Zack Ryder comments on WWE future after SmackDown return
Matt Cardona (aka Zack Ryder) is always ready.
Cardona was revealed as LA Knight’s mystery opponent in the Last Time is Now tournament on Friday’s edition of SmackDown. Following his loss to Knight, he spoke backstage about not being sure if the match was a one-off or a full return.
He said:
“Five years. It’s been five years since I put on Zack Ryder boots. Every single morning, the first thing I do before I even open my damn eyes, I say how can I get back here? What do I have to do to get back here? I busted my ass for the past five years, Death Match King, Indie God, The Complete, all for this moment.“
“This might be a one time shot, I might get the call tomorrow, but it doesn’t matter because I’m Zack Ryder and I’m always ready. And I guess I can say this: Woo woo woo, you know it.”
Knight then entered the scene, shook Ryder’s hand, and said:
“I don’t know if this is a welcome back or if this is a see you later but all I can say is, Yeah!”
Cardona would later write on X:
“I cannot express in words what last night meant to me, but if I had to try… Don’t Quit… Alwayz Ready… Thank You… WOO! WOO! WOO!”
Ryder’s wife, and two-time WWE Women’s United States Champion Chelsea Green also responded to a clip of Ryder’s return posted by WWE, writing:
“Hehe I knew before you knew!” Later adding, “What a day to be Zack Ryders wife!”
Ryder was released by WWE in April 2020 after having been with the company since 2005. He’s a former Intercontinental, United States, and two-time Raw Tag Team Champion along with Curt Hawkins.
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.