AEW Star Praises Former Zack Ryder After His Return To WWE Under Matt Cardona Name

Matt Cardona recently returned to WWE for the second time over the last few months. This time, however, he didn't pick up his old mantle of Zack Ryder and instead debuted under his real name, which he's been establishing on the independent circuit since his original 2020 WWE release. Jeff Jarrett has since reacted to Cardona's WWE return in an episode of his "My World" podcast, expressing his opinion on the move and what it meant for both the promotion and the wrestler. 

"He didn't come back as Zack Ryder; he came back as Matt Cardona. That says everything!" he exclaimed. "It says to me that TKO – yeah, and they're gonna adapt, they're business folks, and I know they got paper, and contract, and all this – but at the end of the day, that if they had their druthers, they own 'Zack Ryder' and they obviously had to say: 'You know what? What's best for business is to get Matt on the show.'"

Jarrett added that WWE and TKO had to realize that Cardona obviously owns the rights to his own name, which he'll carry with him forever, especially if he leaves the promotion again. Jarrett believes this will ultimately set a precedent for others in the business. "For me? What really says it all: actions figures, podcasts, social media, 'Indie God,' is that he put it all under 'Matt Cardona,' bet on himself, and he won. Absolutely won," the veteran expressed. "He won because he did it on his terms."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "My World with Jeff Jarrett" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.