Matt Cardona stopped by Insight with Chris Van Vliet for an 80-minute interview which covered a wide-variety of subjects including about a possible WWE return, being open to returning as Zack Ryder, his wife Chelsea Green, the possibility of accepting an AEW contract and more.
On possibly finding a way back to WWE or AEW:
“I’ve said this a million times. When I got released, it wasn’t like, ‘What can I do to get back to WWE or get to AEW?’ It was what can I do to prove myself right? And, oh my God, even saying that again and again and again. For five years, I’ve been saying that I don’t want to prove people wrong, I want to prove myself right and my fans right. It makes me sick to say because I feel like I’ve said it so many times, but it’s the truth. I feel like I have. But man, like, what else do we need to do to get back there?”
On whether he is surprised that he hasn’t returned:
“Honestly? Yeah. 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 wrestlers, ‘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 of months when something cool happens or I have something to say, hey, look what I’m doing. There’s been no offer. [Do they write you back?] Of course. 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.”
On a possible Royal Rumble return as Zack Ryder:
“I’ve had gear ready every single year. So this is the truth. I always have gear. I’m always ready. I always have gear where the trunks are the same, but the knee pads are interchangeable, the ZR or an MC.”
On not being opposed to returning as Zack Ryder:
“It’s not my first choice. I think Zack Ryder is dead, and I don’t mean that in a negative way. Zack Ryder set me up for Matt Cardona. But I mean, obviously WWE thought Zack Ryder was dead. They fired me five years ago. My Matt Cardona name, I feel like I’ve done these interviews for five years. And again, this is like how many times have I said this? But I don’t care how you define success, money, accolades, happiness, this is the most successful I’ve ever been in my career as Matt Cardona, but it’s because Zack Ryder and WWE set me up for that.”
On whether he would accept an AEW contract:
“If it made sense. I don’t want to be anywhere just to be a guy on the roster. I know there’s no guarantees in pro wrestling, but I need intent like, ‘We see you doing this, or we envision you being here.’ I don’t want to just collect a check. Been there, done that.”
“If it made sense. I don’t want to be anywhere just to be a guy on the roster. I know there’s no guarantees in pro wrestling, but I need intent like, ‘We see you doing this, or we envision you being here.’ I don’t want to just collect a check. Been there, done that.”
