Matt Hardy Claims JBL Used A Naked Undertaker To Haze The Hardy Boyz

There are many traditions in WWE, and some may never be known by fans. The locker room has unspoken stories, but tales of hazing are now emerging, including some about hazing.

Locker room hazing is an issue in sports that affects athletes at all levels, from high school to professional leagues. It often involves initiations that can be humiliating, physically dangerous, and psychologically damaging to new team members. While some view it as a tradition meant to build team camaraderie, hazing can create an environment that fosters fear and resentment rather than unity. Victims of hazing may experience long-term mental health issues, decreased performance, and even leave their sport altogether. Despite increased awareness and policies aimed at preventing hazing, it persists in many sports cultures due to peer pressure and a reluctance to break long-standing traditions. The WWE locker room is no exception.

Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy rose to stardom in WWE during the Attitude Era, a time when the business was full of hazing. Many young wrestlers dealt with hazing, and The Hardyz were no exception.

Speaking on a live edition of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy on-stage from 90s Wrestling Con, Matt Hardy was asked about the locker room culture in the early days of his WWE career. He recalled how it was the Wild West, as there was a lot of hazing. Hardy then recalled an incident that stemmed from him and Jeff arriving late to a show because their flight was canceled.

“Yeah, especially in those days, it was kind of the Wild West days, and thankfully, for wrestlers that followed us, that has changed some. ‘Well, hell.’ JBL was the master of hazing, and he would make sure the people belonged there. There was, once we started on the road, it was our second or third loop, maybe. We would do ten days, we would go, they would do a live TV, they would do a taped TV the next day, and then you would work through the whole week.”

“You do ten days on, four days off. It’s our third week on the road, and we’re flying from the TV to San Antonio, Texas, where our live event is that evening. One of our flights in the connection had been canceled, and it just wasn’t happening. They knew we were going to be at the show late, and the opening match of the show was The Hardyz vs. Too Cool. I think they still Too Much at that time. We had worked with them for a few weeks. We were pretty cool. We knew what we were doing. We had told Jack Lanza, rest in peace. Jack Lanza was a producer of the show, and we’d let him know.”

“We get to the venue that day, and these guys obviously all know about it. I remember we walked in the building, me and Jeff, we’re nervous as you can possibly be. We said, ‘We’re so sorry guys, our flight was canceled, we’re so sorry. We got here as fast as we could.’ I remember JBL said, ‘Well hell, The Hardyz have been on the road for three weeks. Two weeks and a little change, and now they think they’re main-event big-time television stars. They think they’re the champs, that they’re more important than The Undertaker, then the Stone Colds, than all the other top stars here because they just show up whenever the hell they want to.’ We said we let Jack Lanza know, we just got here as fast as we could. We’re gonna try and change real quick because we’ve got to be out there and wrestle in eight minutes.” 

“[JBL] said, ‘Alright, well, since you’re such a big-timer, I know you don’t want to shake my hand because I’m just a piece of trash, the locker room’s right over there. That’s the locker room you need.’ I was like, ‘Oh, thank you,’ and we scurry, we run over there with our bags. We’re nervous as shit, right. We’re new and just starting and rookies, and the last thing we wanted to do was piss off these guys. We take our bags, and we roll into the room, and whenever the door opens and we take our bags inside, The Undertaker is in the room by himself, back in the corner, naked, wrapping his knees. We go, ‘Oh my god, we’re so sorry.’ JBL said, ‘Oh no, you deserve to be in the dressing room with the main events since you’re a big star, you only stay here at the beginning.’ ‘Taker said, ‘Yeah, go ahead. Have a seat.’ We said, ‘Oh no, we’ll leave.’ ‘No, no, we insist.’ A couple other guys, they made a wall where we couldn’t walk out of this room. We go, ‘Okay.’ Now ‘Taker is just looking at us, naked, just staring us down. We’re changing, getting dressed. ‘Okay, sorry, we’re gonna leave now, we’re going to the ring.’ We go to the ring, we do our match, all good. We come to the back, and we go in that room. ‘Taker’s bag is still there where he dressed. He isn’t there, but our bags, where they were, they weren’t there. They were nowhere to be found.”

Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy discovered their bags, containing clothes and money, were missing. Bob Holly implied they were acting like big stars and suggested arriving earlier to avoid theft. After searching for over an hour, Road Dogg discreetly informed Matt that their bags were in a dumpster, but zipped up so nothing was damaged. The Broken One then confirmed that this experience was common in the Attitude Era, where the “hazing was unreal.”

This is not the first time that JBL has been called out for his hazing antics. While it doesn’t sound like Matt Hardy is bothered by what happened, others haven’t had the same reaction. Mauro Ranallo had to leave WWE after hazing from JBL were not seen as friendly, and more mean-spirited which negatively affected the locker room, proving that this practice is an alpha move meant to belittle people and not bring anyone together.

WWE has changed a lot in the past couple of years, especially when it comes to their internal structure. Now, TKO has taken over with the UFC merger, so it would be interesting to know if the hazing still holds true within the company. We will keep our eye on this story, and so much more. You never know what will break next, but Ringside News will be here with all the updates you need.

What’s your take on hazing in pro wrestling? Do you think that there is a use for this in WWE? Let us know what you think in the comments section!