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Former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Matt Cardona (fka Zack Ryder) recently discussed a potential return to WWE now that Triple H is in charge.
Zack Ryder was signed to WWE for over a decade and won multiple championships during his tenure. In 2020, Cardona was released from the company, and he started performing throughout the wrestling world. He had a brief run in AEW, and he has otherwise been featured in IMPACT Wrestling, NWA, and GCW.
Speaking to Wrestling Inside The Ropes, the 37-year-old noted he isn't actively looking to return to the Stamford-based promotion. However, he would be open to having a conversation with the management.
"With Triple H is calling everybody back supposedly, if he called me back, of course I’d have a conversation. But, I don’t know if I’d go back. I don’t know. I mean, of course ‘never say never’ but I mean, my schedule now is pretty great, I’m making a lot of money and I’m having a lot of fun so it’s hard to trade that in for just to be a name on a roster. I already did that." [H/T - Post Wrestling]
Cardona made it clear that he has been enjoying the freedom he has outside of WWE, so he'd be hesitant to give that up.
Matt Cardona names one condition for his potential WWE return under Triple H's regime
Triple H recently took over as the creative head of WWE following Vince McMahon's shocking retirement. Fans have since experienced a drastic change in the product with the returns of several previously released stars.
During the same conversation, Cardona explained why he would be reluctant to return to WWE at the moment. He emphasized that he would want to keep doing his podcast and working with its affiliated brands.
"I will say one non-negotiable is that the podcast and all its brands and entities would have to be carved into the contract, like untouchable. There’s no way I’d ever stop doing this stuff because it’s my passion, it’s so much fun. We took a chance when no one else wanted to do this and it’s making us a lot of money and we’re having a lot of fun doing it and it’s my passion, I love it and there’s no way I could ever stop doing that." [H/T - Post Wrestling]
Cardona is currently injured and was forced to vacate the NWA World Heavyweight Championship to undergo treatment. He will return to the ring at NWA 74. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if the former champion will return to WWE under Triple H's regime in the future.
Do you think Zack Ryder will return to WWE? Sound off in the comment section below.
