Zack Ryder is back in the WWE, but should he be?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a major fan of the real-life Matt Cardona, and his career path of the independents for nearly the past five years should be a case study in pro wrestling marketing. Given Cardona’s association with Total Nonstop Action, the smaller league that has a working agreement with WWE, and the fact that he already appeared on NXT programming recently as a part of the NXT/TNA feud, there was already speculation that he might be on his way back to the company at some point. Furthermore, considering that John Cena was one of his earliest supporters when he got himself over with audience in a surge of organic fan support through social media and his original Youtube video series, there was chatter that he might have a spot in the John Cena tournament to determine his last opponent.
So, I was surprised when I got a text from one of my wrestling pals, the great Pat Maclaughlin that the former Intercontinental champion was the mystery opponent on Smackdown, but wasn’t totally shocked. However, I was also surprised and somewhat disappointed that he was branded as Zack Ryder upon his return to the organization. Sure, he’s not doing the hokey spiked hair type of persona that he did almost 15 years ago, and maybe I’m wrong on this, but in my view, he’s completely surpassed the Ryder character.
Taking into account that he initially got beaten into powder when he got himself over before the office scripted it and that the last time he was seen on the main roster, he was in a totally secondary position, the return of Ryder seems like a step backwards, almost a decision that takes away some of the shine of the reputation that he built since he was released from the promotion in 2021.
Some might cite the fact that Cody Rhodes returned with his previous name, but there are a few key differences. The booking that put Cody in a position where he had to leave the WWE to be able to reinvent himself was Stardust, and when he built a spontaneous buzz around himself, it was under the name Cody so in many ways, when he resurfaced as Rhodes at Wrestlemania 38, he was allowed to bring that reinvented persona back with him, including the music.
Obviously, the reasoning for the Ryder name is simple, the WWE has it trademarked already, and with Matt Cardona as his real name, it’s very possible that the publicly-traded corporation doesn’t want to promote someone’s real name when they can avoid it because they know the performer can use it elsewhere. Management has changed, but TKO is still very business savvy for a reason.
Do I think Matt Cardona has a lot to offer the WWE? Absolutely, especially in the modern era when there are so many different platforms that broadcast the product. He’s a valuable asset to have on your team from an online and marketing perspective. He’s a guy that was smart enough to transcend the squared circle and diversify himself with a slew of merchandise, as well as a successful action figure podcast. In fact, more than a few concepts that the Major Figure Podcast produced influenced the direction Mattel took with its toy lines. When retro figures and bendies were selling independently, Mattel added them to its line-up. The return of the LJN line currently is based on the success of Cardona’s Big Rubber Guys that were produced through the podcast. In short, Mattel saw that the independent groups proved that there was a market for those products and thus they were going to get their piece of the pie, albeit with the benefit of mainstream distribution.
But, as much as Cardona brings to the table from that point of view as far as being somewhat of a spokesman for the Mattel toy lines, which he does to some degree already with Brian Myers and Mark Sterling, the use of the Ryder name neutralizes a lot of that. The reason being is that without the independent run as Matt Cardona, it’s doubtful that there would be a demand for a Ryder return in 2025. His prior run proved that he can connect with the audience, but he’s evolved passed the “Woo Woo Woo” phase of his career. Trademarks aside, Zack Ryder back in the WWE almost disregards the stellar independent run that Matt Cardona had over the past few years.
In 2021, he grabbed attention as the “WWE guy” that was going to do a death match with Nick Gage in Game Changer Wrestling, and it was so shocking that he actually won that it rejuvenated his career because nobody thought it was going to happen. It prompted fans to wonder what he was going to do next. With Cardona showing up virtually everywhere at some point or another, he built a level of cache as a guy that moved the needle on the independents, which is very difficult to do in the modern era, and fans can appreciate the work ethic. He also showed that he was a versatile performer, not as much in terms of his in-ring work, but the ability to get over as a performer in different scenarios. Working for GCW is much different than working for Ring Of Honor or TNA so being able to juggle that schedule more or less at the same time showed that he was adaptable.
There’s already a Zack Ryder t-shirt on WWE Shop, implying that this wasn’t just a one-off, but could also be an indication that if Cardona is back in the company full-time that it will probably be under the Ryder moniker. The same music, same t-shirt, and same name put him at risk for being typecast at the same level he was before he was released, which would be selling him short from the start. On one hand, he has much more to offer as Matt Cardona in the WWE, but on the other hand, the entire point of the wrestling business is to make as much money as possible so if TKO offered enough cash for him to be recast as Zack Ryder then it might still be mission accomplished. Still, it seems like it goes without saying that there’s money to be made with a Matt Cardona run in the WWE.
It will be extremely interesting to see what happens from here, both in terms of if Cardona lands a full-time contract, and if he does, how he’s booked going forward. It should also be noted that he’s currently scheduled for a Game Changer Wrestling event next weekend. GCW has been a part of the WWE ID program so there’s some type of working agreement in place, which could create some unique possibilities in GCW if Cardona wrestled for both brands. More than anything, at a time when even the WWE audience recognizes untapped potential, similar to the increase in popularity for Karrion Kross during the last few months of his contract, Matt Cardona could be a performer that the WWE fans rally behind since they know at least some of his journey to get back to a prominent spot in the company.
From a broader viewpoint, with reports of Joe Hendry moving to the WWE roster, and potentially Cardona back into the fold, you have to wonder how some talent shifts will affect the pro wrestling landscape, including the independents. As we’ve seen with the John Cena retirement tour, and the announcement that AJ Styles will hang up the boots sometime next year, it’s fair to say that there’s a generation of stars within the WWE that could all finish up within a few years of each other, which would necessitate more talent shifts in the future. That’s not to say that the company is lower on star power, but rather that the office will look to push fresh talent. At least for right now, the wrestling world will be watching to see what Cardona’s next move is particularly within GCW since there’s an opportunity to do something unique, but it remains to be seen if he will get a legitimate chance at a fresh run in WWE or if it will ultimately be a retread of his previous run in the company.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
