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Matt Cardona turned himself into one of the top independent wrestlers in the world after he was released by WWE in 2020. Cardona, who was famously known as Zack Ryder in WWE, recently made a bold claim about his former TV character.
Cardona began his WWE career in 2006 after he signed a developmental deal. He spent more than a year at Deep South Wrestling, then Ohio Valley Wrestling, before being called up to the main roster as Brett Major of The Major Brothers in May 2007.
WWE quickly dropped the gimmick, and Cardona was introduced as Zack Ryder, who was one of Edge's associates along with Curt Hawkins. He spent the next 13 years as Ryder, winning the United States and Intercontinental Championships during his tenure. He's also a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion with Hawkins.
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The 38-year-old star took notice of a fan on X who claimed that Zack Ryder fears Matt Cardona. He responded by agreeing with the fan and claiming that Ryder is dead.
"He's fearing me from the grave," Cardona wrote.
Cardona is currently signed with the NWA but is still free to appear on the independent circuit. He'll likely be the next challenger for EC3's NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship.
Matt Cardona explains why Chelsea Green was not afraid of Vince McMahon
In an appearance on the Swerve City Podcast, Matt Cardona revealed that it took him some time to have the courage to pitch ideas to Vince McMahon. Cardona added that his wife, Chelsea Green, had no problem speaking to McMahon and was not afraid of him.
"She did not grow up loving wrestling," Cardona said. "To her, Vince was just her boss. ... She had no problem going in and asking questions or pitching stuff, where, for me, like I said, the first couple years, I was petrified to knock on his door." [H/T Wrestling Inc.]
Green is currently one-half of the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions with Piper Niven. She's among the top heels in the women's division and one of the best re-hires during Triple H's run as head of creative.
Should Matt Cardona return to WWE as Zack Ryder or his current character from the independent circuit? Share your answers in the comments section below.
