Killer Kowalski
In early 2000, he began wrestling for the promotion New Millennium Wrestling where he was an instrumental part of bringing independent wrestling back to the Rochester, NY area. He teamed up with Mike "Rose" Rosario, a student Hardy had trained at "Bad Boy's House of Pain. They became known as the tag team Vain and Insane and won the first tournament to become the first NMW Tag Team Champions. Vain and Insane were stripped of their tag team championships and in the next tournament Killer Kowalski, Jr single handedly became the only one man tag team champion. After the breakup Hardy defeated Jason Atlas to become the NMW Heavyweight Champion (which Hardy still defends today).He has defended the title against some of the top wrestlers on the independent circuit including his former tag team partner Duane Gill and Killer Kowalski, Jr., the kayfabe son of Killer Kowalski, whom he defeated in a no-holds-barred street fight. He later left NMW after a dispute, forfeiting the Heavyweight Championship. Months later he wrestled alongside Kowalski Jr. in New York Championship Wrestling (NYCW), based out of Syracuse, NY.