John Cena Breaks Silence On Matt Cardona’s Surprise WWE Return
John Cena has shared his thoughts about Matt Cardona’s WWE return.
On the January 2 episode of SmackDown, Cardona returned as Kit Wilson’s mystery opponent. It was soon confirmed that he had officially signed with the company and would wrestle under his original name instead of Zack Ryder.
In a bout lasting just over 4 minutes, Cardona got the win after hitting a Rough Ryder for the pinfall.
Cardona had previously been in the Stamford promotion from 2006 to 2020, during which he even got a storyline alongside John Cena.
While the two wrestlers occasionally teamed up, Cardona even landed a Championship match against Cena, but failed to win.
2011 was the highest point in Cardona’s wrestling career, but 2012 would turn out to be the complete opposite. He started an on-screen romance with Eve Torres, who would cheat on him with John Cena.
The storyline saw Cardona crash hard, not only in his character progression, but also among the ranks, with some media houses labeling him as one of 2012’s crashing stars.
Cardona never achieved the same level of success during his remaining time before being released in 2020.
John Cena Welcomes Matt Cardona To WWE
Since retiring from wrestling, John Cena has made his presence felt online, expressing his thoughts often on X.
The 17-time World Champion recently took to the platform to welcome Matt Cardona back into WWE. In doing so, he praised his persistence and preparation.
He also showered praise upon Cardona’s wife, Chelsea Green, stating they were ‘a tremendous example of making luck through effort.’
Persistence and preparation tend to help manufacture luck. I couldn’t be more proud of both @TheMattCardona and @ImChelseaGreen They stand as a tremendous example of making luck through effort. Welcome home Matt.☕️🍸 https://t.co/UYwRdgyIKz
— John Cena (@JohnCena) January 3, 2026
Also read: Matt Cardona Addresses Official WWE Return With New Name