5 lesser-known cross-promotion wrestling friendships

#2. WWE Superstar The Miz - IMPACT Wrestling star Matt Cardona

Like Jake Hager, Matt Cardona (FKA Zack Ryder) spent nearly a decade and a half in WWE before joining IMPACT Wrestling and Game Changer Wrestling. The former Intercontinental Champion has several friends still in WWE, including The Miz.

Cardona and The Miz shared the ring multiple times in WWE between 2007 and 2019. In an interview with Metro in 2012, The Miz disclosed that he also gets along well with Cardona outside the squared circle.

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"In a group of 100 people, not everyone is going to be your best friend. You have people who have tiffs with each other, then have people who are good friends. I’d say I get on best with Zack Ryder because he has such good stories," he said.

Cardona also praised his friend earlier this year after watching The Miz's WWE 24 episode, stating that the former WWE Champion has proven so many people wrong so many times.

"Just watched the #WWE24 on @mikethemiz. How can you truly be a fan of pro wrestling and not be a fan of the Miz? This guy busted his a**, ate s**t, and proved so many people wrong...so many times. He is Awwwesome!" he wrote.

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After a few months of absence, The Miz recently returned to Monday Night RAW to confront Edge. Meanwhile, Cardona continues to perform regularly in IMPACT Wrestling and GCW. He also makes appearances in a few other independent promotions.

About the author

Ahmed Hamdy is an Egyptian journalist with a decade of experience in sports journalism, specializing in pro wrestling and football.

Hamdy kicked off his career as a sports reporter for Al-Ahram Weekly. He then became a producer/reporter for Mal Masr TV program on the Egyptian channel ON TV. In the following years, Hamdy worked as a reporter for several international news outlets, including Deutsche Welle (Germany), As-Safir (Lebanon), and Al-Monitor (U.S.A).

In 2014, Hamdy joined leading Egyptian newspaper Al Masry Al Youm, where he is now a Senior Sports Editor. In addition to all that, the Egyptian also worked as a sports editor for Sport360 and feature writer for Manshoor.com.

Hamdy has covered several sports events throughout the past few years, including WWE's tour in Egypt and the 2019 African Cup of Nations.

The experienced journalist joined Sportskeeda's pro wrestling feature writers team in early 2021. Since then, his work has managed to get millions of reads.

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Edited by Ryan K Boman