Matt Cardona credits Nick Khan for helping him return to WWE.
Cardona gained a cult following after being perceived as held back in WWE when he worked as Ryder in 2011. He started his own YouTube show, the Z! True Long Island Story, which grabbed new fans and showcased a different side of his personality that wasn't viewed on television.
Throughout his first run with WWE, Cardona won the WWE United States Championship and flirted with top stars like John Cena and Kane near the top of the card, but was never a focused attraction for the company. In April of 2020, Cardona was released from his contract at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. After his release, Cardona did what he's always done, and that's connect with wrestling fans in a special way. When restrictions around social distancing and COVID-19 began to get lifted, Cardona jumped into the independent wrestling business and reinvented himself as The Indie God. Cardona stepped out of his comfort zone and turned heads when he wrestled at Death Match against Nick Gage for the GCW promotion. Cardona made waves on the independent circuit but consistently said his goal was to return to WWE. That happened in 2025. Cardona appeared on WWE television in October of 2025 as a special challenger on NXT. He was officially signed back to WWE in January of 2026.WWE President Nick Khan | IMAGO / MediaPunchpodcast, Cardona detailed how his return to WWE and credited Nick Khan as a key executive that made it possible. “So I’m working for TNA but not technically like under contract. And TNA does the invasion of NXT, and they asked to have me," Cardona said. And I know I’m not under contract, but I’m like, I’m going to sneak in. Sure, I’ll do it. I do and that leads to a match. "And Chelsea was doing media for Rumble in Saudi. And Nick Khan was there. She said to Nick something like, ‘Did you see my husband wrestle on NXT?’ Nick said something like, ‘I’ve always wanted to meet your husband. Talk to your husband and give him my number.’ She gave me Nick Khan’s number and you know I’m texting immediately. And then Nick called me right there, said, ‘What do you want?’ I said, ‘I want to come back.’ And the ball kind of got rolling from there.” Since returning to the company, Cardona has had a handful of matches on SmackDown. Most recently, he was viciously attacked by Randy Orton. Cardona defended Cody Rhodes after Orton attacked Rhodes. This led to Orton destroying Cardona as SmackDown went off the air. Orton and Rhodes are scheduled to collide at WrestleMania 42. The biggest WWE event of the year takes place inside Allegiant Stadium on April 18 and April 19 in Las Vegas.ZACK HEYDORN Zack Heydorn has been covering the pro wrestling industry for a decade and writes news, features, and interviews for The Takedown On SI. He also hosts and cohosts a variety of WWE and AEW shows on YouTube. Heydorn is a former Assistant Editor of PWTorch and Managing Editor of SEScoops. Zack is also the author of the Hybrid Shoot book Stunning: The Wrestling Artistry of Steve Austin, which is available on Amazon. You can follow Zack on X and Bluesky.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
John Cena Hints at New Backstage WWE RoleJohn Cena is getting ready to serve WWE again after retiring from WWE last December.
Read more »
Big Match Made Official for WWE WrestleMania 42WWE WrestleMania has a new match confirmed for it's match card coming out of this week's episode of Raw.
Read more »
Adam Scherr, WWE’s Braun Strowman, Lays Out His Monster Plans for Hollywood Production CompanyShow me a TV executive who's gonna say 'no' to this guy.
Read more »
Fans Give Harsh Criticism of WWE Hall of Fame DecisionThe recent WWE Hall of Fame 2026 announcement drew criticism from many fans who called out the company for the decision.
Read more »
WWE Raw Review: Title Defenses, Arrests, and Old Men LaughingDespite Paul Heyman proclaiming that Oba Femi would never again dominate Brock Lesnar, The Ruler drops The Beast for the second week in a row. Catch WWE action on the ESPN App, Netflix, USA Network, CW Network, Peacock, and more. Where to watch WWE: https://wwe.com/wheretowatch Watch WWE on Netflix: http://netflix.
Read more »
7 Forgotten Detective Shows That Have Aged Like Fine WinePeter Mullan as Matt Mitcham in Top of the Lake
Read more »