Welcome Home, Matt Cardona. Following a five-year absence, during which he redefined his career as “The Indy God,” Cardona has officially re-signed with WWE. Moving forward, he will wrestle under his real name, though his legacy as Zack Ryder (2006–2020) remains a fan-favorite chapter of WWE history.
Matthew Cardona got his start in wrestling after a childhood obsession with WWE that grew into a passion for collecting the action figures the company generated. Fulfilling a lifelong dream to become a professional wrestler, he began training in the early 2000s with former ECW star Mikey Whipwreck.
Cardona made his wrestling debut in 2004 for New York Wrestling Connection under the ring name Brett Matthews. Shortly afterwards, he formed a tag team alongside Brian Major, better known to WWE fans as Curt Hawkins. April 21, 2005, marked Cardona’s first WWE appearance, but it wasn’t until nearly a year later, on February 24, 2006, that he signed a developmental contract with the company.
He would make his main roster debut in 2007, alongside his long-time tag partner Major, and adopted the in-ring name of Zack Ryder. Major would change his name to Curt Hawkins, and the duo would later team up with Edge after helping him win the World Heavyweight Championship by disguising themselves as “The Rated R Superstar,” forming the “La Familia” faction.
After being sent to ECW in 2009, Ryder adopted the persona he is most famous for: the Long Island guido character sporting spiky hair, sunglasses, and a headband, who would use the catchphrase “woo, woo, woo, you know it.” He would see success as part of the Ryder Revolution, becoming a fan favorite. On April 15, 2020, WWE announced that, as part of a series of releases, Zack Ryder would leave the company.
The next five years would see Cardona re-ignite his career and make quite the name for himself, winning several titles with Impact Wrestling, Game Changer Wrestling, National Wrestling Alliance, and TNA.
2,039 days later, on November 14, 2025, Matt Cardona would shock fans by returning to WWE in the “Last Time is Now” tournament to face LA Knight. Despite reviving his Zack Ryder persona one final time, using his classic theme song and gear, Cardona would go on to lose the bout.
This past Friday on SmackDown, Cardona once again stunned the crowd when he was revealed as the mystery opponent facing Kit Wilson. Leaving his “Broski” persona behind, he abandoned the ring name Zack Ryder and made the transition to Matt Cardona. Cardona ultimately defeated Wilson, picking up his first win in WWE since February 3, 2020.
In celebration of Cardona’s return to his dream role as a WWE superstar, let’s rank the four championships he won during his time as Zack Ryder.
