A familiar face stepped back into WWE lore last week, but not on a full-time basis.
Matt Cardona has clarified that he isn’t back with WWE, despite appearing as Zack Ryder on Friday’s SmackDown and allowing the company to release new Ryder merchandise. Cardona confirmed that WWE was granted only a temporary merch agreement as part of the surprise return.
Cardona shocked fans by entering the Last Time is Now Tournament under his old Zack Ryder persona, ultimately dropping a first-round match to LA Knight. WWE Shop quickly rolled out new Ryder items, sparking speculation about a larger reunion. Speaking on The Major Wrestling Figure Podcast, Cardona shut that notion down — at least for now.
“I did sign something to let them do merch, temporarily,” Cardona said. “Could there be a Mattel figure? Could there be a Topps card? It’s really up to them. I’ve given them the rights, temporarily.”
To preserve the surprise, Cardona flew into New York City rather than Albany, where SmackDown was being held. Chelsea Green was already in NYC for a media appearance, giving him cover as he traveled with her before driving north to the arena. Once backstage, Cardona was hidden to avoid any chance of the return leaking.
The quick turnaround forced him to scramble for gear. Cardona said he had parted with most of his original Zack Ryder sets over the years, keeping only sentimental pieces like WrestleMania outfits. That led to an overnight rush to get new Ryder gear made — and a rescue job for his old boots.
“Great experience, great night. You know, five years — it’s been over five years,” Cardona said of the return. “I had to, with 24 hours notice, get Zack Ryder gear made. Because all the gear that I had wasn’t something I’d want to wear. But I did use my old boots, and they were, like, ripped. The straps were ripped. I had to get Shotzi’s husband Jesus to fix them.”
Cardona’s appearance wasn’t the only nostalgic return in the tournament. Last night’s Raw featured a one-night comeback from Dolph Ziggler (Nic Nemeth), who also worked a first-round match and received a fresh WWE Shop shirt for the occasion.
The Last Time is Now tournament continues to move forward, with Gunther and Solo Sikoa advancing on Raw. The winner will go on to face John Cena in his final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13.
(H/T to F4WOnline.com for transcribing the above quotes.)
