Ex-WWE star says it was a "blessing in disguise" he didn't sign with AEW following release
Former WWE Superstar Matt Cardona recently opened up about his brief AEW run in 2020.
Cardona signed with the Stamford-based company in 2006. After spending nearly 14 years in the promotion, the 38-year-old was released from his contract in April 2020 due to budget cuts. Three months later, the former Intercontinental Champion debuted in AEW. However, he only competed in two bouts.
In a recent interview with Good Journeys, Cardona claimed it was a "blessing in disguise" that he did not sign with AEW following his release from WWE.
"[You think AEW was just a case of kind of wrong place wrong time?] Yeah, I think so. Wrong place, wrong time, and also like I didn't know who I was, right? Like at that time what am I? I'm Zack Ryder but what is that? And If I didn't know then AEW certainly didn't know. So, at the time I was bummed out it didn't happen," he said.
Cardona added:
"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." [29:05 - 29:47]
Matt Cardona compared himself to the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. Check out his comments here.
Will Matt Cardona return to WWE?
While Matt Cardona left the Stamford-based company in 2020, his wife, Chelsea Green, is currently active on Monday Night RAW.
In a recent interview with The Heated Shenanigans podcast, Cardona addressed the possibility of reuniting with his wife in WWE. The former Intercontinental Champion revealed that he would not consider making a comeback unless he gets a top spot.
"I'm not gonna come back to just be on the show. I would never go back just to be back. I've been on the roster. I was there. Very fortunate for my time there. Spent over a decade there. But I did the whole just the guy on the roster thing. I have no desire to do that again. If I'm gonna be there, I wanna matter. And I think I proved over the past three years that I'm more than capable of holding my own. And if I ever get that opportunity again, I think I'll prove that to the world," he said.
WWE allegedly fired Matt Cardona after he refused to sign a five-year deal with a higher salary. Check out the story here.
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