Matt Cardona, formerly known as Zack Ryder, spent 14 years with WWE and is willing to answer the phone if Triple H called him because he still thinks about winning the WWE Championship.
Cardona won the WWE Intercontinental Championship and the United States Championship during his time with the company before being released in 2020.
While speaking with Alistair McGeorge of Metro, Cardona noted that he’s not actively trying to return to WWE, but is open to the idea.
“I’m not trying to get back to WWE. But I’d lying if I said I never wanted to have a WrestleMania moment again, or I never wanted to wrestle at Madison Square Garden – of course I would. If Triple H called me right now, if I had that 203 – that’s the area code for Stamford, Connecticut – of course I’d pick up. But right now, I’m focusing on being the best me possible, and having the most fun possible, and making the most money possible,” Cardona said.
The former WWE Intercontinental Champion made it clear that he has been having the best years of his career since being let go by WWE.
“If I didn’t have WWE, I wouldn’t have had this canvas to paint on, so to speak. WWE set me up for that! And I’ve said since I left WWE, I’m not trying to prove anybody wrong, I don’t have a chip on my shoulder, I’m just trying to prove myself right and my fans right,” Cardona said.
Cardona, who held the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship earlier this year, noted that he thinks about the WWE Championship every day.
“Right now I’m trying to prove that you don’t necessarily need to be in WWE or AEW to be a successful pro wrestler. But of course, the WWE Championship is something I think about every single day when I wake up, that is definitely always on my mind,’ he explained. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. I think if you’re in this business, to be a world champion is the goal you should have. And for me personally, it’s the bees – the WWE Championship,” he said.
“It’s been so much fun, it’s been such a creative outlet, and it’s my favorite two years in my almost 20-year career, which is pretty incredible. I worked for WWE for 14 years, which is the top of the wrestling world, and my favorite two years of the business have been afterwards. It’s been so much fun, and I can’t wait for what’s next,” Cardona said.
Cardona is slated to challenge for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship at NWA Hard Times 3.
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