Zack Ryder Wrestles First WWE Match Since 2020 On SmackDown (WWE News)
WOO WOO WOO! YOU KNOW IT! Matt Cardona returned to his old name on SmackDown.
Matt Cardona wrestled his first WWE match since the 9 March 2020 edition of Raw (vs. Bobby Lashley) on this past Friday's episode of SmackDown. He shockingly returned to his old Zack Ryder character for the night, but lost his comeback bout vs. LA Knight as part of the John Cena 'Last Time Is Now' tournament.
Despite being booked to lose, Ryder looked good in-ring. That'll come as no shocker to fans who have followed his career on the independent scene over the past 5 years since he was rather casually dumped by WWE as part of budget cuts in April 2020. That didn't sit well with many at the time, but Cardona soldiered on and has carved out quite the career for himself.
There's no announcement as of yet about whether or not Ryder will be sticking around. He did, however, pose for smiling pics with WWE boss Triple H and real-life wife Chelsea Green behind the scenes. It must've felt really good for Green, who recently recaptured the Women's United States Title on last week's SmackDown, to see Matt back in the mix.
It's clear that Zack Ryder still has value in 2025. He received a healthy crowd pop, and there'd be merit to bringing him back in for a longer run as a stalwart on the roster. Over to you, Hunter. In fact, over to you Hunter and Cardona - there's a chance that Matt is perfectly content with what he's doing outside WWE.
His comeback match was a successful showing whether it leads to anything else or not.