Matt Cardona says AEW is a huge opportunity

Matt Cardona, formerly known as Zack Ryder, spent most of his wrestling career working for WWE. Cardona spent close to 15 years with the WWE, years that saw more downs than ups, and his run could have been more significant than it was. Now, he is all set to make his in-ring debut for AEW this week.

Matt Cardona's AEW Debut marks the first time he has wrestled outside of WWE in years

On the Major Wrestling Figure Podcast, Matt Cardona detailed his AEW debut, and he spoke of his nervousness about making his first appearance for the company. He said:

"This is the place to be, right? And I talked about it in interviews before that my WWE deal would have been up in August. I never re-signed. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. Of course, AEW, new opportunities, but you're scared. I was scared, I was living with anxiety for over a year like do I stay or do I go? And then, when I got released, the decision was made for me and oh my god, the relief, the relief and the excitement just kicked in."

Cardona also says that AEW is a huge opportunity for him and a huge moment in his career. He continued:

"This is a huge step, huge moment in my career, um, huge opportunity. And I've made the career out of making the most out of opportunities."

Cardona also said he was happy being with AEW:

"I happy with it, of course, I'm a nitpicker perfectionist. Still watching it back, so many things I didn't like about it. But all in all, I was happy with it. It's wild, you know, that after doing something for so long been wrestling since 2003 that things still make me excited about this business and I was so nervous today, a good nervous. So that's a good sign that after all these years, I still have that hunger and that passion and that love for this business, which I think is important because this business will suck the life out of you sometimes."

It'll be interesting to see where Cardona's new AEW tenure heads. He did say that while currently he has a short-term deal in place, he plays to stay much longer than that. Will Cardona eventually face his real-life friend Cody Rhodes for the AEW TNT Championship? Only time will tell.

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