Matt Cardona Reveals Why His Title Win At WWE WrestleMania 32 Was So Special

Since being released from WWE in 2020, Matt Cardona has become one of the biggest freelance stars in the United States. From his infamous GCW Championship victory over Nick Gage in 2021, to recently becoming the first-ever Jericho Cruise Oceanic Champion, Cardona has won a few titles. However, one championship victory stands out above the rest in Cardona's 19-year career.

In a recent episode of "The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy," Cardona spoke about his Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 32 and why it meant so much to him. "I had been in WWE so long, the YouTube show had come and gone, I was kind of doing nothing," 

Cardona explained about the later years of his time as Zack Ryder. The original WWE Internet Champion recalls Vince McMahon randomly deciding to add Ryder to the main roster. "Vince was sitting in his office eating his steak and he looked up and I was on [Superstars] and he went, 'How come we're not doing something with this guy?'"

Despite this, Cardona was only briefly mentioned for the Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match at WrestleMania 32 before the lineup was selected. However, when PAC (FKA Neville) injured his ankle and was removed from the match, Cardona went to Road Dogg about being his replacement. "I don't remember what I said, but he told me I said I had never heard my music play at WrestleMania and that stuck with him," Cardona recalled.

Road Dogg advocated for Matt Cardona to the booking team and got him entered into the match as PAC's replacement. "Just being in that match was a win for me. Just to have a WrestleMania entrance and to see my name in a WrestleMania program ... it was cool," Cardona explained, "Then days before [the show], they told me I was gonna win."

Cardona then recalled his fear that the plans would get changed due to him being told that he was going to win the title just five days before the show. "That's way too many hours out, it's a miracle that it didn't change," Hardy added. However, the match went on as planned, and Cardona walked away with the Intercontinental Championship for the first and only time in his career.

He spoke about the power of the moment when he won the title. "I ended up winning the Intercontinental title. My dad genuinely jumped the guardrail and slid into the ring," Cardona recalled. "It's a moment I will never ever forget. That moment was very very special to me."