In case it wasn't made incredibly obvious by the video packages that have graced Dynamite over the past two weeks, The Elite, Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, are back in AEW; before long, the promotion's televised product will feature Omega, Matt Jackson, and Nick Jackson yucking it up as babyfaces or heels, depending on what Tony Khan is feeling, and fans who initially gave AEW a chance all of those years ago because of “The Best Bout Machine” and his “Killing the Business” buddies will see them in the ring once more.

But what if I were to tell you that the trio are actually already back in AEW, backstage mind you, but in the building nonetheless? Well, according to Matt Hardy, that appears to be the case, as he detailed on his ever-entertaining The Extreme Live of Matt Hardy podcast, as transcribed by Fightful.

“It's going to be very interesting to see The Elite back, the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega,” Hardy said. “I'm very happy they are back. I will say this right here and right now, those guys didn't do anything wrong in this situation. If anything, they were the victims. I'm telling you that from a first person perspective. I was there, I witnessed it all. I love all three of those guys. I've known Matt and Nick forever. I've just gotten to know Kenny while working with AEW. I'm very happy they are returning to TV and they are back in the mix. They deserve to be in the mix.”

“When I saw them yesterday, I said, ‘It's so good to see you guys. You guys are the heart and soul of AEW.' The Elite, in many ways, are the identity of AEW. Without those guys, you don't have AEW as it is right now. Things are very different. Tony Khan may have started wrestling in some capacity, but All Elite Wrestling, those guys are the identity of AEW. It's very important to have them back.”

So why would Hardy, who lives on the other side of the country from the notoriously Rancho Cucamunga-based Bucks, have been in the same room as The Elite unless they were all in attendance at AEW for Dynamite? This is not a drill, folks: The Elite are back, and whether they debut on television to set up an angle with Death Triangle for Full Gear or return at The Rock in Newark, New Jersey for AEW's final Pay-Per-View of the year, they will soon be back in the fold and in play for some sort of championship, be that as a trio together or separately. The same, however, can't be said for CM Punk, as Hardy's words are even more proof that the roster largely blames him for the “Brawl Out” and would rather move forward with The Elite in their locker room than the “Best in the World.”

Matt Hardy stands by Colt Cabana and is happy he's back in AEW too.

Elsewhere in his podcast, Hardy discussed the return of Colt Cabana, who was Chris Jericho's surprise opponent for the Ring of Honor World Championship at the Baltimore, Maryland edition of Dynamite. While multiple AEW stars voiced their support for Cabana on Twitter, with the feeds of wrestling fans absolutely loaded with well wishes and ‘good lucks' for Mr. Boom Boom, Hardy had a bit more to say on the subject.

“I was excited for it,” Hardy said. “It was great. Colt Cabana has been away from AEW for a very long time. It is what it is, I don't have to sit here and go into things, but we're in a position right now where he can be back at AEW TV and I'm glad to have him back.”

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Now for those out of the know, Punk and Cabana have a very deep-seated feud that goes back years, and when the former became a fixture of AEW programming, the latter was phased out. By putting Cabana back on television, even in a losing effort against “The Ocho,” Khan not only made a statement about which direction AEW was going in moving forward but reportedly gave the locker room a major “morale booster.”

“I feel the investigation has happened and I'm glad their names have been cleared and they are coming back to TV and I'm happy to see Colt Cabana, who I think is a great human being and performer, I'm happy to see back on AEW programming.” Mr. Hardy, based on the reactions to the televised return of Cabana and the hinted return of The Elite, it would appear that sentiment is the consensus.