When he wrestled in June for Extreme Rising for the first time, was he unsure how the fans would react to him?
"No, I was pretty sure and I think I pretty much had it to a T. I’m pretty good at being on the pulse of how wrestling fans are going to be. I knew it was going to be a very mixed bag, because wherever I go there’s going to be diehard Matt Hardy/Hardy Boyz fans, which are younger kids or people that followed us through our WWE career; they’re going to be there and they’re going to be supportive regardless of whatever.
"But then the diehard ECW and extreme-niche fans, because I’m not an extreme original or an ECW original, I knew those people it was going to be an uphill battle. And you know, it’s one of those things in time only you earn their respect, especially when you walk into their promotion and on your debut match you’re in the main event against Jerry Lynn, who is one of the ECW icons. I knew it was going to be a mixed bag for sure. The people that were diehard extreme wrestling fans, they gave me a hard time, which was great. And my fans were there cheering, so it’s OK. As long as I’m invoking emotion from people, it’s fine. I’ll channel it in the appropriate way in the ring. As long as they’re entertained and I’m invoking emotion, I’m good."