{"id":151868,"date":"2026-01-31T06:24:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T11:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=151868"},"modified":"2026-01-30T18:07:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T23:07:14","slug":"why-wwe-wanted-matt-cardona-and-not-zack-ryder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/01\/31\/why-wwe-wanted-matt-cardona-and-not-zack-ryder\/","title":{"rendered":"Why WWE Wanted Matt Cardona and Not Zack Ryder"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Matt Cardona officially returned as part of the WWE roster on January 2nd. Many WWE fans know him as Zack Ryder, but now he gets to show everyone how he has reinvented himself during his time away from the company.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/01\/23\/wwe-smackdown-results-1-23-26-live-updates-from-montreal-canada\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">January 23rd<\/a> edition of SmackDown, Matt Cardona and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/01\/06\/why-kit-wilsons-new-character-could-be-a-home-run\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Kit Wilson<\/a> had an exchange backstage following an attack Wilson conducted on Cardona the week prior. This seems to be one of the first official feuds Cardona will have since being back in the WWE.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why did WWE want to bring back Matt Cardona and not Zack Ryder? Let\u2019s take a look at the history of Zack Ryder and the upcoming return of Matt Cardona and find out why WWE may have made this decision.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#8220;WAKE UP MATT&#8221; \ud83d\ude28<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KitWilson_PD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@KitWilson_PD<\/a> with some choice words for <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheMattCardona?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@TheMattCardona<\/a> about toxic masculinity \ud83d\udcdd <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/4a0VSI9r8z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/4a0VSI9r8z<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 WWE (@WWE) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/2014899285477704022?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 24, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Zack Ryder in WWE<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Who we now know as Matt Cardona was first in WWE as Zack Ryder. He made his main roster debut in 2007 and had a career with the WWE until 2020; where he was released with many others because of budget cuts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During those 13 years Ryder was the Intercontinental, United States, and Raw Tag Team Champion (with Curt Hawkins). Along with being the one and only Internet Champion in the WWE.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Internet Championship was created for him as he built a lot of his brand through videos on social media. Ryder wouldn\u2019t have as many on screen segments so he took to social media to promote himself, and it worked. Through doing this he got some more tv time, even if it was just backstage segments or quick matches, it was something.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With his dedication and hard work, the broski had fans on his side. It was heartbreaking to hear about his release with other stars during the 2020 budget cuts. While I\u2019m sure Ryder was disheartened by this, he didn\u2019t let that stop him.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Zack Ryder\u2019s return on <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SmackDown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#SmackDown<\/a> during the Last Time is Now Tournament had everyone in shock. Watch Ryder\u2019s best WWE moments, including title wins, major upsets and more!<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6\ufe0f <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/v5p9M7zEBT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/v5p9M7zEBT<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EBFiyBGUH3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/EBFiyBGUH3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 WWE (@WWE) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1991612610706567652?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2><strong>The Beginning of Matt Cardona<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After his WWE release, no time was wasted. Only a few months later, Matt Cardona emerged on the independent wrestling scene. He had a few matches with AEW, then would continue in Impact Wrestling, GCW, AIW, and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Upon his release from the WWE, the broski turned himself from the Long Island Iced-Z to the Indy God. It takes a lot to carry the name Indy God in professional wrestling. It\u2019s one thing to call yourself that, it&#8217;s another thing for it to stick among the fans. The fans stuck with it and call Matt Cardona the Indy God.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In his time back in the independent wrestling scene, Cardona has won the GCW World Championship, House of Glory Wrestling Championship, AIW Intense and Absolute Championship, and many more in only five years. He even included the internet championship on the independent scene, keeping a tie to his roots. This resume, though, shows how he has been living up to the name Indy God.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This rebranding of himself and popularity among various wrestling promotions made him stand out. WWE would take notice of this.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Matt Cardona in WWE\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now in 2026, Matt Cardona is part of the WWE roster. With this self-reinvention, hopefully, his career will be more successful this time around in the WWE. The fans have faith in him, but timing is everything. Is now the right time?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zack Ryder did make an appearance on the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/11\/15\/matt-cardona-comments-on-shock-wwe-return-as-wwe-releases-new-merch-im-zack-ryder-im-always-ready\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">November 14, 2025,<\/a> edition of SmackDown to compete in the Last Time is Now Tournament against LA Knight. Unfortunately, he lost the match, but he impressed the right people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Matt Cardona officially returned to the WWE full-time, with this new persona, on the January 2nd edition of SmackDown. The fans were ecstatic to see that Cardona will be back in a WWE ring.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A lot of new talent has come to the WWE since Cardona&#8217;s departure. It will be exciting to see the upcoming feuds and, hopefully, future championship reigns. Keep tuning into SmackDown on Fridays to keep up with Matt Cardona.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Matt Cardona returns with an electric victory over Kit Wilson: SmackDown highlights, Jan. 2, 2026\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3-QCa2VxdG0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Header photo \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:WWE_161213-D-PB383-067_(31529260721).jpg#\/media\/File:WWE_161213-D-PB383-067_(31529260721).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WikiMedia Creative Commons<\/a> \u2013 Stay tuned to the <\/span><u><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/span><\/a><\/u><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> for more on Matt Cardona 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 as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/span><\/em><amp-fx-flying-carpet height=\"600px\"><amp-ad data-block-on-consent=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"600\" layout=\"fixed\" type=\"doubleclick\" data-slot=\"\/15188745,22512265771\/FS-lastwordonsports-AMP\/AMP-FlyingCarpet\" data-lazy-fetch=\"true\" data-loading-strategy=\"1.25\" rtc-config=\"{ &quot;vendors&quot;: { &quot;t13&quot;: { &quot;TAG_ID&quot;: &quot;f502adbd-5c9b-4d6f-9ec5-b0cdc0f4827c&quot;, &quot;ACCOUNT_ID&quot;: &quot;9a3c6c23-453a-4cba-b419-30b908f39a50&quot; }, &quot;aps&quot;: { &quot;PUB_ID&quot;: &quot;600&quot;, &quot;PUB_UUID&quot;: &quot;16268e26-dabe-4bf4-a28f-b8f4ee192ed3&quot;, &quot;PARAMS&quot;: { &quot;amp&quot;: &quot;1&quot; } }, &quot;criteo&quot;: { &quot;NETWORK_ID&quot;: &quot;4905&quot;, &quot;ZONE_ID&quot;: &quot;1382491&quot;, &quot;PUBLISHER_SUB_ID&quot;: &quot;FS-lastwordonsports-AMP-FlyingCarpet&quot; }, &quot;medianet&quot;: { &quot;CID&quot;: &quot;8CU8ZT2C4&quot; } } }\"><\/amp-ad><\/amp-fx-flying-carpet><\/p>\n<p><em>You can check out WWE programming on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/81788927\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Netflix<\/a> (Raw, WWE archives, WWE Unreal, and other specials), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usanetwork.com\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">USA Network<\/a>\u00a0(SmackDown),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cwtv.com\/shows\/wwe-nxt\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The CW<\/a> (NXT), <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/wwe\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ESPN <\/a>(WWE PLEs), <\/em><em><a href=\"https:\/\/tubitv.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tubi<\/a>\u00a0(WWE Evolve),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aetv.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A&amp;E<\/a>\u00a0(WWE Superstar Sunday \u2013 Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments) and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Peacock<\/a> (Saturday Night\u2019s Main Event). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">YouTube.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Matt Cardona officially returned as part of the WWE roster on January 2nd. Many WWE fans know him as Zack Ryder, but now he gets to show everyone how he has reinvented himself during his time away from the company.\u00a0 On the January 23rd edition of SmackDown, Matt Cardona and Kit Wilson had an exchange [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5214,"featured_media":152120,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,4,3],"tags":[6346,1375],"class_list":["post-151868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-smackdown","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-matt-cardona","tag-zack-ryder"],"modified_by":"Laci Schlatz","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151868"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151868\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":152121,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151868\/revisions\/152121"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}