Matt Cardona (@TheMattCardona) is a professional wrestler who has worked for WWE, AEW, IMPACT Wrestling, GCW and several other promotions. He was known as Zack Ryder in WWE where he spent 14 years of his career. He sits down with Chris Van Vliet in Hollywood, CA to talk about how he reinvented himself after being released from WWE in 2020, his hectic travel schedule as an independent wrestler, why he says Zack Ryder is dead, how his deathmatch with Nick Gage in GCW completely changed his career, how Brandi and Cody Rhodes introduced him to his wife Chelsea Green, his WrestleMania 32 moment when he won the Intercontinental Championship, being pushed off the stage in a wheelchair by Kane, wanting to be signed to a big company before his career ends and much more!
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Quote I'm thinking about: "Do what is right, not what is easy nor what is popular.” —Roy T. Bennett
00:00 Intro
00:36 His very busy indie schedule
02:59 How he handles his travel accommodations
04:53 How his GCW match with Nick Gage changed his life
07:50 WWE fans not knowing that he still wrestles
10:26 Did Zack Ryder have to die for Matt Cardona to live?
11:15 When did he realize he could make of business independently
14:26 What are his goals for 2024?
15:15 How do indy promoters book him?
17:20 Would he go back to WWE?
19:26 Why he wouldn’t want to go back as Zack Ryder
20:52 Downstait recording his theme songs
22:34 Putting out all of his indy secrets
23:44 Keeping a consistent story throughout different companies
24:31 His indy schedule being harder than his WWE schedule
25:27 Wearing Chelsea Green’s WWE Women’s Tag Title in Japan
27:04 Not being able to ‘turn off’
28:28 How ex-WWE wrestlers have handled their releases
30:36 Cody & Brandi Rhodes setting him up with Chelsea Green
31:24 What is the most Canadian thing that Chelsea Green does
32:19 His feelings when Chelsea Green was re-signed to WWE
33:16 Winning the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania 32
36:50 Kane pushing his wheelchair off the stage
38:26 Did he ever think he would be let go from WWE?
39:27 What happened with his short run in AEW?
40:08 Asking to be Edgeheads on WWE Smackdown
42:38 Giving advice to younger wrestlers on the Indies
44:24 Memories of working with Kane
46:11 Did he think his WWE run was underrated?
46:43 Was Vince McMahon approachable backstage?
49:06 Will he be in the Royal Rumble?
49:40 5 Things Matt Cardona is grateful for
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