Matt Cardona Speaks On His Journey Back To WWE

With WWE 2K26 shining a spotlight on its cover star CM Punk’s career through a mix of defining moments, what if moments and what if match, it naturally raises the question what would a Showcase mode look like for the recently returning Matt Cardona.

Matt Cardona is making his WWE 2K debut apart of Season 3 ring pass later this yearalthough he has appeared in prior games under his former in-ring name Zac Ryder where he last appeared in back WWE 2K20.

Thanks to 2K & WWE Games, we sat down with Matt Cardona to see what his very own dream matches, career highlights and what if matches would be added into his own dream showcase mode if Cardona were handed the dev kit for WWE 2K.

"What a roller coaster of ups and downs"
Matt Cardona Speaks On His Journey Back To WWE

“Oh my God, what a roller coaster of ups and downs,” Cardona said. “You start off as a Major Brother. That sucks.”

Things picked up when he found himself aligned with Edge during one of WWE’s biggest eras. It was a smart move that put him right in the mix with top-tier talent and legends like Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, and Ric Flair.
“So you have this genius idea to be with Edge and help him become WWE Champion,” he explained. “And it works. You’re at WrestleMania, involved with guys like Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, Ric Flair. It’s huge.”

But like a lot of wrestling careers, momentum doesn’t always last. When Edge went down with injury, Cardona suddenly found himself without direction.
“Then Edge gets injured, and you’re just Hawkins and Ryder but nobody knows who Hawkins and Ryder are,” he said. “You’re just guys who look like Edge. You’re like, ‘oh damn, I’ve got to come up with something.’”

That uncertainty ended up becoming the turning point for him. which leads to Cardona trying to figure out a new identity, Cardona started pulling inspiration from everyday life around him.

“You’re sitting at home in Long Island, going to nightclubs, seeing all these idiots spiking their hair, wearing sunglasses indoors, popped collars,” he said. “And you’re like, I could be that guy. So you do it—and it works.”
That’s where the “Woo Woo Woo” Zack Ryder character really took off, carrying him through ECW, a unique look, and a growing fan base. But even that run had its ups and downs.

“ECW goes away, and you get sent to RAW and get lost in the shuffle,” Cardona said. “You’re like, oh damn, what are we gonna do now?”

That setback ended up leading to one of the most important pivots of his career, creating content online.

“You get a Flip camera for Christmas, you start a YouTube show, Z! True Long Island Story and you start the year as nobody,” he said. “And you end it as United States Champion.”
From there came more big career moments, including an Intercontinental Title win at WrestleMania and a tag title victory with Curt Hawkins, moments he clearly still values.

“My dad hops the guardrail and puts a WrestleMania cowboy hat on my head,” he recalled. “And then a few years later, you win the tag titles at WrestleMania with Curt Hawkins. That stuff means everything.”

Butthis is where you can put a clear stop of where Zac Ryder faded away & where Matt Cardona took the reigns as he is released from WWE in 2020, “And then you get fired,” he said bluntly. “But that’s when the fun starts.”

“You go all over the world, Australia, Japan, Mexico - everywhere!” he said. “Every independent promotion I could find, you go and you reinvent.”

And eventually, in true wrestling fashion, it all circles back to WWE—but this time with a different vision.“And then eventually you come back as Matt Cardona to become the WWE Champion,” he said. “What about that? I love it. 2K, make that happen. What a story.”

Funnily enough Cardona’s journey from working the independents to rejoining the WWE is reminiscent of WWE 2K’s MyRise mode centering on "The Archetype" returning to WWE after a two-year absence.

Matt Cardonas journey is by far one of the best comeback stories with one that proves that betting on yourself truly pays off.