In late 2018, Vince McMahon and his family came out on an episode of Raw promising "fresh ideas" and saying that the fans "were The Authority". Matt Hardy, who made his AEW debut on the latest episode of Dynamite, was on the latest episode of Talk Is Jericho and talked about a segment that he had pitched in response to The Authority segment.
"One that I thought was great was I pitched an idea to be off TV for a while and then start broadcasting vignettes from the Hardy Compound as Broken Matt, and you don't know what's happened. I had a backstory to get there, but I just said I want a meeting with The Authority with Vince or Triple H or whatever," Hardy said. "And this was after they came out in the end of 2018 I think, and they said we're going to listen to the fans. We're going to give them what they want. We haven't been listening to you. We're going to change our ways whatever.
"I want to speak with these guys, and they won't meet with me. And then like I start showing up and attack people backstage or production assistants, whatever it may be, and then eventually I get a meeting with Vince or Triple H or someone in The Authority in the ring. 'What do you want? You want to get fired? Do you want us to release you? What do you want? Why are you out here?' No, I don't want any of those things. I want to save the show because this is my home, and I love it here and you guys said in December of 2018 you're gonna start listening the fans and I don't think you have. I want to."
Hardy went into further detail about this segment. He had planned on calling it "The Broken Block" and planned on using wrestlers that were not being utilized and give them a showcase for a segment on Raw. However, he said he did not hear anything back about the idea.
"What I pitched [was] give me 10 to 15 minutes of the show, and I want to call it 'The Broken Block'. My idea was give me underutilized guys like Chad Gable and Ali and Apollo, guys that aren't being utilized at all. Let me put them on that show. Let them do badass things. Let me put some vignettes from the Hardy compound and House Hardy and just give me like 10 to 15 minutes, and I'll call it 'The Broken Block' every show and just see how it does," Hardy said. "These guys have matches in the arena. I'm almost like the commissioner or like I'm heading up this broken block, and we try to give Ali and Chad Gable a best-of-seven. Cut them loose. Let them have great matches. They'll become stars on their own just because of the quality of their matches, and then will interject a little Vanguard 1 and we'll have some of the you know House Hardy on it. 'The Broken Block'. 10 to 15 minutes that's all I was asking for. Never heard anything about it."
Hardy's idea reminded Chris Jericho of The Highlight Heel. He said that The Highlight Reel was also meant to put a spotlight on under-utilized wrestlers and make them into stars. However, Vince McMahon had other ideas for Jericho's show.
"It's funny as the original Highlight Reel, I pitched it as 'Jericho's Junction' because I was watching a bunch of Mean Gene Okerlund interviews and myself included," Jericho said. "When I first started doing interviews, he was the Jedi. If you didn't know what you were doing, Gene would lead you through the interview and make you look like a star, and I said, why don't we do Jericho's Junction where every week like a Piper's Pit, we bring out underutilized stars whoever they were at the time. I'll lead the interview. We'll get the people over. We'll get them to do interviews and connect with the crowd.
"Vince is like, 'I love it', and your first guest is Goldberg. I'm like, well Goldberg is not really the guy. I'm thinking more like Bull Buchanan. Nope Goldberg. Next week Scott Steiner. The next week, it's Rock. I'm like the whole concept of what I had is gone, and now it's just another talk show which is fine. That's great. But the original plan was much like you just like let's give some of these underutilized guys guys a spotlight where somebody like me or you knows how to bring them along."
Hardy talked about many times that money was not a big issue for him. He told Jericho that being world champion was not a priority for him. His goal was to help contribute to WWE and help other wrestlers while also getting his character over.
"I don't want to be the world champion. You don't need to keep me strong and TV. Let me contribute to the show in a productive way," Hardy said. "I said I can help out guys, and I can get my own character over by my utilization with these guys. I just never heard anything like about it."
"One that I thought was great was I pitched an idea to be off TV for a while and then start broadcasting vignettes from the Hardy Compound as Broken Matt, and you don't know what's happened. I had a backstory to get there, but I just said I want a meeting with The Authority with Vince or Triple H or whatever," Hardy said. "And this was after they came out in the end of 2018 I think, and they said we're going to listen to the fans. We're going to give them what they want. We haven't been listening to you. We're going to change our ways whatever.
"I want to speak with these guys, and they won't meet with me. And then like I start showing up and attack people backstage or production assistants, whatever it may be, and then eventually I get a meeting with Vince or Triple H or someone in The Authority in the ring. 'What do you want? You want to get fired? Do you want us to release you? What do you want? Why are you out here?' No, I don't want any of those things. I want to save the show because this is my home, and I love it here and you guys said in December of 2018 you're gonna start listening the fans and I don't think you have. I want to."
Hardy went into further detail about this segment. He had planned on calling it "The Broken Block" and planned on using wrestlers that were not being utilized and give them a showcase for a segment on Raw. However, he said he did not hear anything back about the idea.
"What I pitched [was] give me 10 to 15 minutes of the show, and I want to call it 'The Broken Block'. My idea was give me underutilized guys like Chad Gable and Ali and Apollo, guys that aren't being utilized at all. Let me put them on that show. Let them do badass things. Let me put some vignettes from the Hardy compound and House Hardy and just give me like 10 to 15 minutes, and I'll call it 'The Broken Block' every show and just see how it does," Hardy said. "These guys have matches in the arena. I'm almost like the commissioner or like I'm heading up this broken block, and we try to give Ali and Chad Gable a best-of-seven. Cut them loose. Let them have great matches. They'll become stars on their own just because of the quality of their matches, and then will interject a little Vanguard 1 and we'll have some of the you know House Hardy on it. 'The Broken Block'. 10 to 15 minutes that's all I was asking for. Never heard anything about it."
Hardy's idea reminded Chris Jericho of The Highlight Heel. He said that The Highlight Reel was also meant to put a spotlight on under-utilized wrestlers and make them into stars. However, Vince McMahon had other ideas for Jericho's show.
"It's funny as the original Highlight Reel, I pitched it as 'Jericho's Junction' because I was watching a bunch of Mean Gene Okerlund interviews and myself included," Jericho said. "When I first started doing interviews, he was the Jedi. If you didn't know what you were doing, Gene would lead you through the interview and make you look like a star, and I said, why don't we do Jericho's Junction where every week like a Piper's Pit, we bring out underutilized stars whoever they were at the time. I'll lead the interview. We'll get the people over. We'll get them to do interviews and connect with the crowd.
"Vince is like, 'I love it', and your first guest is Goldberg. I'm like, well Goldberg is not really the guy. I'm thinking more like Bull Buchanan. Nope Goldberg. Next week Scott Steiner. The next week, it's Rock. I'm like the whole concept of what I had is gone, and now it's just another talk show which is fine. That's great. But the original plan was much like you just like let's give some of these underutilized guys guys a spotlight where somebody like me or you knows how to bring them along."
Hardy talked about many times that money was not a big issue for him. He told Jericho that being world champion was not a priority for him. His goal was to help contribute to WWE and help other wrestlers while also getting his character over.
"I don't want to be the world champion. You don't need to keep me strong and TV. Let me contribute to the show in a productive way," Hardy said. "I said I can help out guys, and I can get my own character over by my utilization with these guys. I just never heard anything like about it."
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