Matt Hardy is speaking out about the growing divide among wrestling fans, and he believes social media is playing a major role in fueling the tension between supporters of different promotions.
During a recent episode of his podcast, Hardy addressed the ongoing issue of tribalism in wrestling and explained that the level of hostility between fanbases today feels noticeably different compared to past eras. He pointed specifically to social media platforms as a driving force behind the current climate, saying they allow fans to isolate themselves into communities that reinforce their own opinions without challenge.
While discussing how fan attitudes have changed in recent years, Hardy explained that online echo chambers have created an environment where opinions become amplified and repeated until they feel like unquestioned truth.
“I mean I think it is very high. Yeah. I don’t think this is like a normal societal tribalistic thing. You know what I mean? I don’t think this is like normal for pro wrestling. I do think it’s high and I think I said this before in a matter of fact, right, about how I think social media may become an overall net negative. Just people get so caught up in these echo chambers of their own stuff and then they buy into it and they believe it and just… it’s become insane.”
Hardy didn’t stop there. He also reflected on how fan behavior during the famous Monday Night Wars era differed from what is seen today. According to Hardy, fans in the 1990s were more interested in enjoying the competition rather than rooting for one company to fail completely.
While recalling what the rivalry between WCW and WWE felt like from both a viewer and performer perspective, Hardy described a time when fans simply wanted to see who delivered the better show each week.
“No, there weren’t people that were actively rooting for someone to win. I mean, people actively were excited to see which show was going to be the best, which one was going to be more entertaining to watch, but they didn’t really give a shit about like ‘we want WCW to go out of business, we want WWF to go out of business.’ That just wasn’t like a talking point. That just wasn’t a thing. They were just like, ‘Oh my God, what’s going to be better tonight?’ I feel like those were the things that people gave a shit about. Nobody cared about like, ‘Oh, I hope WCW goes out of business.’”
Even with multiple promotions thriving at the same time, Hardy’s perspective suggests that the real competition today may not just be inside the ring—but in how fans interact with each other online. As wrestling continues to evolve in the digital era, the balance between passion and toxicity remains a major talking point for both fans and industry veterans alike.
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Do you agree with Matt Hardy that social media has made wrestling tribalism worse, or do you think fan rivalries have always been this intense? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.