TNA Tag Team Champion Matt Hardy Talks Booking & Creative Headed Into New Media Rights Deal With AMC

This past Tuesday morning, TNA Wrestling and AMC both revealed via their social media accounts that they’ve entered into a multi year media rights agreement, with the flagship iMPACT! weekly TV show at the forefront of the deal.

On the latest episode of the Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, co-host Jon Alba and Matt Hardy delve into what the current creative and booking look like finishing up 2025 and headed into 2026 and how it could change for the better with a new, bigger platform and more exposure.

Jon Alba – Respectfully, there’s only so long that the Hardy’s can be those flag bearers and carry that equity – you have to build some new people to carry TNA to that next media deal and 5 years beyond that. You guys are a very important part of the “NOW” right now, but I really want to see TNA start to focus in – how that this deal is signed, sealed, and delivered – on building that next crop who are going to supplement you guys and then take the flag from you guys and run forward. Is that fair to say?

Matt – I mean look who you’re talking to, Jon. Nobody wants to do that more than me. Put me in the position of booking and helping out with booking because I know you have to make tomorrow’s stars because time flies and people don’t last forever. Once you sit back and rely on the only top guys you have for too long you’re ultimately going to be in trouble. You have to always continue to make new guys – always.

Jon – It’s interesting that you said that because I was going to ask you about this. Sean Ross Sapp reported on Fightful that a lot of TNA talent who spoke to him is one of the first investments they’d like to see it in a more well-rounded creative team. I’ve spoken to TNA wrestlers who have echoed those sentiments – and it’s not a “fuck Tommy Dreamer, fuck Delirious” tone, it’s “now that we have more of a foundation, we don’t want to see creative fall on two guys, we want to be able to get more voices in the room – have more input, have different ideas coming from different people.” How do you feel about that notion of maybe expanding the creative process within TNA, and is that something that you would be interested in potentially doing?

MH – I mean, I ultimately see myself in a creative position – I ultimately see myself in a production/producer position because I do – I’m a lifer. That’s just what it is. Even when I’m not wrestling in-ring, I’m going to be around doing this shit and giving back. I will probably be better at that – that’s probably why Vince tried to put me in this shit so early as it was anyway. I love this shit and I’m passionate about it, and while I can do it I want to do it. Looking at the way things went, especially coming back to TNA, Jeff and I having this huge ground-swell of popularity, this huge resurgence, and this TV deal happening – I feel like we’re at the right place at the right time and things happens as they were meant to happen.

I love what Tommy’s doing, I feel Tommy is very good to us because he understands us and what we are and what makes us popular and how to put us in a role to succeed in that. I’ve enjoyed working with Hunter (Johnston), Delirious, I enjoyed working with him back in Ring Of Honor when I was doing “Big Money Matt” stuff, but yes – I wouldn’t hate if they did expand things out, I wouldn’t hate if I did have input in stuff like that – but I do think, for what it’s worth, they have both been doing a really good job because those two guys have been bearing the load, and they did get us to this TV deal.

Jon – If Matt Hardy was given the opportunity right now to be apart of the TNA creative team, what would you focus on doing?

MH – I think the first thing I would focus on doing is picking – I would probably pick 4 or 5 people that I really wanted to build and wanted to elevate and find a way to elevate them over the next little bit in the smartest way possible where it keeps them growing but it doesn’t hurt anybody else.

Jon – That’s fair. That’s more than fair. I know Leon Slater is likely one of those types, but there’s other – I just wonder –

MH – He is, they’ve done a good job of building Leon.

Jon – Oh yeah, Leon’s had a great run. So I mentioned the Sports Illustrated voting – we have a “Breakout Star of the Year” category, and Leon’s gotten votes from everybody on that. He’s had a big time break out year, there’s no doubt about it.

MH – No doubt about it. I love the fact that- I take so much pride from when I was at AEW and if there was ever a problem that Isaiah or Quinn would have I would get the call; like Leon I’ll get buzzed, and I like that – and I like being in that role, you know, especially where they trust me and I want to give them the best advice possible.

Jon – Sure. Absolutely! That’s all really interesting that you would want to be a part of that and I think that would be a natural progression for you, and In would welcome that. I do think TNA – and look I’ve talked about this on social media – I do think TNA needs a bit of a creative overhaul. I love Tommy Dreamer – Love him. I just think that he’s very spread thin right now. He’s got a lot of responsibilities with TNA, and I think adding some more voices to the room – whether they come from in wrestling or outside of wrestling – I think it would be a really good thing for TNA to bring some more voices to the table and see what they could cook up and invest in some younger talent that are out there and bring them into the fold. The indies are not what they used to be because WWE and AEW have swallowed up so many of the promising talent, but there’s a lot of really talented people out there who should be on TV and I’d love to see them being given an opportunity to be able to show what they are capable of doing so hopefully TNA can do that.

Look, 7-10 million dollars —

MH – I can tell you this too, there are good people out there – because me and Jeff are still somewhat active out there – there’s a bunch of people that will recommend come in, and we take a look at, and that’s something I’ll actively be doing.

Jon – Yeah, that’s great. I love that. That’s great for the business – that’s one of the benefits of you guys being out there – you’re scouting in real time while you’re wrestling these matches. I love it. But I was saying, 7-10 million dollars a year/2-3 year deal potentially/ it’s not a ton of money. It’s nice, and it’s helpful – you’re making something off of them – it’s not enough to go LIVE every week. I spoke to Carlos Silva and he told me they’re not going to be LIVE every week, it’s not enough to go out and sign a whole bunch of talent – but it will help with marketing the show and getting the TNA name out there more, and maybe tightening up production a little bit, and I think that’s really good.

H/T Gerard at Bodyslam.net for transcription.

Amid TNA locker room frustration with the TNA creative and booking teams, Bodyslam ran coverage of a recent report diving deeper into the issue.

TNA World Champion Frankie Kazarian previously talked about the quality of the TNA locker room and what it means to them to get this big opportunity with a new media partner in 2026.

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