Matt Cardona is one of the hottest commodities in the independent circuit. Let us look at the rise of Matt Cardona after leaving WWE.
Matt Cardona, whom all the WWE fans know by the name of Zack Ryder. Having debuted in professional Wrestling in 2004, he teamed with Curt Hawkins on the independent circuit. Both men were signed by WWE the following year. Cardona made his debut in 2007.
After the team split, he made appearances on WWE’s ECW brand until 2010 under the ring name Zack Ryder. Unfortunately, he lost his first match to Finlay. His first win was on May 19 ECW on Syfy over a Jobber. In 2011 he launched a Youtube web series in which he proclaimed himself as WWE’s “Internet Champion.”
Throughout his tenure in WWE, he went on to win the Intercontinental Championship, The United States Championship, and RAW Tag team Championships as well. However, on April 15 2020, both Hawkins and Ryder were released from the WWE contracts due to budget cuts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which ended Ryder’s 15-year tenure with the company.
After WWE, he went to the rival promotion All Elite Wrestling on a limited appearance deal under his real name. He made his debut on the July 29, 2020, episode of Dynamite, saving Cody from an attack by Alex Reynolds. He made his in-ring debut on August 5, where he teamed with Cody to defeat Reynolds and Silver. His last match was an 8-man tag team. But after his AEW contract got over, he made his mark in Independent circuits like Impact Wrestling, Game Changer Wrestling, and National Wrestling Alliance.
He went on to win various championship titles in all these various independent promotions, and he also holds self promote Internet Championship with which he is in his second reign. Cardona defeated Jordynne grace to win the Impact Digital Media Championship. On February 12 at NWA Power Trip, he recently defeated Murdoch to become the new NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion.
Cardona has found a new way of success in Wrestling as he is becoming the signature face for many wrestling promotions.
He recently talked to Sports Illustrated and how he transformed himself into the performer he is today.
“I opened up the floodgates for this whole generation of wrestlers to get over [by] using the internet with my YouTube show. Now I’m showing you don’t need WWE or AEW to be a successful pro wrestler,” Cardona says. “I’m proving that you can bust your ass and do it your way.”
He is currently carrying 4-5 titles. These include his own internet championship belt, indie promotion AIW’s Absolute and Intense titles, and his most recent acquisition: the NWA world heavyweight championship. He brings a high level of entertainment to his matches.
“This is the greatest time of my life and the greatest time of my career,” Cardona says. “I’m so busy, working on the podcast, Wrestling, and being in the gym. I love the grind, I love the hustle. And I loved WWE—and I could pitch ideas, but nine out of ten times, they wouldn’t happen. So now I can do whatever I want.”
Lastly, he mentioned using the knowledge he acquired during his 15-year run in WWE. Cardona is redefining how to become a star. He gave credit to WWE and claimed that WWE has made him what he is today.
“Everything I learned in WWE has made me who I am today,” Cardona says. “I am not bitter. I don’t resent WWE at all. When I say that WWE was my developmental, that’s not a shot, it’s the truth. I learned everything it takes to become a superstar while in WWE. That’s understanding merchandise, knowing how to look for the hard camera in a match, presenting myself a certain way in interviews. All that was learned in WWE. It’s made me who I am.”
Cardona has shown people that it’s never late to turn things around. He is a rare talent, full of confidence and swagger.
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