Ultimo Dugas 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2003 THE LATEST VERSION March 27, 2003 Hello to everyone as the wonderful season known as spring begins to take form. The weather is warming up, spring fever is in the air, and WrestleMania is here. It's a really exciting (and busy) time for me as I prepare for my first-ever WrestleMania singles match and make every stop on the "Exist 2 Inspire" book tour. It's a very demanding time but I'm managing to enjoy it. I would like to thank everyone who has checked out "Exist 2 Inspire." Thanks for taking the time to read the story of Matt and Jeff Hardy. The initial response to the book has been overwhelmingly positive, which has been very personally satisfying. I think the book has been well-received by our adult audience, as they seem to have a newfound respect for the Hardy Boyz. The book is a very honest and candid look at both of our lives, and does a good job at showing our substance and character, as well as our drive and resilience. I think it opened a lot of people's eyes to the fact that we're a lot more than two teenybopper kids. A lot of the past autobiographies skated around issues, and made some stories seem sugarcoated. We didn't want that. Jeff and I tried to cover every rumor and answer every question that diehard fans wanted to know about. I want people to be able to relate to our life experiences and learn from them. I also wanted to give sports entertainment fans a very personal and detailed look at our journey and experiences and not insult their intelligence. I just found out today that for the week of April 6th, "Exist 2 Inspire" debuts at number seven on the New York Times' bestseller list. Thanks again for supporting me (and/or Jeff) and making the dream of "Exist 2 Inspire" a reality. Speaking of dreams, something every wrestler does is dream of wrestling on the showcase of the immortals, WrestleMania. At WrestleMania XIX, I will fulfill my dream of wrestling a singles match against Rey Mysterio. I've earned my spot on 'Mania several times as a member of a tag team, but this year it feels great to know that I've earned my spot based on my own accomplishments. I'm thoroughly excited to be facing Rey, as he is one of the most amazing talents in the history of our business. Version One is amped for this match-up, and I think it's gonna be awesome. Speaking of awesome, how awesome were the verbal battles between The Hurricane and The Rock a couple weeks ago? As many of you know, The Hurricane -- Shane Helms -- is one of my closest friends, and I was ecstatic to see him work with the Rock. Rocky, who verbally went toe-to-toe with the superhero, never fails to deliver, nor did Shane. Their confrontations had me in stitches, and led to a great match that even including the Hurri-chokeslam. Congrats to Hurricane for picking up a win over the Great One--that's how we North Carolina boys do it. I would like to wish another one of my closest friends well, that being Adam Copeland, better known as Edge. Edge just recently had major neck surgery and will be out of action for a minimum of a year. Get well soon, my friend; I miss you hugely on a personal and professional level. Adam had the same surgery that my girlfriend Lita, Chris Benoit, Stone Cold, Scotty 2 Hotty, Rhyno, and Bob Holly have had in the past. Adam and I have done a lot in the WWE together; we've been in countless great matches, even business-shaping matches. Contests such as TLC matches and Tag-Team Ladder Matches have helped set the high standard of excellence for performances in WWE. Do these great accomplishments come with a price? Obviously so. The last five to 10 years in sports entertainment has seen a drastic increase in the percentage of wrestlers performing in a more high-impact, career-shortening style. The last two to three years have seen a higher percentage of serious injuries occurring to wrestlers as well. Do these two facts correlate with one another? In my opinion, yes. The style and pace that today's workers employ will eventually catch up to us all - and that doesn't necessarily mean 20 years from now. Regardless of what your opinion is of our business-our bodies DO NOT get better from taking bumps, our bodies ARE NOT indestructible. In reality, we are slowly destroying our vertebrae, our discs, our joints-to make a living for ourselves because we love to entertain you, the wrestling fan. One thing I know better than anyone is that you can't stop reality from being real. I know that because of my career choice and my passion, it's only a matter of time before I lay on the same table where Adam, Amy, and all of my injured comrades have. I accept that fully because I love what I'm doing, and you only live once. I'm not looking for anyone's sympathy, but I am looking for respect. One of the greatest compliments I get on a regular basis is this-"I respect everything you do to entertain me, thank you for your sacrifices." It's a small thing, but an important thing. Remember that the next time you run into your favorite wrestler. On the topic of sacrifices, I would like to send my thoughts and prayers to all of our troops at war in Iraq, and say thank you. The men and women overseas are making the ultimate sacrifice by risking life and limb in order to protect our freedom. May all of our troops return home to their families as soon as possible, God willing. Enjoy WrestleMania this Sunday, enjoy "Exist 2 Inspire," and if you get the chance, come out to a book signing as the MFers and Imag-I-Nation join forces. Always remember, live life to the fullest every day, every day could be that day, the day that changes everything. Don't take anything for granted. Be well, and until then… Matt Hardy V1 and only Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mecha Mummy 0 Report post Posted March 28, 2003 Not as funny as his usual stuff and what he's said has been said before, but it's still cool to read a new Mattitude commentary, and it's cool to read his views on stuff like that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest eiker_ir Report post Posted March 28, 2003 he's a bit more serious here, but still good are he and Lita really a couple??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest notJames Report post Posted March 28, 2003 They have been a couple for a long time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest eiker_ir Report post Posted March 28, 2003 ok, thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
