Cody Rhodes Says Ex-WWE Star Refused To Be Associated With Him On-Screen

Cody Rhodes was the figurehead of the Nightmare Family in AEW but one former WWE star – and Rhodes’ close friend – did not want to be any part of it.

Matt Cardona has made a splash since leaving WWE in 2020, going on to make his name in IMPACT Wrestling, GCW, and the NWA. However, Cardona did a brief dalliance with AEW, wrestling two matches for the company in 2020 and now it might have become clear why they didn’t lead to anything more.

Speaking on Good Karma Wrestling, Cody Rhodes recalled how Cardona “tanked” a meeting with an unnamed member of AEW management as he flat-out refused to be associated with The American Nightmare on television:

“I have this story about Matt which I’m going to tell eventually about watching his first meeting with a certain member of management somewhere and how he tanked this meeting.

“Right in front of me. And the one big line he hit in the meeting, that I’ll never forget. This is one of my real-life friends. He said, ‘I just want to make it clear; I’m never putting on a Nightmare Family jacket or associating myself with him on-screen.’ I got you the meeting, [then you throw me] under the bus right away.”

Matt Cardona’s first match in AEW did end up seeing him team with Cody Rhodes to defeat The Dark Order’s Alex Reynolds and John Silver. His second outing came at 2020’s All Out event where he teamed with QT Marshall, Dustin Rhodes, and Scorpio Sky who picked up the win over Colt Cabana, Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, and Brodie Lee.

h/t Wrestling Inc.