Former superstar pens emotional update to celebrate 12th anniversary of iconic WWE moment

If you were a member of the WWE Universe a decade ago, there's a good chance you are a fan of Matt Cardona, formerly known as Zack Ryder. Today, the former Broski took to social media to send his love to all of his longtime fans, celebrating a key career milestone in the process.

Taking to Instagram and X, Cardona thanked his fans for continuing to believe in him and support him through his post-WWE career. The former WWE title holder has become the self-proclaimed "King of the Indies," traveling all over the United States and across the globe to compete in every promotion one can think of.

The heartfelt post began with the 38-year-old star reminiscing about his first singles title victory in the company, the United States Championship. Cardona won the belt off then-champion Dolph Ziggler at the 2011 TLC pay-per-view.

"12 years ago I defeated @heelziggler in a shoot fight to become the @WWE United States Champion. I started the year as an absolutely nobody and was hardly ever on RAW. I said F that. I created my own YouTube show and pushed MYSELF! I ended the year winning a title on PPV! Yeah, I worked my a** off…but WWE wouldn’t have paid attention without my fans supporting me and believing in me."

The NWA star went on to thank his fans and reaffirm his commitment to proving his detractors wrong:

"12 years later…I’m working my a** off more than ever. And my fans are STILL supporting me and believing in me! You’re the reason I’m the INDY GOD! I don’t give a damn (then or now) about proving people wrong…I want to prove myself and my fans right. I did it before…AND I’LL DO IT AGAIN! (Check out the original nameplates and the custom property of ZR plate)," wrote Cardona.

You can check out his tweet here.

Before being released from the company in 2020, Cardona would amass a respectable WWE resume, adding a reign as Intercontinental Champion and winning tag team gold on two separate occasions.

However, Cardona's true legacy has been built on his rampage through the Indies. The Deathmatch King has competed in over 15 individual promotions, winning multiple championships along the way.

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Will Matt Cardona ever return to WWE?

Since the returns of Cody Rhodes and CM Punk, it's safe to say nearly anything is possible in the world of professional wrestling.

This includes Matt Cardona potentially returning to his former home and joining his wife, current Women's Tag Team Champion Chelsea Green.

In a recent post on X, Cardona teased that he could leave the Independent circuit for a larger promotion. However, he would not give a definitive timeline.

Cardona caused a bit of frenzy online this past summer when he crowned himself honorary Women's Tag Team Champion alongside his wife and then-champ Sonya Deville. That, along with other teases, sparked speculation that Cardona could be planning a return to the Stamford-based promotion.

With the Royal Rumble a little more than a month away, could fans find themselves fist-bumping the air once again? We will have to wait and see.