Matt Hardy Shuts Down Viral Facebook Death Hoax and Promotes TNA Main Event
Matt Hardy took to Instagram on Thursday to deny a viral death hoax that circulated on social media and to promote his scheduled main event appearance on TNA IMPACT! at 9 p. m. ET on AMC. The clarification follows a fake Bill Goldberg Facebook page post that used AI-generated images and drew heavy engagement, prompting Hardy to set the record straight.
Fake Bill Goldberg Facebook Page Fueled Hoax
The confusion began when a counterfeit Facebook page, presented as Bill Goldberg, published a fabricated obituary that leveraged AI-generated imagery to attract attention. That single post amassed more than 1, 800 comments and was shared over 1, 000 times, and Hardy said he had the obituary sent to him nearly 100 times during the day, which compelled him to respond publicly.
Matt Hardy's Instagram Response and On-Air Promotion
On Instagram, Hardy opened by mimicking the ominous tone of the hoax video—using The Undertaker's signature gong at the start—before declaring that he and his brother were alive and well. He told followers that "the rumors are not true" and reiterated that "the Hardy Boyz are not dead because Matt and Jeff Hardy will not die, " while also promoting that they would appear in the main event that night on TNA IMPACT! at 9 p. m. ET on AMC.
Hardy said in the post he and Jeff would team reluctantly with The Righteous against The System and warned The Righteous that betrayal would bring consequences, using the phrase "FAFO"—an abbreviation for the adage "f--- around and find out. " In comments on the post he apologized for frightening fans and wrote that it would not be his ghost on TNA IMPACT!, but the "alive & well Matt Hardy. "
TNA IMPACT! Main Event in Nashville Ends with The System Victory
The night in Nashville did not end favorably for Hardy. On the February 26 episode of TNA IMPACT!, The Hardys teamed with Vincent and Dutch of The Righteous in an eight-man tag match against The System—Brian Myers, Eddie Edwards, Cedric Alexander and Bear Bronson. The match concluded when Vincent pushed Matt out of the way and absorbed a Boston Knee Party from Eddie Edwards, allowing The System to secure the pinfall and the win.
Hardy Brothers' Recent TNA Title History and Return Timeline
Matt and Jeff Hardy returned to TNA in April 2024 at Rebellion and captured the Impact World Tag Team Championship upon their arrival. That reign lasted 183 days before they dropped the titles to brothers Nic and Ryan Nemeth. A few months later the Hardys regained the championships in a ladder match, underlining their continued presence in the tag division while they navigated the publicity surrounding the hoax.
WWE Announces WrestleMania 42 Week Ticket Plans with LVCVA and Partners
Separately, WWE and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority confirmed that individual event tickets for Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night Raw during WrestleMania 42 Week will go on sale Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 1 p. m. ET / 10 a. m. PT on AXS. The same 1 p. m. ET / 10 a. m. PT time frame applies to a general presale that begins on the same day on AXS.
Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night Raw are scheduled for T-Mobile Arena on Friday, April 17 and Monday, April 20, respectively. WrestleMania 42 follows WWE’s June 2025 announcement that WrestleMania will return to Las Vegas in April 2026, coming after a record-breaking WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium. The promotion characterized WrestleMania 42 as the third time Las Vegas has hosted WWE’s biggest event of the year—listing 2026, 2025 and 1993 as the host years.
Official Priority Pass Packages for Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night Raw are available now through exclusive partner On Location, with premium seating, a dedicated entrance and other amenities. Additional WrestleMania 42 Priority Pass ticket packages are also on offer. Fans may still purchase tickets for WrestleMania events on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19 at Allegiant Stadium through Ticketmaster.
WWE World, the five-day interactive fan experience, is set to return to WrestleMania 42 from Thursday, April 16 through Monday, April 20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall and will feature multiple new immersive experiences. WWE has also promoted multiple viewing options for its premium content, noting that every Premium Live Event and other programming can be accessed on a variety of streaming platforms and devices, including select services that offer WWE content and live events.
What makes this notable is how rapidly AI-driven content and impersonation were able to generate thousands of interactions and elicit an on-camera response from a prominent talent; the hoax directly prompted a public denial, a promotional moment for a scheduled TV main event, and a follow-up in-ring match that ended with a decisive pinfall loss for Hardy and his partners.
