"An experiment like Jeff Hardy" - 21-year-old WWE star tipped for huge push in 2026, 17-time champion explains why "he is ready"

A 21-year-old WWE star received a huge compliment from a 17-time champion, who compared him to Jeff Hardy. The veteran believes that this up-and-coming talent is ready for a big push in the main roster next year.

Speaking on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, Matt Hardy discussed the rise of Je'Von Evans from prospect to certified star. Evans has been all over the place, from NXT to AAA to the main roster.

Matt even compared The Young OG to his brother, Jeff Hardy.

"I feel like Je’Von Evans is almost an experiment like Jeff Hardy. Jeff was super popular, you know? And like Jeff had f*cked up a lot and nobody knew exactly where he was, but once again they thought Jeff had done good for long enough and they gave him that opportunity," Matt said.

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The 12-time WWE tag team champion added that Evans appears ready for the spotlight of the main roster permanently. He's not against the 21-year-old star getting a proper main event run in NXT, but he thinks the company should capitalize on Evans' rising popularity.

"I think he is ready to be given the opportunities to be a main roster performer in the next year or so. I mean, if he's in NXT, let him have a run there, but like I think sooner rather than later, especially while he's young and he can do everything he can do and he's got that excitement and the buzz. I say get him on your main roster, man," Matt said.

Another young star who received praise was Leon Slater, whom Matt and Jeff Hardy have worked with in TNA Wrestling. Slater and Je'Von Evans were recently showcased as a tag team at Saturday Night's Main Event on the final card of John Cena's WWE career.

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Je'Von Evans is just like Matt and Jeff Hardy

In an interview with Yahoo! Sports' Uncrowned, Je'Von Evans revealed his relationship with The Hardy Boyz. Evans admitted that he's closer to Matt Hardy than Jeff Hardy, but he knows he can talk to them for advice since they are all from North Carolina.

"Jeff's more to himself. You feel me? If I ask him a question, he'll answer. But Matt is more outgoing. He'll hang out with us after shows. I got Matt's number, so I can text him, call him, and get any type of advice from him. Which is just an honor to be able to reach out to those two, especially us being Carolina boys," Evans said.

The Hardy Boyz were born and raised in Cameron, while Evans' hometown of Greensboro is roughly one hour away.

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Edited by JP David