Matt Cardona Confirms WWE Appearance Was A One Time Thing, ‘Buy The Merch, Maybe It Won’t Be A One Time Thing’

Matt Cardona returned to WWE as Zack Ryder on WWE SmackDown a mystery entrant in the Last Time is Now tournament against LA Knight. It was Cardona’s first WWE appearance since 2020 when he was released by the company.

Speaking on the Major Wrestling Figure Podcast, Cardona gave insight into how his appearance came together.

“Great experience, great night, it’s been over five years. I had to, with 24 hours notice, get Zack Ryder gear made. All the gear that I had wasn’t something I wanted to wear. I did use my old boots and they were ripped. I had Shotzi’s husband to fix them. I didn’t fill him in as to what was going on. I just said, ‘Hey, can you fix these?’ He didn’t put two and two together until after. I didn’t tell anyone. Brian (Myers) figured it out,” said Cardona.

He continued, “I had my own private room with head-to-toe hoodies and COVID masks. Private dressing room. Very stressful day. I didn’t want anyone to know about this. Great experience being back. For now, it’s a one-time thing. There is merch on WWE Shop. Buy it. Buy all three shirts. Maybe it won’t be a one-time thing.”

Fightful Select reported after SmackDown that Cardona’s appearance was a one-off.

Elsewhere during the podcast, Cardona commented on his merchandise deal with WWE. You can find his full comments here.

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