Matt Cardona (Zack Ryder in WWE) was released by WWE during the pandemic and went on to carve his own path on the independent scene.
Cardona shed the Zack Ryder persona to become the King of the Deathmatch and then the King of the Indies, winning championships in GCW, AIW, NWA, and other independent promotions around the world.
He's also made appearances in AEW and worked for TNA, but has yet to make his return to WWE, which he says is surprising.
"Honestly? Yeah," he told Chris Van Vliet on Insight when asked if he's surprised he hasn't return to WWE. "But obviously I'm missing something, I don't know what it is. Listen, people say to me all the time, especially since we just had WrestleMania, WrestleCon. Thousands of people, probably every other fan, if not every fan. 'When are you coming back?' Well, it's not up to me. Or at the WrestleMania Hotel. Thanks, Chelsea for letting me stay in a hotel room for free. Saved me some money. Great hotel. Great Steakhouse, too. But so many people from the office or other wrestling, 'Hey, man, when are you coming back?' It's like, I don't know. I've reached out many times. I shouldn't say many, a few times, every couple months when something cool happens or I have something to say, hey, look what I'm doing. There's been no offer. Everything's very nice, professional, but there's no offer. And you know what, it is what it is, I'm gonna keep working my ass off."
Cardona signed with WWE in 2006 and remained with the company until his 2020 release.
Fans can watch the full interview with Cardona in the video above.
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