WWE allegedly fired former champion after he refused to sign a 5-year deal with higher salary

Matt Cardona recently opened up about his reaction to getting released from WWE in 2021.

Cardona officially signed with the Stamford-based company in 2006. He spent nearly 15 years as an active competitor, during which he held the United States Championship, the Intercontinental Title, and the Tag Team Championships. However, he was released from his contract in April 2020 due to budget cuts.

In a recent interview with Good Journeys, Cardona addressed the reaction to his release from the Stamford-based company.

"Well, I did not see it coming leading up to that. But that morning, at the time worked for WWE, all the talent got a video message from Vince McMahon basically saying that there would be some cuts. And once we got that message I knew, 'okay, I'm probably gonna be one of the guys on that list.' I didn't know for sure. A year prior, WWE had offered I'd say pretty much everybody a new five-year contract with significantly more money. But I did not sign that contract because I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay or go," he said.

The former Intercontinental then Champion added:

"At that time I wasn't sure like, 'do I wanna stick around here? Do I wanna stay here for another five years?' I wasn't sure. And for an entire year I'd be back and forth negotiating the anxiety was weighing on me. Do I stay? Do I go? What do I do? Ultimately the decision was made for me. If I wasn't released in April, my contract would've been up in August. So, that morning when Brian Myers gets the call, guys like Heath [Slater], Gallows, Anderson, I still had not gotten the call yet, and I was thinking to myself, 'oh my God! Are they just gonna let me rot until August?' At that point I was like, 'please, call me and fire me. Please, so at least I can get my life started.' So, the call eventually came and I needed it. The weight was lifted off my shoulder." [4:21 - 5:48]

Matt Cardona addresses possibly returning to WWE after 3 years to target a 37-year-old top star. Check out his comments here.

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Will Matt Cardona return to WWE?

Since being released from the Stamford-based company in April 2020, Matt Cardona has been thriving on the independent circuit. He currently holds several titles and refers to himself as the "Indie God."

In a recent interview with the Heated Shenanigans podcast, Cardona addressed the possibility of returning to WWE, disclosing that he would not make a comeback unless he gets a top spot.

"I'm not gonna come back to, you know, just be on the show. I would never go back just to be back. I've been on the roster. I was there. Very fortunate for my time there. Spent over a decade there. But I did the whole just the guy on the roster thing. I have no desire to do that again. If I'm gonna be there, I wanna matter. And I think I proved over the past three years that I'm more than capable of holding my own. And if I ever get that opportunity again, I think I'll prove that to the world," he said.

Matt Cardona compared himself to the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. Check out his comments here.

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