Jeff Hardy Talks WWE Contract; Gable Steveson Retiring; Rumors on AEW’s Rey Fenix

Chris Ryan/Corbis via Getty Images

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Hardy Talks Recent Contract Extension with WWE

Future WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Hardy discussed his WWE contract this week and the circumstances that surrounded him signing an extension with the company.

In an interview with BT Sport (h/t Fightful’s Jeremy Lambert), Hardy divulged that part of his agreement with WWE involved the return of his “No More Words” theme song:

“That was the deal when I re-signed. I was like, ‘I’ll sign for two years as long as I get my old theme back called ‘No More Words.” We came to find that they owned the song so there was no reason I couldn’t. My first night in front of a live audience, I got it back and it’s just like it never left. It was so powerful. I think [WWE] realized, ‘Yeah, that was a good decision.'”

Hardy continued using the Hardy Boyz theme song during the COVID-19 pandemic when no fans were in attendance, but that changed on the July 19 episode of Raw when fans returned.

The Charismatic Enigma made his entrance to the tune of “No More Words” and went on to beat Karrion Kross, who was making his main roster debut.

It is unclear precisely when Hardy signed a two-year contract with WWE, but if it occurred earlier this year, he is line to remain with the company into 2023 at the least.

There has been speculation from fans about Hardy potentially joining his brother, Matt Hardy, in All Elite Wrestling so they can enjoy one final run as the Hardy Boyz.

There is no immediate end in sight to Jeff’s time in WWE, however, and based on the way the SmackDown roster is constructed, he figures to have an important role as one of the top babyfaces on the blue brand for the foreseeable future.

Steveson Confirms Upcoming Retirement from Amateur Wrestling

Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler Gable Steveson confirmed Tuesday that his amateur wrestling career is winding down.

Ahead of the University of Minnesota’s home meet on Saturday, Steveson tweeted the following:

ESPN’s Mike Coppinger in September that he agreed to a deal with WWE that would see him wrestle for Minnesota during the 2021-22 season while simultaneously training to become a WWE Superstar.

WWE also announced at the time that Steveson was the first college athlete to sign a name, image and likeness (NIL) contract with the company since the NCAA began allowing such deals.

All signs point toward Steveson transitioning straight to the main roster and being an instant top star for WWE, much like Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle did in the late 1990s.

Before that, Steveson is looking to end his amateur career with a bang by winning his second consecutive national championship in the heavyweight division in addition to his Olympic gold medal.

Steveson likely has a long and successful WWE career in front of him, and winning another national title would give him even more credibility and momentum entering his next chapter in WWE.

Fenix Reportedly Has Backstage Heat in AEW

Rey Fenix, one half of the AEW World Tag Team champions the Lucha Bros, reportedly has some backstage heat in AEW after what happened during his match at Full Gear.

Fenix and Penta El Zero Miedo defeated FTR to retain the AEW World Tag Team titles, and it was reported by Fightful Select (h/t Michael Perry of Ringside News) that Dax Harwood got injured and was unable to finish the match after taking a move from Fenix.

In a follow-up, Fightful Select (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News) reported that some AEW talent took issue with Fenix’s stiff wrestling style and not checking up on Harwood after injuring him.

Fightful noted that while Fenix isn’t believed to have “major heat,” some AEW wrestlers believe it would have been common courtesy to make sure Harwood was OK.

Fenix and Penta have been one of the most exciting and entertaining tag teams in professional wrestling for quite some time, and they find themselves atop AEW’s tag team division.

The Lucha Bros finally broke through and won the AEW World Tag Team titles at All Out in September when they defeated The Young Bucks in a memorable steel cage match.

Continuing to lead the tag division won’t be easy considering how deep AEW is in terms of tag teams, but given how popular the Lucha Bros are with the AEW fanbase, there is no end in sight to their reign.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).