WWE star Matt Cardona made his return to the company earlier this year, officially re-signing with WWE. However, instead of reverting to his long-established ring name and persona of Zack Ryder, he opted to use his real name, under which he has built a reputation in the indie wrestling scene.
According to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, there was hope among some staff behind the scenes that Cardona would be presented as Zack Ryder on television. The sentiment was that, since the Zack Ryder character was already a recognized presence in WWE and had familiarity with the WWE Universe, it would be preferable to embrace that rather than fully acknowledge Cardona’s success on the indie circuit.
Nonetheless, Cardona was presented as himself when he made his WWE return in January. The report also indicated that there is no current indication that Cardona will revert to his Ryder persona, although this situation is “worth watching.”
It remains unclear whether WWE intends to revamp Cardona’s character back to Zack Ryder. Furthermore, there has been no information regarding who ultimately decided that he would return as Cardona instead of Ryder. Cardona previously made a one-off appearance as Ryder during The Last Time is Now Tournament, where he lost to LA Knight in the opening round.
Since his return, Cardona has been used sparingly in WWE programming and has not yet been part of any major feud. His most recent match on television was during the London edition of WWE SmackDown at The O2 Arena, which aired on June 23. He also participated in a dark match last week, losing to Ricky Saints.
