Former WWE United States Champion says his short AEW run was a "blessing in disguise"

A former WWE superstar recently shared his thoughts about his AEW stint, and how it impacted his career.

The star in question is Matt Cardona. Formerly known as Zack Ryder in the Stamford-based promotion, Cardona spent a significant period of time in WWE as a reliable talent. While he never won the top gold in the company, it did give him enough experience to be later considered the 'Indy God.'

Apart from being a major star on the independent circuit, Cardona has also performed in AEW for a short while. Despite the minimal duration in AEW, he believes his work with Tony Khan was a blessing. Speaking on the Notsam Wrestling, he stated:

"When I left [WWE], I knew I needed a change," Cardona stated. "The AEW thing, the cup of coffee there didn't work out. At the time I was f****** bummed out, I'll admit a hundred percent, but now [it's] a blessing in disguise because I would have never been able to go to GCW and do the deathmatch, the match that changed my career, changed GCW, changed my life. You're right, that high, I knew it was going to create some buzz, but I could not anticipate what it what do...Listen, I made more money last year than I ever made in WWE." (H/T: WrestlingInc)

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The former WWE Superstar recently took a dig at NJPW legend Hiroshi Tanahashi

Matt Cardona's on-screen and social media personality is a far cry from what it was during his time in Vince McMahon's company, as evident from his tweets.

In a recent post, he expressed his disdain for the NJPW star Hiroshi Tanahashi, who is also known as the 'Ace.'

"Who gives a sh*t?! He may be the Ace…but I’m the JOHNNY ACE!!!" Cardona wrote.

Check out Matt Cardona's tweet at this link.

BREAKING 🚨🚨🚨

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐞” is coming to High Intensity!!!
Friday, August 18th, one of the most celebrated competitors in the history of Japanese wrestling, 8-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion,
𝐇𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐢 𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢 makes his HOG debut at #HighIntensity !!!… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/LxPlLqyFBW

With the Forbidden Door and All In events on the horizon, it remains to be seen what is next for Tanahashi down the line.

What do you make of Matt Cardona's words? Let us know in the comments section below!