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The troubled days of Matt Hardy appear to have finally come to an end as of today. Matt has posted a new video on You Tube where he not only apologizes for his alleged suicide note but also retires for good as a full time active professional wrestler.

I want to make thing one clear before you continue reading. Matt said in his video that he has retired as a full time pro wrestler. He has not outright retired. He even said at one point that he may pop up from time to time. In his one words, “I can’t work on the road 100s of days at a time anymore.”

Call me a sucker but I think this is the most sincere Matt Hardy I have seen on video in over a year. The guy I saw on this video is the kind of guy you can root for. He wasn’t making any wacky predictions or cutting any pro wrestling promos, it was what appeared to be an honest and heartfelt apology from a guy that I think finally gets it.

For those of you unaware, Matt Hardy came under very heavy fire this week after posting a video on You Tube that was written like a suicide note. It got so bad that Jeff Hardy’s wife went on Twitter and cut a promo on Matt for all of the trouble he caused. Apparently cops showed up at her door as well as Matt’s house. Matt said in the video that the message was meant to be more a good bye note to his pro wrestling career than life. Either way the note set off a firestorm and lost Matt most of the few supporters he had left.

I take issue with that explanation because Matt originally appeared to take glee in the reaction he got from the note. Matt was looking for attention and more or less said so on Twitter following the note. It is convenient to make up an excuse but I am dubious if that is what he really meant. Regardless, it is over.

Matt explains in this video on You Tube that he is leaving the business as a full time wrestler due to injuries. He said that his hips and legs are putting pressure on his lower back causing him severe pain. He also said that he had several bone chips in his back which also cause him a great deal of pain. He also says at one point that the reason for his weirdness and oddness was from dealing with the injuries. He doesn’t outright admit to his addictions, but does say that he needed a crutch to get through it, which I would presume means painkillers.

Matt also apologized for the suicide note and said that he would like to start some kind of rehabilitation center for people with suicidal or drug issues. Hey listen, if that is what comes out of all of this than maybe it was worth it at the end of the day. It doesn’t make it right but maybe in some weird way that was how this was supposed to come full circle.

The Matt Hardy I saw in this video looked defeated. Ironically that is what he has fought so hard against for the last ten months, defeat. He ranted and raved ever since being sent home from Europe by the WWE that his critics shouldn’t bet against him. It was so important to avoid appearing defeated that he just became completely immersed into this new character and turned into someone that a lot of former friends don’t know. It has certainly been one hell of a fall to watch from afar.

I don’t claim to know Matt Hardy but I did have him on my radio show several years ago. I talked to him a few times in setting up the interview and of course on the radio. The guy couldn’t have been nicer and was very intelligent when it came to talking about the current state of the business. Of course I was just some radio interviewer and he could have turned on the charm for the media, but I found him to be one of the most down to earth guys I had ever interviewed. That was not the guy I have seen on You Tube for the last ten months. However, that is the guy I think I am seeing in this new video.

Take away the goofy videos and you have a guy that really is an innovator. The stuff he and his brother did in the WWE with Edge and Christian, and later the Dudleys ushered in a whole new style of acrobatics never seen in the biggest promotion in the world. I don’t think anyone is shocked that Matt is left with several back injuries after years of wrestling with reckless abandon.

Will we ever see Matt Hardy in a major promotion again? Quite honestly if he stays true to his word and keeps himself on the straight and narrow, I could easily see him make a surprise Royal Rumble appearance here and there. Nobody ever denied his talents. It was his character that has come into question over the last year.

Yet if an appearance in the Royal Rumble sends him back into this dark state, well then I think it would be best for everyone if that moment never comes.

Ultimate Hardys (Limited Edition Box Set) DVD.

The Hardy Boyz: Exist 2 Inspire Book.

WWE – Twist of Fate: The Matt and Jeff Hardy Story DVD.

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