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Sting was one of the biggest former WWE Superstars to jump ship to AEW. Matt Cardona (fka Zack Ryder) recently addressed rumors that said he wanted Sting-level money to sign with All Elite Wrestling.
The Indy God has made several sporadic appearances in the Jacksonville-based promotion but never put ink to paper on an official contract. The former Intercontinental Champion felt that if he had signed with AEW, he would have been lost in the shuffle. Cardona most recently returned to AEW during the March 30 episode of Collision to answer Adam Copeland's open challenge for the TNT Championship.
In an interview with Inside The Ropes, Matt Cardona debunked the rumors that stated that he didn't sign with AEW because he asked for "Sting money."
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"That actually was a rumor. I don’t think I’ve ever said this publicly, but that was actually a rumour about why I didn’t get hired in AEW. Apparently—first of all, this is not true—I’m not sure if this was said but this definitely didn’t come out of my goddamn mouth: I heard one of the reasons I wasn’t signed to AEW was because I was asking for “Sting money”. That’s the rumour I’ve heard, which is such a ridiculous thing that I have to laugh about it. We’ve never even talked about it," Cardona said. [H/T: PWMania]
Matt Cardona is open to return to WWE
The formerly Zack Ryder has been teasing a potential return to the Stamford-based promotion since John Cena announced his Retirement Tour.
Speaking on the Busted Open podcast, Cardona said he would like to face Cena one more time as The Indy God thinks that he has grown as a performer in recent years:
"I would love to get in the ring [with Cena]. I've definitely grown as a man and performer [since we last wrestled]. All these years later, I'd like to see John Cena vs. 'The Deathmatch' King Matt Cardona in a WWE ring," said Matt Cardona.
Interestingly, Matt Cardona isn't ruling out another AEW appearance for a rematch against Adam Copeland. The Deathmatch King is currently recovering from a torn pectoral muscle, but he has continued to make appearances in the Indies.
