Matt Cardona reveals how his WWE return was shut down in a matter of weeks

Although his return to WWE was officially materialized last Friday on SmackDown, Matt Cardona's comeback had been brewing behind the scenes for weeks. The wrestler himself has now explained how that return was being built, which ended up quickly and intensely closing at the end of 2025.

Cardona made his full-time return by defeating Kit Wilson on SmackDown, but the first point of contact occurred after his match in the Last Time is Now Tournament on November 14. From there, both parties agreed to stay in touch, leaving the door open for something more.

The definitive step came during Thanksgiving weekend, while Cardona was at the WrestleCade convention. It was then that WWE called again to formally start the contractual process, which ended up being resolved during Christmas week.

That's when I got the call, during dinner at WrestleCade: 'Hello, we're interested. Let's start talking.' I thought: 'Wow, here we go'. It was very stressful, but in a good way.

During that period, Cardona experienced the uncertainty of not knowing under what identity he would return, preparing both Zack Ryder and Matt Cardona gear. Finally, WWE opted for his real name, leaving behind the character with which he fought his last one-off match.

When signing his contract, Cardona had the GCW world championship on his lap, a gesture that reflects the importance of his independent stage, which he himself considers the most satisfying of his entire career. Still, he acknowledges that his childhood dream was always to be a "WWE Superstar," and that it would have been a tough blow not to be able to return after his departure in 2020.