Matt Cardona says the Zack Ryder character is firmly in the past, but his goal of returning to WWE has never changed.
Speaking with The Takedown on SI.com, Cardona reflected on how his 2020 WWE release marked the end of the Zack Ryder persona and paved the way for the version of Matt Cardona that has thrived on the independent wrestling scene.
“When I got released in 2020, I knew Zack Ryder was dead. And as grateful as I was for him, he taught me everything. And WWE taught me everything I needed to become a superstar outside of WWE. That’s what I did. I reinvented myself, rebranded, and had the most fun and the most success I ever had in my career.”
Despite finding success outside WWE, Cardona admitted that his ultimate career ambition has always been to return to the company and accomplish the one goal that has eluded him.
“But the goal was always to be WWE Champion. You can’t be WWE Champion unless you’re in WWE. As awesome as the independents were, I wanted to wrestle on SmackDown. I wanted to wrestle in Madison Square Garden again, or have a WrestleMania moment … My dream was never to be a pro wrestler. My dream was to be a WWE Superstar.”
Cardona also looked back fondly on Atlantic City, crediting the city and GCW with helping establish the post-WWE version of his career.
“I’m so excited to be coming back to Atlantic City. It was a very special place in my career on the independents. That’s where Matt Cardona was truly born. GCW in Atlantic City.”
He closed by explaining that WWE’s interest in bringing back Matt Cardona rather than Zack Ryder was especially meaningful, while also acknowledging the foundation his original WWE run provided.
“They wanted Matt Cardona,” he said. “I’m proud of that. That they thought the Matt Cardona I built on the independents was more valuable than Zack Ryder. And I’m grateful for Zack Ryder, because without him and my previous time in WWE, there’s no Matt Cardona. Everything I learned, and not just putting matches together, but how to do interviews like this, how to market myself, how to sell merchandise, I learned it in WWE.”
Matt Cardona is currently part of the SmackDown brand on the main roster in WWE, where he often competes on the weekly show that airs every Friday night at 8/7c on the USA Network. Make sure to join us here at WrestlingHeadlines.com every Friday night for live WWE SmackDown Results coverage.
