Matt Cardona details timeline for WWE return
Before returning on SmackDown last Friday, Matt Cardona’s WWE comeback had been in the works since the end of November.
Cardona made his full-time return to WWE by defeating Kit Wilson on SmackDown last Friday. In a video for his Major Wrestling Figure Podcast YouTube channel, Cardona detailed the timeline of how things came together. His Last Time is Now Tournament match on November 14 is what got the ball rolling with the two sides agreeing to stay in touch. When Cardona was at the WrestleCade convention during Thanksgiving weekend, WWE contacted him to start the contract process. Everything came together quickly with him signing during the week of Christmas.
“That’s when I got the call [at dinner during WrestleCade], ‘Hey, we’re interested. Let’s start talking.’ I was like, ‘Oh, boy. Here we go.’ It was very stressful — in a good way,” Cardona said. “Like, not bad stress. But still like, ‘Is this going to happen? Is this not going to happen?’ And then finally signed Christmas week. So, it was like very sudden. Then it’s like, ‘Okay, am I Zack [Ryder]? Am I Matt [Cardona]?’ So, I’m having both sets of gear made and designed.”
Cardona wrestled his Last Time is Now Tournament match as Zack Ryder but is using his real name for his full-time return. When he signed his WWE contract, he had his GCW World title belt on his lap because of how important the indie promotion was to him.
The stint Cardona spent on his indies is the best time he’s had in his career so far. Still, Cardona’s dream growing up was to be a “WWE Superstar” — and he would have been a little bummed if he never made it back to WWE after his release in 2020. WWE is the promotion he grew up watching and is where his wife Chelsea Green works. They are now both members of the WWE SmackDown roster.
Cardona noted that he will still be doing the Major Wrestling Figure Podcast, though there could be occasional scheduling conflicts with his WWE schedule.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.