Matt Cardona Calls WWE Return an “Ultimate Opportunity” After Rebuilding on the Independents

In a conversation with Jeremy Jacobowitz, Matt Cardona reflected on his 2020 release from WWE and the path he followed to rebuild his career.

The former WWE United States Champion described the options he saw after leaving the company:

“When I was released — fired, really — it honestly felt like the greatest day of my life. At that point, I knew I had three choices, because I’m a student of the game. I see what happens when people leave WWE. One path is fading into obscurity, and that wasn’t going to happen with me. Another is becoming bitter and negative, then fading into obscurity. The third is simply coasting on your WWE name forever.”

“And I’m not talking about a literal name. Honky Tonk Man still does the shake, rattle and roll, and I love that. It’s great, and I love Honky. But I didn’t want to keep doing the woo-woo-woo on the indies.”

“I wanted to create something new. That’s what I decided: I would reinvent myself and change the Matt Cardona game. I would reinvent myself in a way that, hopefully, would make WWE want me back. But if they didn’t, that was fine.”

Cardona, who first returned to WWE as Zack Ryder during the Last Time Is Now Tournament in late 2025, made his full-time return under the Cardona name in January 2026.

Acknowledging that returning to WWE came at a financial cost, Cardona added:

“I made more money outside WWE than I ever made in WWE. I technically took a pay cut to go back. You know what I mean? That’s how much money I was making on the indies. But going back to WWE is the ultimate opportunity. If it works out, it’ll be the ultimate raise. I’m sitting here talking to you because WWE set this up.”

Cardona is currently recovering from a torn triceps sustained in August.

Source link