Add as a preferred source on Google Matt Cardona isn’t expected to bring back the Zack Ryder persona on WWE programming — at least not under the company’s current plans.
According to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, some people backstage had hoped Cardona would revive the old character following his official return, largely because Ryder was already a familiar name to the WWE audience. There’s no indication of a change at this point, though, and his current presentation is expected to stay in place.
That’s different from a version that circulated on social media this Friday, which claimed Cardona had asked to return as Ryder and was given a firm, final no by WWE’s upper management. The original report says just the opposite — the interest came from people within WWE, not from the wrestler himself.
Cardona returned as Zack Ryder in November 2025, facing LA Knight in the Last Time Is Now tournament. That appearance was a one-off, though. On Jan. 2, he officially returned to Friday Night SmackDown as Matt Cardona, defeating Kit Wilson.
In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Cardona said he was happy with how things turned out. He said he felt proud that WWE recognized the value of the character he built over nearly six years outside the company, following his release in April 2020.
Since his return, Cardona has faced Trick Williams, Carmelo Hayes, Randy Orton and Ricky Saints, but he’s yet to settle into a long-term rivalry. His most recent match aired on this past Thursday’s episode of WWE Main Event, where he lost to Saints.
He still uses moves and callbacks tied to the old character, like the Broski Boot and the Rough Ryder, but the expectation is that Zack Ryder will remain only part of Cardona’s story — not his primary identity in WWE.