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“I Was P*ssed,” Says Ex-WWE Champion About Kevin Owens And Cody Rhodes Move

By Gaurav Singh • Published Jul 28, 2026 08:34 EDT
Cody Rhodes Kevin Owens
Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens (Image Source-WWE.com)

A former WWE United States Champion revealed that he was “p*ssed” about some remarks made about him by Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes.

The ex-WWE Champion, Matt Cardona made his return to the Stamford-based promotion at the beginning of this year, nearly six years after his release. During his first run there, Cardona gained prominence under the name ‘Zack Ryder’ and also became the United States Champion, Intercontinental Champion, and tag team champion during his tenure.

During his time away from the WWE, Matt Cardona reinvented himself on the independent wrestling scene and earned the moniker of ‘The Indy God’ as well. Last year on the What Do You Wanna Talk About? podcast, Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens talked about Cardona.

Owens made a funny remark that Cardona calls himself ‘Indy God’ but wants to be back in WWE, and Cody Rhodes was also laughing:

I love Matt. The only thing I will say is for a guy who loves being on the indies so much, he sure f*cking talks about how much he wants to be back in WWE a lot. That’s all.

Can’t call yourself King of the Indies when you’re going out there telling people, ‘I don’t know why WWE hasn’t signed me. I don’t get it. If I was them I definitely would have signed me.’ Are you f*cking happy or not, dude? That’s it. I love Matt. No problems. Don’t like his tan, told him this to his face,” Owens said [H/T Cultaholic]

Ex-WWE Champion on Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes talking about him

Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, ex-WWE Champion Matt Cardona addressed Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes making fun of him last year, saying he was p*ssed about the remarks:

Oh boy. Honestly, I was pissed! Because they made it seem that all I would say is I want to be back in WWE. Blah blah. I’d only talk about it when I’d be doing things like this, and you ask me a question. So it bothered me, but I’m over it now.”

Matt Cardona also admitted that the remark by Kevin Owens was not malicious, but he didn’t get to tell his version:

Yes, it wasn’t malicious. I just did not appreciate that I didn’t get a chance to come on and tell my version until I got re-signed.” [h/t chrisvanvliet.com]

Meanwhile, Matt Cardona continues to be a part of the SmackDown roster, and he wrestled his last match on the ‘Main Event’ show.