AEW makes blockbuster announcement on former IC Champion following his return after nearly 9 months
After nearly nine months, popular independent star Matt Cardona recently returned to AEW. He is a former WWE star who has won the Intercontinental Championship and a few other titles in the Stamford-based promotion. He wrestled under the ring name Zack Ryder in WWE.
The Indy God's last appearance in the Jacksonville-based promotion took place in March. He answered Adam Copeland's Cope Open challenge for the TNT Championship on Collision but was unsuccessful in beating the WWE Hall of Famer.
Earlier this week, the fans found out that he would challenge Chris Jericho for the ROH World Championship at Final Battle on December 20, 2024. The two stars encountered each other at Rampage this week, exchanging a few words. The segment ended with Jericho getting the last laugh as he attacked his upcoming opponent with the help of Bryan Keith.
A few hours ago, All Elite Wrestling announced Matt Cardona's blockbuster appearance for next week. He is slated to appear at Rampage: Winter Is Coming at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Wednesday, December 11. The event is scheduled to be broadcast on TNT on Friday, December 13.
The tweet read, "#AEWRampage Winter is Coming! WED 12/11 @tmobilecenter | Kansas City, MO See it live before it airs on TNT! Matt Cardona Appears! After being attacked by #ROH World Champion @IAmJericho & @BountyKeith on #AEWRampage, what will @TheMattCardona do next?"
Matt Cardona will face Effy instead of AEW's Ricky Starks on December 14
After Ricky Starks' challenge at the GCW Dream On event, Matt Cardona was set to take on The Absolute Star at the GCW Highest in the Room 3 event on December 14. However, after Effy's controversial comments about Tony Khan and his father, Khan pulled the absent All Elite star from the indie event.
Game Changer Wrestling later informed the fans that Effy would replace Ricky Starks against The Deathmatch King for the Highest in the Room 3 event.