Matt Cardona was better known as Zack Ryder in WWE and, despite the odd big storyline or win, the company never really treated him as much more than a jobber, particularly near the end of his time there.
He spent 15 years in WWE, only to be released in April 2020. Following appearances in AEW and IMPACT Wrestling, Cardona hit the independent wrestling scene and shocked everyone when he defeated Nick Gage at GCW Homecoming in a 2021 Deathmatch.
With that, he completely reinvented himself and went on to become The Deathmatch King and King of the Indies. While Cardona looks back at his time in WWE fondly, it seems he has no intention of ever becoming "Zack Ryder" again.
"I am so grateful for Zack Ryder, it set me up for this whole independent Matt Cardona run, but it is the past," he tells Inside the Ropes. "Maybe this isn’t the best analogy but Scott Hall didn’t go back as Razor Ramon. We still knew it was him, but listen, it’s 2024, everyone knows I’m Zack Ryder. But if I were to go back, it has to be Matt Cardona."
"That’s the value, right? Zack Ryder is a part of that story. You can still make Zack Ryder figures, still make trading cards, put me in the game, get me some royalty cheques as Zack Ryder," Cardona added. "But the days of Zack Ryder and the 'Woo Woo Woo' are dead."
Cardona's wife, Chelsea Green, is finding success in WWE, particularly with Triple H calling the shots. Sharing his thoughts on what the company looks like today, the former WWE Superstar is full of praise.
"The new regime has been fantastic. Just look at the shows and those numbers, right? WWE is clicking on all cylinders. I would go back, I don’t care who’s in charge, it doesn’t matter to me as long as I’m on the show (laughs). But I don’t want to go back just to be a guy on the roster—and there’s nothing against people who are just guys on the roster—I already did that. Been there, done that and that’s not what I want to do at this point in my career. I am having the most success I’ve ever had in my career in these past four years."
:Whether you define success by accolades, money, happiness, I don’t care however you define it, this is the most successful time in my career. I don’t want to end my career wrestling in high school gyms or changing in alleys, I want a WrestleMania moment, or I want Madison Square Garden, or AEW All In at Wembley Stadium. Even just walking down that aisle on Collision, I felt like I belonged. Even though I haven’t had a 'TV match' in years, I just went right back into that. You know, pose into the hard cam. It’s just a skill that I never forgot and a skill that I missed."
Would you like to see Cardona make his WWE return?