Former Intercontinental Champion unlikely to ever sign with AEW - Reports

A former Intercontinental Champion is reportedly unlikely to sign for AEW. New details have come to light regarding his contract status.

When Matt Cardona left WWE in 2020, he made an appearance for AEW that same year, where he teamed with Cody Rhodes for a match. This excited fans at the thought that Cardona could possibly sign with AEW. However, he only wrestled two matches for the promotion that year and would not make an appearance until last year when he showed up to answer Adam Copeland's open challenge for the TNT Championship.

In 2024, he again competed in two matches for All Elite Wrestling. He also made an appearance on AEW TV and challenged Chris Jericho for the ROH World Title at Final Battle. However, following this match, Cardona was nowhere to be seen on AEW TV again, which fueled many questions about his future with the company.

During a recent Fightful Select Q&A podcast episode, Sean Ross Sapp was asked why Cardona's ROH run never materialized into anything more despite his feud with Jericho. He replied that he did not know if a contract was offered to Cardona, but he was not aware of any intent to sign. However, he also stated that both parties are on good terms and are happy with the situation.

“He didn’t sign. I don’t know if a contract was offered, but I hadn’t heard of any intent to sign there. He’s on good terms with them, and they were happy with that.” [H/T Ringside News]

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Matt Cardona claims Tony Khan promised him an AEW contract

When Matt Cardona first appeared in All Elite Wrestling back in 2020, he aligned himself with the Nightmare Family. He had a brief run with Cody Rhodes and even teamed with The American Nightmare for a match. Despite his popularity and success in the ring, he was never offered a contract with the Jacksonville-based promotion.

During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Cardona revealed that he never received a call from Tony Khan, even though he told him that the contract was on the way. This is why he went to TNA Wrestling instead.

“In the very beginning I came in, I helped Cody [Rhodes]. We had a tag match which we won; a pay-per-view match. I had like three shirts, two matches. Never got a call. I don’t know. To this day I don’t know. I was told the contract’s coming. After a while I’m like, ‘It’s not coming,’ and I went to (TNA Wrestling).” [H/T EWrestlingNews]

It will be interesting to see if Matt Cardona will officially receive an All Elite Wrestling contract in the near future.