This past Friday night, WWE SmackDown featured a surprise return by Zack Ryder, also known as Matt Cardona, who faced LA Knight in the first round of “The Last Time Is Now” tournament.
Unfortunately, Ryder did not win the match.
According to Fightful Select, both Cardona and WWE have confirmed that the former United States and Intercontinental Champion has not been signed to a WWE contract following his return, indicating that his appearance on SmackDown was likely a one-off event. However, WWE sources did confirm that Cardona has signed a merchandise deal with the company, which is why WWE Shop began selling Zack Ryder merchandise shortly after his appearance.
The report also noted that it is unclear why WWE chose to use the Zack Ryder gimmick rather than Matt Cardona.
One possibility is that since the “Zack Ryder” name and character belong to WWE, the company wanted to utilize its own intellectual property, including the ring name and music, rather than using Cardona’s real name.
Additionally, with Cardona signing a merchandise deal, it likely benefited WWE to have its own branded “Zack Ryder” merchandise rather than items under the Cardona name.
This development follows Cardona’s attempt to trademark his old ring name in 2023 after WWE allowed the trademark to expire.
Subsequently, WWE filed a new trademark for “Zack Ryder,” which blocked Cardona’s efforts to secure the name.
