Zack Ryder Says WWE Banned His Internet Title From TV
A micromanaged wrestling company stifling a worker's creativity? Surely not!
The wrestler formerly known as Zack Ryder recently hit Instagram Live to touch on a number of topics relating to his WWE run and recent release from the company, with one of the most interesting snippets coming from his comments on the old Internet Title.
When asked why he wasn't allowed to wear the belt on television, Matt Cardona was told that he was "a mark for himself." He claimed that he put it over as similar to the Million Dolar Championship in that it wasn't a real accolade, just a "cool accessory" that WWE could market and produce merchandise around, though the promotion never consented to making it a thing on TV.
The promotion produced a shirt and action figure with the strap as an accessory. That was as far as they were willing to go.
"I think there was some money lost, a lot of money lost, especially at that time," said Cardona on the situation, pointing out, rightly, that WWE could have sold replicas, foam belts, and toys based on the Internet Title.
Cardona filed for a trademark on the term "Internet Champion" shortly after his WWE release on 15 April, so perhaps we'll see it make a comeback.