Matt Cardona recently appeared on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy for an interview covering all things pro wrestling. During the discussion, spoke about his Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 32 and why it meant so much to him.
Cardona recalled how Vince McMahon randomly deciding to add Ryder to the main roster, indicating that he was initially perceived as a future star by Vince McMahon.
He said, “Vince was sitting in his office eating his steak and he looked up and I was on [Superstars] and he went, ‘How come we’re not doing something with this guy?’”
Cardona also explained how he won the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 32 despite not being a participant in the ladder match. When Neville (now known as PAC) injured his ankle and was forced to leave the match, Cardona approached Road Dogg about replacing him. Road Dogg pushed for Cardona’s inclusion in the match as PAC’s replacement.
“I don’t remember what I said, but he told me I said I had never heard my music play at WrestleMania and that stuck with him. Just being in that match was a win for me. Just to have a WrestleMania entrance and to see my name in a WrestleMania program… it was cool. Then days before [the show], they told me I was gonna win.”
He said that he was shocked when told he was going to win. He added that because he was informed of his victory the week before WrestleMania, he was concerned that plans would change again in the run-up to the event.
“I ended up winning the Intercontinental title. My dad genuinely jumped the guardrail and slid into the ring. It’s a moment I will never ever forget. That moment was very very special to me.”
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