Matt Hardy Blasts WrestleMania 42 Ticket Prices, Predicts TNA Will Challenge AEW in 2026
Matt Hardy is everywhere in professional wrestling conversations this week. The TNA World Tag Team Champion and 26-year industry veteran went public with blunt criticism of WWE's WrestleMania 42 ticket pricing strategy, while also using his podcast platform to make bold predictions about TNA's trajectory and hint at more Hardy Boyz moments coming inside a WWE ring before 2026 is over.
Matt Hardy Calls WrestleMania 42 Ticket Prices "A Tough Sell"
Matt Hardy went on record with his sharpest critique of WWE's pricing strategy, saying bluntly: "It's a tough sell, too. Vegas was so good last year and they did these record numbers, and I guess they bid for them to come back. But it's tough to go into the market two years back-to-back, and you know that those tickets are pricey. We're not still economically… especially since the pandemic, it's kind of been a roller coaster ride for everyone. It's hard to justify spending that much money on tickets for entertainment that isn't something that you have to have in your every single day life to survive and live and be okay."
Hardy's blunt assessment adds fuel to WWE's ticket sales crisis, with WrestleMania 42 ticket sales currently running 19% lower than WrestleMania 41, with 17,000 fewer tickets sold. Ticket prices span from $250 to $16,000 per night at Allegiant Stadium. Hardy did not predict failure — he acknowledged WWE's confidence — but his candor on behalf of financially stretched fans drew widespread attention across wrestling media.
WrestleMania 42 Is Returning to Las Vegas: Dates, Venues, and Ticket Update
WrestleMania 42 will mark the third time Las Vegas has hosted WWE's biggest event of the year — 2026, 2025, and 1993 — with the two-night main event set for Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19, at Allegiant Stadium. Friday Night SmackDown runs April 17 at T-Mobile Arena, and Monday Night Raw closes WrestleMania Week on April 20, also at T-Mobile Arena.
WWE World, a five-day interactive fan experience, returns April 16 through April 20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall. Individual event tickets for SmackDown and Raw went on sale Tuesday, February 24 ET at 1:00 PM ET through AXS, with priority packages available through On Location.
Matt Hardy Regrets Hardy Family Office Expansion in AEW
The WrestleMania ticket controversy was not the only wrestling topic dominating Matt Hardy's week. On the latest episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, he opened up about regrets surrounding the Hardy Family Office faction during his AEW run. He revealed that he wishes Tony Khan had kept the HFO focused solely on himself and Private Party, rather than expanding the group to include The Butcher, The Blade, TH2, and Jora Johl.
Hardy said: "I think if Tony would have just left it as me and Private Party, I think those guys could have became good heels. I think they could have won their first AEW Tag Team Titles during that run. Because we're building really, really good momentum, at the time. I wish it could have ended up just staying myself and Private Party as a threesome, and let us run as hard as we could."
Matt Hardy Predicts TNA Will Challenge AEW for the No. 2 Spot in 2026
Hardy has made one of his boldest public predictions of the year — that TNA Wrestling will challenge AEW for the perception of being the number two wrestling company in the world in 2026. He credited TNA's new television deal with AMC as the central catalyst, saying the deal will put TNA back on the level of being a major promotion and elevate its look and feel significantly.
Hardy acknowledged TNA won't immediately match AEW's revenue or media rights fees but argued the perception battle is winnable: "It is going to put TNA back on the level of being a major promotion," he said. "Obviously, monetarily, we're not going to be doing the same deal, especially for media rights as AEW is currently, but it is going to look and feel like a big-time promotion."
Hardy Boyz Are Coming Back to WWE Before 2026 Ends
Matt Hardy confirmed that The Hardy Boyz — himself and brother Jeff — are in ongoing talks with WWE and will have more moments inside a WWE ring before 2026 is done. "We're in constant negotiations with WWE about doing some more stuff. We will do more with them," Hardy said. He emphasized that remaining TNA-based rather than going full-time back to WWE was the deliberate choice, framing TNA as the place where they can contribute most and help the company grow.
Hardy praised his interactions with Shawn Michaels and Triple H, describing the relationship between the Hardys and WWE leadership as excellent on all fronts. With WrestleMania 42 Week now less than seven weeks away and Hardy's commentary already generating national coverage, the legend from Cameron, North Carolina remains one of the most outspoken and relevant voices in professional wrestling heading into the spring.
