Black Wednesday saw a lot of longtime familiar faces in WWE get released, but for many, none stung as much as the release of Zack Ryder. For 15 years, Zack Ryder has been a part of WWE’s fabric, the perennial underdog who had to fight to reinvent himself, seemingly because his employer (i.e. Vince McMahon) didn’t want Ryder to get too successful. Zack Ryder was arguably the first pro wrestler to fully integrate with the use of Social Media, utilizing YouTube to create Z! True Long Island Story in 2011. Ryder became a viral sensation, and the “Internet Champion” saw his popularity explode in WWE arenas around the world. But now, Zack Ryder is no more. But the man behind Zack Ryder, Matt Cardona, has managed to capitalize on Social Media once again to his own advantage.
A lot of us couldn’t be what we are without him paving the way and showing it was viable. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/vh7ZtClCE8
— Danhausen (@DanhausenAD) April 16, 2020
#StillHere to #NotThere to #1: Zack Ryder Rules PWTs
#StillHere…
2020 #StillHere #AlwayzReady 📷: @richfreedaphoto pic.twitter.com/dN6I3mqwdJ
— Matt Cardona (@TheMattCardona) January 28, 2020
For months, Zack Ryder and his long-time on-again-off-again tag partner Curt Hawkins would poke fun at their lack of television time by reminding people in their posts on Twitter and Instagram that they were #StillHere. Both were frequently rumored to be on the chopping block, and every time they had a dry spell from television (which had been more and more frequent since losing their Raw Tag Team titles last year), they would end their posts with #StillHere
There is no debate…#StillHere. #Raw pic.twitter.com/sVaOviizyq
— Matt Cardona (@TheMattCardona) March 10, 2020
#StillHere took on a life of its own with Ryder’s loyal fanbase, an inside joke that both poked fun at his absence, but also seemed like a poke to his bosses that he and Hawkins were still very much ready to be used on TV in some capacity.
#NotThere…
And then, after months of joking he was #StillHere, suddenly Zack Ryder discovered he wouldn’t be anymore. Zack Ryder – alongside Curt Hawkins – were casualties in WWE’s Black Wednesday that saw over 30 WWE employees, from wrestlers to producers to writers, released from the company due to business concerns over the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon after news of his release was out, he took to Twitter.
The only thing I wanted to do in life was wrestle. I’m grateful I spent 14 years living my dream in WWE. Thanks to my fans & everyone who believed in me. As I was getting released, I was looking at this photo & smiling. I’m #AlwayzReady & beyond excited for the future. #NotThere pic.twitter.com/uKRVK7FboI
— Matt Cardona (@TheMattCardona) April 15, 2020
But while his other standard, #AlwayzReady, remained in his post, his usual #StillThere was not. Instead, as many fans noticed, it had changed to a far more heartbreaking one. #NotThere
For the first time since February of 2006, Matt Cardona was no longer an employee of the WWE. A 2x WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, and WWE United States Champion, an Edgehead, an Internet Champion, and obsessive collector of action figures. And one of the most beloved WWE Superstars never to achieve the main event of WrestleMania. He was no longer Zack Ryder. He was now simply Matt Cardona once again.
#1…
But Matt Cardona didn’t sit on his laurels or feel sorry for himself. By Wednesday evening, he had opened a store with Pro Wrestling Tees and released his first non-WWE shirt, which simply said “Not There”.
#NotThere! Get my brand new shirt on my new @PWTees store! https://t.co/gAh2VmljwZ pic.twitter.com/KmXPJus11J
— Matt Cardona (@TheMattCardona) April 16, 2020
By early afternoon the next day, PWT’s Ryan Barkan announced the news. Cardona’s ‘Not There’ shirt was the #1 selling T-Shirt of the day.
Support Matt who has the current top selling t-shirt of day at https://t.co/Tfwbazaezn #notthere @ZackRyder pic.twitter.com/x1aIFXyM0o
— One Hour Tees (@OneHourTees) April 16, 2020
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
