Matt Cardona admits a reigning female champion is stronger than him
Former WWE Superstar Matt Cardona has become a huge name in the independent pro wrestling scene. The former Zack Ryder strongly bounced back after being unable to push past the mid-card level in the Stamford-based promotion for 15 years. However, he recently admitted that a reigning female champion was stronger than him. The name in question is Jordynne Grace.
The TNA Knockouts World Champion is a towering wall of might. She won her prestigious gold on January 13, 2024, and is showing no signs of dropping the title to anybody anytime soon.
A pro wrestling media page on X/Twitter recently asked fans to describe Grace in just three words. Dropping his answer via a tweet, Matt Cardona conceded that the champ was more powerful than him.
“Stronger Than Me," wrote Cardona.
Jordynne Grace has also made a handful of WWE appearances recently owing to the company’s NXT wing’s collaboration with TNA. Moreover, she has defended her title in the developmental brand against one of its top names, Sol Ruca. The match ended in disqualification due to the intervention of Wendy Choo and Rosemary. However, she had almost defeated the challenger by the time the evil duo attacked her.
Interestingly, while Matt Cardona acknowledged Jordynne Grace as a stronger wrestler than him, he has also been phenomenal in the ring in recent times. Despite this, he has been unable to get a big contract from any top company.
Matt Cardona comments on unexpected career stagnation
Matt Cardona recently appeared in an interview with Walkway to Fight Club, where he spoke about his pro wrestling career. He was released from WWE as Zack Ryder in 2020 and went on to become an indie circuit goliath in GCW, MLW, and TNA. Unable to land a big contract despite this, Cardona admitted that he was legitimately shocked and wondered what more was left for him to do.
"Listen, I'll be completely honest. I don't know what the f*** is going on. I've done everything there is to do. I am legit shocked I have not gotten an offer from any company, and that's not me being egotistical. That's me being realistic. Like I've done all there is, what else can I possibly do? But I can't let this run be fuelled by bitterness or negativity. It was never, 'Oh, I gotta prove people wrong.' It was never that. It was, 'I've gotta prove myself right, I've gotta prove my fans right,' and I feel like I have done that. But I think the second you get bitter, the second you get angry is where you lose yourself, and I'm not gonna let this run be fuelled by negativity."
Many fans wish to see him in WWE, and Cardona has also expressed his desire to be back in the promotion, but with a top-level contract. Interestingly, his wife, Chelsea Green, has also noted that she wants Cardona to be back.
It would be interesting to see if their patience is rewarded with a good deal in the future.