3 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (14 Nov - Results & Review)
2. It’s Legit Great To See Zack Ryder Back
Matt Cardona as Zack Ryder just feels right, doesn't it?
It didn’t sit well how carelessly he was dumped by WWE in April 2020, but Cardona has worked hard to keep the fires burning on the independent scene ever since. On Friday, he received a decent pop and put in a good performance vs. LA Knight. It'd be cool if he stuck around and bagged a contract out of this. Ryder would work nicely as a midcard legacy babyface on either Raw or SmackDown.
Also, he and Knight managed to overcome the face vs. face dynamic without either having to go heelish, then Knight moved on in the John Cena tournament. Ryder has history with Cena, so he made sense as a wildcard in this thing. Realistically, this was always LA's match to lose. He should be the priority for Triple H and the writers in this sort of setting anyway.
Like in Miz vs. Uso, there was a convincing near fall moment when Zack hit his old Rough Ryder finish for a loooooong 2 count. That had to have some in the stands thinking he was about to mark his WWE comeback with yet more misery for Knight. It wasn't to be, but Ryder would've enjoyed his return to the spotlight regardless.
He looked great, wrestled well and didn't put up a fuss about going over. In short, Ryder was a model pro, and that'll stand him in good stead if he does fancy inking fresh terms to stick around a while longer. Not many would be mad at it.