Posted on 1/03/126 by Colin Vassallo
Matt Cardona has re-signed with WWE and will be using his
real name moving forward instead of the Zack Ryder name
which the company owns.
Cardona was the surprise opponent of Kit Wilson on last
night’s Smackdown and first entered to his Ryder theme song
before it switched, with the video screen showing Matt
Cardona and the ring announcer introducing him under his
real name.
Cardona, as Ryder, appeared in The Last Time Is Now
tournament last year also as a surprise entry and through
his TNA deal appeared a couple of times on NXT as well.
“A lesson to learn for everyone going into 2026: Stay
Ready,” wrote Triple H on X. “Congrats and welcome back home
@TheMattCardona.”
The 40-year-old, who is married to Chelsea Green, had a 15-
year stint with WWE between 2005 and 2020 and then went on
to become the self-proclaimed king of the indies,
reinventing himself in the process. He spent the last year
working with TNA Wrestling.