Former champion has three conditions to return to WWE, including re-hiring released star
WWE released many talents in 2020 due to budget cuts, and among those was former United States Champion Zack Ryder, aka Matt Cardona, who recently disclosed three conditions that must be fulfilled for him to return to the company.
Cardona officially signed with the Stamford-based company in 2006. He spent about 14 years as an active competitor on Monday Night RAW and SmackDown, during which he won the United States Championship, the Intercontinental Title, and the Tag Team Championships. However, he was released from his contract in April 2020 due to budget cuts.
Since his departure, Cardona has thrived on the independent circuit. He currently holds several titles and refers to himself as the "Indie God." Meanwhile, he recently paired himself with former NXT star Steph De Lander (Persia Pirotta), who was released in April 2022.
In a recent interview with Barstool Rasslin', Cardona explained what would convince him to return to the Stamford-based company.
"[When are you redebuting with WWE?] The two Cs have to be right. The cash and creative. [Is there an amount of cash that can make the creative not matter as much?] Not for me. Not for me. And she [De Lander] needs to come along," he said. [From 04:46 to 05:02]
WWE allegedly fired Matt Cardona after he refused to sign a 5-year deal with a higher salary. Check out the story here.
Matt Cardona on not signing with AEW after his WWE release
After getting released from the Stamford-based company, Matt Cardona made a few appearances in AEW. However, the 38-year-old did not sign an official contract with the promotion.
In a recent interview with Good Journeys, Cardona stated that it was a "blessing in disguise" that he did not sign with AEW.
"Looking back, blessing in disguise. Thank God I didn't get signed there because I would have never or probably never become the Deathmatch King which mean I wouldn't become the Indie God, which means I'd probably just be sitting on like Dark or Elevation. And I've said this before, like no offense to those guys, that's fine. That's not what I want. Been there done that in WWE, you know, like I don't want to just be another guy on the roster," he said.
“I want to prove that you don’t necessarily need AEW or WWE to be a successful pro wrestler.
If one of those companies called me, of course, I would listen. Of course, I would have a conversation. But that is not my goal to go back.”
- Matt Cardona
(via My Moms Basement) https://t.co/qsMiYVwuTN
Matt Cardona addresses possibly returning to WWE after three years to target a 37-year-old top star. Check out his comments here.
Please credit Barstool Rasslin' and give a H/T to Sportskeeda if you use the above transcription.