Matt Cardona credits deathmatch as catalyst for WWE return
WWE performer Matt Cardona recently discussed his return to the company following a successful indie run. Cardona had a “king of the indies/deathmatch king” gimmick (in a nod to the Macho King) while he was making towns, and he was one of the top draws of GCW (Game Changer Wrestling) around the early 2020s and the start of the pandemic.
While speaking to The Wrestling Classic in a new interview, Cardona revealed that it was his Deathmatch with Nick Gage in 2021 that really “changed” his career and eventually led to him returning to WWE:
“Yeah, I don’t think I’d be here talking to you. I don’t think I’d be back in WWE if it wasn’t for that deathmatch and everything that came from that deathmatch. So that deathmatch with Nick Gage, it changed my career and it changed my life. Go watch the documentary on my YouTube channel.”
credit to Fightful for the transcription
Matt Cardona vs Nick Gage documentary
The match in question took place in July 2021 at the GCW Homecoming 2021 event, where Cardona defeated Gage to become the new GCW World Champion and earn his first major singles title of his career.
Cardona has now released a documentary detailing the night itself (which you can check out below.
Jake is the Head of Audience Development at F4WOnline, having previously worked as a Combat Sports, Gaming and Pro Wrestling writer, successful Editor in Chief and Sports Coordinator. He has more than ten years of experience covering mixed martial arts, pro wrestling, football and gaming across a number of publications, starting at SEScoops in 2012.
He previously also worked for PROGRESS Wrestling as Head of Media as well as working on the social channels of the company.