Latest On Zack Ryder's WWE Status (WWE News)

Is Zack Ryder back with WWE?

by Andrew Pollard
Zack Ryder Matt Cardona LA Knight
WWE.com

With Matt Cardona having returned to WWE TV under his Zack Ryder persona on the latest edition of SmackDown, many fans have questioned whether this was simply a one-off for the Broski or whether this was part of a full-time return to the company for the former Intercontinental Champion.

Following that SmackDown appearance - a loss to LA Knight in the first round of The Last Time Is Now Tournament - not just did we get the classic 'point' photo of Zack Ryder and Triple H, but WWE Shop also has several Ryder t-shirts now listed. As such, some are presuming that Ryder is back with WWE.

On that topic, Fightful Select reports that, per Matt Cardona and WWE sources, the 40-year-old has not signed with WWE. WWE sources did note that Cardona does have a merchandise deal with WWE in place, hence why that new merch has popped up on WWE Shop.

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Of course, this could all change in the future, and Cardona certainly made a great impression on his Zack Ryder return. Prior to that, the talent had appeared in NXT several times, where he was referred to by his real name of Matt Cardona. However, for his return to main roster programming, it was Zack Ryder who fans saw, complete with Zack Ryder gear and a remix of Ryder's old Radio entrance theme.

The last time 'Zack Ryder' was seen in WWE was back in 2020, with him released that April as part of WWE's rounds of pandemic releases. Since then, Matt Cardona has reinvented himself, busting his backside to become one of the biggest names on the independent scene and beyond, complete with taking on the Deathmatch King moniker for his exploits in GCW, becoming a regular part of TNA, and, amongst other things, having a run as the NWA World's Heavyweight Champion and the HOG World Champion.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.