WWE Rumors: Predicting What’s Next for Jeff Hardy and Cesaro After Latest Buzz

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It feels like we’re discussing a new hot free agent in professional wrestling every week. We knew 2022 would bring a fresh crop of wrestlers in search of a home, but there have still been some big surprises.

To that end, PWInsider recently broke the news that Cesaro left WWE after his contract expired. This makes The Swiss Cyborg the latest star to exit the company and join an absolutely stacked collection of free agents.

Meanwhile, WWE released Jeff Hardy back in December following an incident at a house show in Corpus Christi, Texas. The second half of Team Extreme remains one of the most popular stars from the Attitude Era. He will undoubtedly be a potential asset for new suitors when his 90-day non-compete clause ends on Mar. 9.

One has to imagine someone will sign both of them soon. Still, the question is where will these two land later this year.

Viewers may get their wish as The Charismatic Enigma seemingly confirmed that he was heading to AEW during an interview with Jared Myers. Although he also appeared to state that nothing is official on Twitter, this seems like the most likely destination for the 44-year-old. After all, Matt Hardy has dropped several hints since he left WWE.

The eldest brother talked about the chances of reuniting and working as a tag team again during his recent interview with Graham Matthews of Bleacher Report.

“Jeff and I both made that deal to each other: we want to end our careers the way we began our careers,” he said. “We’re getting the opportunity to do that now as all of the planets have aligned. I’m really excited for how 2022 is going to turn out for the Hardys. It’s going to be a great, great year, and we’re very much excited to be teaming again and having some first-time matches, which is going to be rare.

“We’ve gone long enough without teaming that there’s all these fresh matchups out there and there’s so many great tag teams in the world,” he continued. “The AEW tag team division is jam-packed and overflowing. If we end up doing something at AEW, I think that’d be very cool, too.”

This seems to line up with Hardy’s current storyline with Private Party. The team’s manager has grown impatient with them over the last few weeks, and tension between the two parties has been visible backstage and online. After John Silver eliminated Isiah Kassidy in a tag team battle royal on this week’s episode of Dynamite, Big Money Matt promptly walked out on them.

A loss at Revolution could lead to the end of their working relationship and the beginning of a final run for The Hardy Boyz. The timing lines up perfectly, and there have been plenty of teases for fans to pick up on. For starters, AEW has not so subtly referenced the situation surrounding Jeff’s release on television and Being the Elite.

So, it seems like only a matter of time before the Hardys get the band back together to take on some of the best tag teams AEW has to offer. It’s unclear when they plan to retire, but one last run as a duo couldn’t come at a better time.

Cesaro’s Ample But Limited Options

Straight away, Cesaro will interest many companies as an extremely versatile in-ring performer. The Swiss spent over 10 years with WWE, and most hardcore fans would agree that he was one of the most consistently underutilized wrestlers on the rosters.

However, it’s hard to imagine he would fare much better with AEW at the moment as the company has grown exponentially over the last year. It’s still a great alternative in some ways, but it’s far from the empty slate it was for someone like Jon Moxley early on.

After all, Tony Khan brought on some massive major acquisitions in 2021, and Keith Lee and Buddy Murphy just joined its ranks. With rumors that Swerve and Hardy may not be far behind, where would that leave Cesaro?

Sure, he could have some excellent matches with several AEW stars, but the 41-year-old wouldn’t exactly be a lock to become a future champion. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the man who has become somewhat of a tag team specialist must have other aspirations at this point.

It’s unclear what his goals are yet, but he may have better options that don’t offer the same exposure as the top two wrestling companies. Cesaro has a strong following already, but it might not be a bad idea to go on a trek through smaller promotions to remind the world of what he does best. A similar path has worked wonders for Matt Cardona, who is on possibly the best run of his career.

We could easily see Cesaro appear on New Japan Strong or compete in this year’s G1 Climax. Maybe he will show up on Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport or make a run at the NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship. The King of Swing could do all of that and more. The world is his oyster.

It may seem like he should rush to sign with another company and fight for TV time. However, it could be worth it to work as an independent wrestler for a while and go on the run of a lifetime.