Former WWE US Champion Says “Not His Goal” To Return
Former WWE United States Champion Matt Cardona has distanced himself from a potential return to WWE despite some believing he was to make a comeback to the company he left in 2020.
Matt Cardona had been part of WWE for fifteen years at the time of his release and he is best known as Zack Ryder, capturing both the Intercontinental and United States Championship during his time in the company.
Since leaving, Cardona has given his career a new lease of life, appearing briefly in AEW as well as joining IMPACT Wrestling. But it is perhaps his foray into the world of deathmatches in GCW that has given him the most notoriety.
Ahead of the Royal Rumble, Cardona had hinted that he was set to return, but his hints turned out to be a red herring as it was his wife Chelsea Green that returned in the women’s Rumble match.
Speaking on the Pro Wrestling Boom podcast, Matt Cardona reiterated that he isn’t chasing a return to the sports entertainment giant and said his time in the company has helped him with his current role in the wrestling business:
“I’ve been saying since I got released from WWE, it’s not my goal to get back there. I’m not doing things, ‘oh what can I do to get WWE to notice me,’ no. I’m trying to create my own path but at the same time, I’d be lying if I said I never wanted to have another WrestleMania moment or wrestle in Madison Square Garden, of course, I do.”
“I lived my dream for over a decade and I wouldn’t be where I am today without WWE. I said it before, that WWE was my developmental and that’s not a shot at WWE. They truly taught me how to be a superstar and that is why I’m thriving in places like NWA, Impact, GCW, and all these other independents.”