Following his release from WWE, everyone knew that the man formerly known as Zack Ryder would land on his feet. He would quickly show up in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he made his debut following the TNT Championship match between Cody Rhodes & Warhorse, when Rhodes was attacked by The Dark Order. Under the ring name Matt Cardona, he would wrestle just two matches for the company, including a match at All Out 2020. However, following that he wasn’t seen again in the company. Cardona has now explained why his AEW run wasn’t so short.
Matt Cardona Wasn’t Going To Beg For A Job
While on the latest episode of Pro Wrestling 4 Life, the podcast of wrestling legend Sean Waltman, Cardona would be a special guest. He would talk about his experiences within AEW, and why he didn’t stick around for more than two matches.
“I had a little agreement with them to do a couple shows, and they never offered me anything long term. I’m not gonna sit there and beg. It is what it is. I had a great, great time there. It was awesome. It was an awesome experience. Everyone was so welcoming to me. Listen, it was great, and AEW is the place to be. It’s thriving right now. It has all these different shows, has different YouTube shows, two TV shows. It’s awesome, but at the end of the day, I wasn’t offered anything, and I wasn’t gonna sit around and wait to be offered something. I mean, that’s the truth.”
Finding His Footing On The Indies Is Important
This was 100% the right move for Cardona. Aside from obvious fan pushback of AEW scooping up another ‘ex-WWE’ wrestler, it was hard to imagine Cardona being able to stand out in AEW. He would have had a role similar to that of Dustin Rhodes, helping out in feuds alongside the Nightmare Family and maybe getting an occasional main event match.
Instead, Cardona is now proving himself as an adaptable talent on the indies. His recent feud with Nick Gage has made Cardona newsworthy for the first time since he rose up as a universal fan favorite in 2012. Cardona is finally starting to reinvent himself and find who he is in his post-WWE career. That feud is just getting started, but is incredibly promising.
If this feud is able to push Cardona into the spotlight, he might become untouchable on the indies, and create an identity that would help him stand out in a company like AEW. He left on good terms, and that’s always a good sign. Do you think Cardona will ever get a proper contract with AEW? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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