Former US Champion to make his WWE return after 1383 days at Royal Rumble 2024? Exploring potential comeback

WWE Royal Rumble is just a few weeks away, and fans are expecting some surprises to occur during the traditional match. Throughout the years, legends, debuts, and even former superstars have appeared as surprise entrants. One name that fans speculate for this year is Matt Cardona (FKA Zack Ryder), but that may not be the case.

Zack Ryder joined World Wrestling Entertainment in 2005 and, after spending 15 years with the promotion, he was one of the several stars to be released on April 15, 2020, as part of the COVID-19 pandemic budget cuts. But, the unfortunate release eventually turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Zack went on to become one of the most well-known independent wrestlers: Matt Cardona.

Despite being away from the company, he would occasionally tease fans on social media about his potential return. However, this might not occur at the 2024 Royal Rumble.

The 2024 Royal Rumble will be on January 27, 2024, at the Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. However, Matt Cardona recently announced that he would be on the Jericho Cruise from January 26-30. This indicates that Matt is unlikely to be a part of the premium live event.

While he is no longer a part of the company, Cardona shares strong ties with the Stamford-based promotion. Last year, his real-life wife Chelsea Green returned and still performs at the RAW brand as of this writing.

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Will Matt Cardona ever return to WWE?

Zack Ryder's last WWE match was on the March 9, 2020, episode of RAW

Multiple former superstars returned to the Stamford-based promotion, especially after Triple H became the Head of Creative. As it turns out, the former US Champion is also interested in returning, but he has some pretty specific conditions.

In an interview with Barstool Rasslin, Matt Cardona stated that ''the two Cs have to be right'' to cajole him to return. He also added that his indie partner and former NXT star Steph De Lander (AKA Persia Pirotta) would join him in the company.

"[When are you redebuting with WWE?] The two Cs have to be right. The cash and creative. [Is there an amount of cash that can make the creative not matter as much?] Not for me. Not for me. And she [De Lander] needs to come along," said Cardona.

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Could Matt Cardona potentially return as Zack Ryder in WWE?

Unsurprisingly, the former superstar would wish to retain his current persona as Matt Cardona if he indeed returns to WWE. He even previously stated that Zack Ryder was "dead."

It would be interesting to see if Matt Cardona indeed returns at the upcoming Royal Rumble.

Do you want to see Zack Ryder make a return at the Royal Rumble? Shoot in the comment box.