Triple H, Brian Myers, Joey Janela, more react to Matt Cardona’s WWE return
Triple H and others have commented on Matt Cardona’s WWE return on SmackDown.
Cardona returned on Friday’s show in Buffalo, defeating Kit Wilson in an unadvertised singles match. He wrestled under his real name, Matt Cardona, rather than his previous WWE ring name, Zack Ryder. On commentary, Michael Cole noted that Cardona was officially a member of the SmackDown roster.
Following Cardona’s return, Triple H posted to X, “A lesson to learn for everyone going into 2026: Stay Ready. Congrats and welcome back home @TheMattCardona. #SmackDown.”
Cardona posted after the match, “I’m not finished!”
Cardona’s longtime friend and tag partner Brian Myers posted, “Matt’s run from 2020-2025 is the stuff of legend. It’s gonna be talked about & referenced for years. He unlocked the unlimited potential that someone could have outside the WWE bubble. He set an example that should be followed forever. Control what you can control, believe in yourself, & NEVER take no for answer. See you down the road @TheMattCardona! Well, actually we’re recording the @MajorWFPod Monday morning.”
GCW’s Joey Janela posted about Cardona’s WWE return, “This guy really deserves it all, it was always about elevating the independent promotions and coming up with stories to elevate talent on the indies and being selfless. A true professional & great dude!”
Cardona’s wife, two-time WWE United States Champion Chelsea Green, has re-posted several clips of his return, though she continues to be focused on the Stranger Things finale. Green posted the below image before the start of SmackDown on Friday night:
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.