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Update On If WWE Has Signed Zack Ryder To Contract

By John Canton • Published Nov 15, 2025 19:00 EST
Zack Ryder With WWE

There are details on what kind of deal Zack Ryder made for his WWE return on SmackDown.

The Last Time Is Now Tournament, where 16 wrestlers are competing to face John Cena in his final match, continued on WWE SmackDown in Albany. Going into the show, the story was that LA Knight didn’t know who his opponent would be.

That’s when a familiar face arrived and Zack Ryder made his WWE main roster return for the first time in over five years since the company released him. Prior to his 2020 release, Ryder was under contract for about 15 years and spent more than a decade on the main roster.

Zack Ryder, who is a 40-year-old former Intercontinental & Tag Team Champion in WWE, put up a fight against LA Knight and even hit his Rough Ryder finishing move for a two count. However, Knight was too much for him and hit the BFT neckbreaker for the pinfall win to move on in the tournament.

Following his performance in the Last Time Is Now Tournament, Zack Ryder merchandise is back up on WWE Shop for the first time since he was let go five years ago.

Zack Ryder Is Not Officially A WWE Superstar Again…Yet

In an update on Ryder’s future, Fightful Select confirmed with Matt Cardona (aka Zack Ryder) that he isn’t signed to a WWE contract, so it’s a one-off appearance for now.

However, WWE sources confirmed to Fightful that a merchandise deal was made, which is why WWE started selling Zack Ryder merchandise on its website.

On a final note, Fightful hasn’t found out why WWE chose to have him wrestle as Ryder instead of Cardona. When he competed on WWE NXT against Josh Briggs on October 14th, he used the Cardona name in a match he also lost.

While speaking to WWE cameras after his match, Zack Ryder made it known that he’s always ready.

“Five years. It’s been five years since I put on Zack Ryder boots. Every single morning, the first thing I do before I even open my damn eyes is say, ‘How can I get back here? What do I have to do to get back here?’ I busted my a** for the past five years – Deathmatch King, Indy God, The Complete all for this moment.

This might be a one-time shot. I might get the call tomorrow. It doesn’t matter, because I’m Zack Ryder. I’m always ready. And I guess I can say this, woo woo woo! You know it!”

Ryder is staying because he flew from Albany to Orlando to take part in the November 15th TNA Impact tapings. He’s not under contract to TNA, but he does have a per-appearance deal with them.

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