The landscape of the career of Matt Cardona was dramatically changed by his role with GCW, despite the ex-Superstar being against the idea at first.
Cardona’s 15-year career with WWE ended in April 2020 when he was released from the promotion. The former Zack Ryder captured the WWE & Raw Tag Team Championships in WWE, and had reigns as United States and Intercontinental Champion.
Matt Cardona on GCW Run
With his WWE career over, Cardona reinvented himself on the independent scene, ditching his fun-loving face persona into a despicable heel who thrived in riling up audiences. Cardona’s new character was never on more display than during his GCW feud with Nick Gage, which saw Cardona refer to Gage’s past legal problems. On the Insight podcast, Cardona shared how the match came to be and admitted he was against the idea at first.
“So John Carlo, my friend John Carlo, who was working for GCW at the time. Worked for WWE, now works for AEW, he pitched it to me. I said ‘Absolutely f***ing not!’ I am not wrestling, because Nick Gage was just on Dark Side of the Ring. He almost killed David Arquette in the ring, criminal, drug addict, I’m not wrestling this guy!
“And then I took a step back and said ‘Wait a minute. People are going to watch this.’ People are going to talk about this. They’re going to want to see Zack Ryder carved up by Nick Gage. So let’s do it. And it was only a three-shot deal. Three shows: go in [and] attack Nick Gage. Have the match, and the one show after.”
The altercation and subsequent match with Gage would go viral on social media, which came as the world of wrestling was still being rocked by COVID. On the show, Cardona argued that the match helped change independent wrestling as it showed that smaller shows could still do big business.
“I think we changed independent wrestling. I say we because GCW needed to be GCW, I needed to be me and Nick Gage needed to be Nick Gage. We needed all of those ingredients.
“It’s an independent show in Atlantic City, New Jersey. But it trended number one over the UFC pay-per-view that night and the Olympics. Which is nuts. We had captured lightning in a bottle, I use that expression all the time. We had it and I just ran with it.
Cardona would dethrone Gage to win the GCW World Heavyweight Championship. In his efforts to rile up the fans, Cardona would introduce a ‘Spinner’ version of the GCW World title and attempt to bring ‘Sports Entertainment’ to the violent promotion.
A Possible WWE Return?
While Cardona is killing it outside of WWE, the former Superstar has previously said he’d consider an offer to return. On the podcast, Cardona made it clear that he still has a lot of appreciation for what WWE did for him.
“[I’m] so, so grateful to WWE for Zack Ryder. That was my dream, I lived it. Highest of highs, lowest of lows, I’m forever grateful for that time. It set me up for who I am today, but it’s over. Zack Ryder is dead. If I ever were to go back to WWE, if it was up to me, it’d be as Matt Cardona.”
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