Wrestling star denied AEW contract appears on TNA after WWE deal 

Despite being one of the industry's best-known free agents and appearing in AEW and ROH last year, the Tony Khan-led promotion seemingly did not offer Matt Cardona a contract. The King of the Indies has now returned to another major wrestling company where he was once a champion.

At the Genesis pay-per-view this past weekend, Joe Hendry finally accomplished his goal of becoming the TNA World Champion by defeating Nic Nemeth. The Prestigious One kicked off the January 23 episode of Impact Wrestling by declaring that he would defend his newly won title that very night against anyone who would step up.

The promotion's on-screen Director of Authority, Santino Marella, then announced that Hendry's challenge had been accepted by none other than Matt Cardona. "The Complete" former WWE Superstar battled the 36-year-old Scot in the main event of Impact.

Cardona went to great lengths to try and win the championship, even resorting to a low blow at one point. However, the appearance of WWE legend JBL would foil his heel tactics. Ultimately, Hendry planted The Indy God with a Standing Ovation and successfully retained his World Championship.

Cardona was featured on AEW programming shortly after his WWE release in 2020, albeit due to a limited agreement. He returned to the promotion last year to challenge former mentor Adam Copeland for his TNT Title on AEW Collision in March. He also feuded with Chris Jericho over the ROH World Title in December.

With WWE recently announcing a working relationship with TNA, it remains to be seen if Cardona might get featured in the Stamford-based company.

Matt Cardona on rumors of AEW offering him a deal

Matt Cardona attempted to dethrone Chris Jericho for his ROH World Championship in the Hammerstein Ballroom at Final Battle last month. Unfortunately, The Deathmatch King was unsuccessful, owing to interference from The Learning Tree's allies.

Around this time, rumors surfaced that AEW had extended a contract to Cardona. The former WWE Intercontinental Champion, in a recent interview, provided clarification on the subject by claiming that the company had not made any offers to him, albeit expressing his interest in working for the promotion:

“I didn’t get one [laughs]. Hey, maybe it got lost in the mail. I don’t know," Cardona said. “Of course. I loved my time there. Even this past time in December, I love it there. I think it’s a great company. I think it’s great for the business. I think everybody’s working their a** off there. But everything has to be the right situation, but I wasn’t offered anything."

It remains to be seen if Matt Cardona will return to AEW at some point in the future.