John Cena on Matt Cardona’s WWE return: ‘Making luck through effort’
John Cena has commented on Matt Cardona’s return to WWE.
Cardona was revealed as an official member of the SmackDown roster on Friday’s show from Buffalo. He had previously appeared on the November 14 episode, wrestling under his old Zack Ryder persona in the Last Time Is Now tournament for a chance to be Cena’s final opponent.
On Saturday, Cena posted to social media that both Cardona and his wife Chelsea Green, who previously returned to WWE after her own release, are examples of “making luck through effort.”
Cena wrote:
“Persistence and preparation tend to help manufacture luck. I couldn’t be more proud of both @TheMattCardona and @ImChelseaGreen. They stand as a tremendous example of making luck through effort. Welcome home Matt. ☕️🍸”
Cardona also released a statement on his WWE return on Saturday, saying there are too many people to thank. Triple H, Brian Myers, Joey Janela, and others have also commented. Cardona’s return comes nearly six years after he was released from WWE in April 2020.
Cena’s social media post is below:
Ian Carey is the editing manager at F4WOnline and a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His work has appeared in award-winning publications including NOW Magazine and The Huffington Post. He joined the F4WOnline team in 2019 and moved into the editing manager role in the summer of 2026. Born in Calgary, Alberta, Ian has covered professional wrestling for more than 15 years.