Matt Cardona Discusses Injury, How WWE Champ Cody Rhodes 'Ruined It' For People

Matt Cardona is currently recovering from a torn pectoral muscle he suffered at an independent show last month. The injury came at an unfortunate time for Cardona, who had enjoyed a hot start to 2024, including an appearance on "AEW Collision" against former WWE onscreen ally Adam Copeland. Cardona gave an update on his recovery while speaking with "WrestleZone."

"Obviously there's no good time to get injured in wrestling," Cardona said. "I guess in any sport, but this is certainly not a good time. I put out this video, four years since I been released from WWE, all the things I've done. And then, boom, same day, I knew — My pec's torn ... Just clotheslining someone over the top rope. S***t happens, right? I felt it right away. And then I was hoping I didn't need surgery, but I did. And fast forward, it's been two weeks. The tendon has been repaired. And now it's just rehab, resting. But Matt Cardona doesn't rest." Cardona said that in the first 48 hours after receiving surgery for his torn pec, he was already on the phone and emailing promoters.

"In wrestling — especially independent wrestling, it's so hard to gain momentum. But it's even harder to get it back after you lose it. And I wasn't just going to take three, four, five, six months off. No way. So I'm still going to be making towns." Cardona then joked that Cody Rhodes "ruined" torn pecs for wrestlers based on the gruesome bruising Rhodes displayed in his match at Hell in a Cell 2022. "Unless your pec looks as bad as Cody's or worse, you can't be posting that on social media," Cardona said. "Yes, of course, I had bad bruising down my arm, my pec, but like, I can't even post this because it's nothing compared to Cody's."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "WrestleZone" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.