Wrestling Legend Delivers Powerful Message Young Athletes Need to Hear

Liberty Check

• Matt Hardy’s nearly 35-year career proves success requires total commitment and lifestyle dedication
• Pro wrestling demands daily discipline in training, nutrition, sleep, and industry knowledge to seize opportunities
• Authenticity and character work separate stars from pretenders in competitive entertainment industry

Matt Hardy has been in pro wrestling for nearly 35 years, and when young talent trying to make it in the sport ask for his advice, they usually listen. The TNA World Tag Team Champion recently shared what he tells aspiring wrestlers who want to follow in his footsteps.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Hardy emphasized that those trying to make it big have to live the lifestyle of a professional wrestler. It’s not just about what happens in the ring — it’s about every decision you make outside of it.

“The main piece of advice I always share with people, if you really want to make a career out of wrestling, you have to make it a lifestyle,” he said.

“You have to do something every single day that kind of will help assist your journey and in your whole goal of being a pro wrestler. You have to exercise a certain way, try and eat a certain way, try and sleep a certain way, get in the habit of working out, get in the habit of knowing everyone and everything that’s going on at every promotion because you never know where you’ll get an opportunity.”

Pro wrestling promotions, especially ones featuring former stars from WWE, All Elite Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), sometimes have scouts watching closely. Being able to perform at your peak when opportunity strikes is crucial. Preparation meets opportunity — and in wrestling, timing is everything.

“And that’s what’s key because timing is everything in pro wrestling,” Hardy explained.

“You never know, you might get an opportunity to go somewhere at a promotion you’re not familiar with, and if you don’t know, then maybe they feel disrespected and they’re not as interested in you. But you just need to be as much on the pulse of pro wrestling as you possibly can be and make it a lifestyle.”

The current TNA star also stressed that buying into your own character is another critical element aspiring wrestlers must master. In an era of manufactured personas and scripted entertainment, authenticity cuts through the noise.

“And authenticity is real important, too,” he told Fox News Digital.

“If you can find something that you’re doing as a character, as a performer, which seems authentic, which seems something that is relatable to you, you feel comfortable doing, that’ll usually come off the best.”

Hardy and his brother Jeff will defend the TNA World Tag Team Championship at Lockdown on Sunday against Nic and Ryan Nemeth. The pay-per-view will take place at the Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, with each match contested inside a steel cage. The Hardy brothers continue proving that dedication to the craft — the lifestyle Hardy preaches — pays off decade after decade.

Americans deserve better.