s almost like a D.I.Y. to really be able to go out and do that, but it is out there, if you want it, especially if you got great name value, someone like a Dolph Ziggler or someone like a Shelton Benjamin or someone like a Mustafa Ali. There’s a lot of guys who have a lot of great TV time and people will pay to see them. You go out and you bust your ass and you can do whatever. I think also it opens up some possibilities at AEW for some of these guys to maybe show up and do something there in 90 days,” Hardy said.

Hardy was then asked to name who he could see fitting into AEW well. He repeated that he could see Shelton Benjamin, Dolph Ziggler, and Mustafa Ali doing something in AEW.

“I could see the three names I just mentioned, Shelton Benjamin, I could see Dolph Ziggler. I could see Mustafa Ali. I could see all those guys doing something there. I have to go back and look at the list,” Hardy said.

Co-host Jon Alba noted that Ziggler getting an opportunity outside of WWE could be compelling, as he could potentially be a big player. Hardy compared himself to Ziggler as he noted that they have a similar mindset. He noted that that approach can be detrimental, as it can hold someone back in some cases. 

“He’s also very much of the same mentality that I am. He’s very easygoing, he just wants to be there, he wants to do a good job, he wants to go out and wrestle, bust his ass, and he’s not problematic. He’s not a politicker. He just goes to work and does his job. To our defense, that’s not a bad thing, but it also can be something that holds you back in some capacity too if you’re not constantly politicking and trying to get your shit in and trying to make sure you fit your finger on the pulse of the promoter and what all he’s doing and where you’re going. Sometimes you have to be super interactive to stay on top of your shit, to make sure something happens like that,” Hardy said.

Hardy also praised Ziggler’s experience as a valuable intangible. He subsequently noted that the business is in a healthy place, as there are viable options ranging from WWE and AEW to other companies and the independent scene.

Ric Flair recently commented on Dolph Ziggler’s release. Click here to see what he had to say.

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