"They were half-burying me" - Former WWE Superstar on Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes

WWE star Kevin Owens joined Cody Rhodes on the What Do You Wanna Talk About? podcast a few days ago, and the two had quite a few stories to share. Owens opened up about his injury and how soon he could be back in action. While the conversation primarily remained around pro wrestling, KO did stir the pot with a specific mention.

Matt Cardona has found himself at the center of attention from WWE stars in recent weeks. First, John Cena name-dropped him during his pipebomb promo on SmackDown, and then Owens had something to say about him as well.

While Matt Cardona has carved a niche for himself on the independent circuit as the self-proclaimed Indy God, he has often referenced WWE. The Prizefighter took a dig at the former United States Champion for such comments. On the What Do You Wanna Talk About? podcast, KO said Cardona talked a lot about the global sports entertainment juggernaut despite claiming to be the 'King of the Indies.'

Earlier, Cardona responded to Cena name-dropping him on SmackDown, and on this occasion, he ensured that Kevin Owens and Rhodes also heard from him. He had a conversation with Sam Roberts on Notsam Wrestling Live and said he took notice of the podcast because Rhodes and Owens were burying him.

"Sam, I’ll take any publicity. I will run with it. This one, I didn’t necessarily overexpose. I was kind of heavy on the [John] Cena, overexposing the ‘hey.’ Then Cody [Rhodes] and KO were, you know, I think they were half-burying me on their podcast. So I’m like, alright, let’s pump the brakes a little bit here,” Cardona said. [H/T: Fightful]

In 2020, Cardona was released from WWE, where he wrestled as Zack Ryder. During his tenure, he won the Intercontinental Title and was also featured in some prominent programs.

Despite not being part of WWE anymore, Cardona has retained his popularity, and fans haven't shied away from showing love to the former United States Champion. In fact, at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia, fans broke out into a 'Matt Cardona' chant during the post-show press conference.

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Matt Cardona reacts to WWE Night of Champions chants

After the Night of Champions Premium Live Event in Saudi Arabia, as Triple H was addressing the press, loud 'Matt Cardona' chants broke out. WWE didn't acknowledge the chants as such, but Cardona's wife, Chelsea Green, made sure they were heard.

The SmackDown star took to X/Twitter to post the following message:

"Is this… are they… do I hear… ?? ILY SAUDI ARABIA," Green wrote.

On Notsam Wrestling, Cardona revealed his initial reaction when he came across a video of his name being chanted on a World Wrestling Entertainment show.

“Well, first, people were just sending me the video [of fans at WWE Night of Champions chanting my name] with no context, and I’m at this loud wedding, I’m watching this video, it’s just Triple H talking. I’m like, ‘What is going on here?’ I went to the back, I went, ‘Ohhh! I see what they’re chanting.’ Listen, it’s great, I love it," he said.

It will be interesting to see if Owens and Rhodes choose to respond to Matt Cardona's comments. In the meantime, Cardona is gearing up for a match with former NXT star Shotzi Blackheart on July 11.