Matt Cardona Makes All Elite Wrestling Debut

Last night, Matt Cardona formerly known as Zack Ryder made his AEW Dynamite debut. This is Cardona’s first appearance in professional wrestling since his release from WWE in April.

An expected debut

Matt Cardona’s AEW debut should come to the surprise of no one. Following his release from WWE after his 15 year stint with the company, his services were always going to be sought after. AEW were perhaps the first in-line when it came to promotions he could appear on, and so it was.

Real life friends with AEW TNT Champion Cody, Cardona rushed to the ring to aid the American Nightmare from an attack by the Dark Order. The two embraced at the end of the segment, signalling Cardona’s new home being All Elite.

While it’s strange to see Cardona in another wrestling organization, it is most certainly a welcome addition to the show.

A real chance for Matt Cardona

During his time in WWE as Zack Ryder, Cardona was perhaps one of the most popular superstars in recent years. However, it really did not feel as such with the start-stop pushes he received in the last decade.

Cited by many as the reason WWE has a prominent social media presence, Cardona’s popularity maintained a strong reputation, despite his lack of time on WWE programming. But now he has the chance to truly show what he is capable of and display how valuable of a commodity he is to any show.

A made man in the industry already, he won’t need much time to settle in, as he is someone who has been at the top and can capably work at the top level as a performer. It will be interesting to see what AEW has awaiting one of their newest members of the roster.