Matt Cardona is not locked down yet.
Matt Cardona, formerly known as Zack Ryder in WWE, was released on Wednesday, April 15th, 2020. Cardona would then begin using his real name and spent time in AEW before appearing in IMPACT Wrestling at Hard To Kill 2021.
Fightful Select reported after his initial appearance that Cardona would not be signing an exclusive contract right away.
Matt Cardona - IMPACT News
Matt Cardona, the former Zack Ryder, made his IMPACT Wrestling debut tonight, and it was said on commentary that "he's with IMPACT Wrestling," which is true...for this week. We're told that as of now, Cardona does not have a full-time contract with IMPACT and is working this week's television tapings.
Now, Matt Cardona has confirmed this report while speaking with Bill Pritchard of WrestleZone.
“So, I am not under a contract right now. We’re just seeing what happens, but so far, so good. I had a really good time this week. Whether it’s being in the locker room or being in the ring, I just really needed it. I needed to be in the ring—the Major Pod is awesome and it’s a creative outlet for sure—but I need to be designing gear or thinking about things for my matches. Wrestling is my first love and it’s something that I always grew up loving and being obsessed with. I had a pay-per-view debut and I wrestle on IMPACT this week, OK, so now I need more gear because I don’t like wearing the same gear over and over again. I’m already thinking for the future,” Cardona said, “and IMPACT definitely seems like my future for now.”
Matt Cardona is slated to make his IMPACT TV debut tonight when he teams with Josh Alexander against Ace Austin and Madman Fulton. Fightful will have live coverage beginning at 8 p.m. eastern.
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Parts of this report first appeared on our premium Fightful Select service. Subscribe to support our exclusive and independent coverage of professional wrestling. You'll get access to exclusive news, and dozens of additional podcasts.
