Matt Hardy: Is matt hardy really dead? Wrestler responds to viral death hoax
matt hardy has moved to quash a circulating death hoax after a fake Facebook post claimed the 51-year-old wrestling star had died. The wrestler publicly dismissed the false obituary on Instagram and promoted a scheduled TNA main event while addressing the misleading tribute.
Fake Bill Goldberg post
A fake Facebook page using the name Bill Goldberg published a false announcement that read, “Gone but never forgotten. Matt Hardy (1972-2026). ” The same post ran a longer tribute: “Matt Hardy - a soul of passion and creation. From broken dreams to immortal legacy. Every scar told a story, every match a memory. Your spirit echoes through wrestling forever. Rest in peace, legend… you live in our hearts. ” The bogus account was described as posing as Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg and as a page that typically uses AI-generated images to spark engagement.
Viral engagement numbers
The hoax gained significant traction online. One report counted more than 2, 000 comments and over 1, 600 shares, while another described the post as drawing over 1, 800 comments and 1, 000 shares. A separate mention put sharing at over 1, 000 times. Those differing tallies reflected how widely the false obituary circulated and how many fans were fooled.
Matt Hardy responds on Instagram
One-half of the TNA World Tag Team Champions took to Instagram to dismiss the rumors. He opened by saying, “Ladies and gentleman, the rumours are not true. The Hardy Boyz are not dead because Matt and Jeff Hardy will not die! We are both alive and well and we will be featured tonight in the main event of TNA IMPACT that starts at 9 pm ET on AMC. ” He shared screenshots of the hoax in a video and leaned into his Broken persona while speaking to followers.
The Righteous and The System
Hardy said the night’s plan was for the Hardy Boyz to team with Vincent and Dutch of The Righteous to take on The System. He warned The Righteous to do the right thing and not betray the Hardy brothers, adding that if they turned on the Hardys they would face the consequences: “Righteous, this is your one opportunity to make things right, and if you betray us, if you turn on us, you’re gong to FAFO. F*ck around and find out. ”
Match outcome and sequence
The scheduled main event ran as the February 26 episode of TNA iMPACT! from Nashville. The Hardys teamed with Vincent and Dutch in an eight-man tag team match against The System—Brian Myers, Eddie Edwards, Cedric Alexander, and Bear Bronson. The match ended when Vincent shoved Matt out of harm’s way, absorbing a Boston Knee Party from Eddie Edwards and allowing The System to secure the pinfall victory.
Fan reactions and follow-up
Hardy said many people had shown him the troubling posts, prompting his public response. He noted the fake obituary had been sent to him nearly 100 times during the day and elsewhere wrote that the post had been sent to him “100 times today, ” apologizing if he had frightened anyone: “Sorry to frighten anyone… It won’t be my ghost tonight on TNA iMPACT at 9pm on @amc_tv – It’s the alive & well Matt Hardy!” He also said, in a separate remark, “They’ve tried to kill the Hardys off for years. ”
Beyond the immediate false obituary and match result, the episode underlined how misinformation spread by a deceptive Facebook account using AI images can disrupt fans and force performers to respond directly from their social channels.
Matt is 51 and his brother Jeff is 48; the duo are current TNA Wrestling tag team champs and have spent more than three decades in the business. The context of their work with The Righteous also led Matt to reflect on past plans: he observed that Vincent and Dutch had originally been linked with Bray Wyatt before plans changed months before Wyatt’s death at age 32 in August 2023.
The Instagram account name referenced in one post was @matthardybrand, and the main event promotion referenced the 9 pm ET start time on AMC for TNA IMPACT/iMPACT!.
Matt Hardy publicly dismissed the death hoax, confirmed he and Jeff were alive and competing, and used the moment to promote the TNA main event while reprimanding anyone who would circulate or act on the false obituary.
