Matt Cardona recently clarified his contractual status with AEW, stating on Chris Van Vliet’s “Insight” podcast that he was never formally offered a deal by the promotion. This comes despite some wrestling media reports suggesting otherwise.
Cardona directly addressed this specific point, saying, “Again, I don’t know. Dave Meltzer reported that I got offered a contract, but I did not, so I don’t know what happened.”
Although not under contract, Cardona has made several appearances for promotions associated with Tony Khan since departing WWE in 2020, even competing for championships. He recounted a significant Ring of Honor match against Chris Jericho, an individual he has admired since his youth.
“So then I go away for a couple of months, and then I got a call, ‘Hey, you interested in working Chris Jericho at the Hammerstein Ballroom?’ Yeah, let me think about it. Duh! Again, one of my childhood idols, he was on my birthday cake, but I was ninth grade. I love Chris. As a performer, I look up to Chris. So to wrestle Chris, we had a whole program, and for Ring of Honor, had to do it. Another dream match,” Cardona shared during the podcast. This notable bout followed a previous high-profile encounter Cardona had with Adam Copeland.
READ MORE: AEW’s Recent Show Format Changes Explained