Zack Ryder’s comeback appears to be a one-off.
The November 14 episode of Friday Night SmackDown saw LA Knight face a returning Zack Ryder in the Last Time is Now tournament to determine John Cena’s final opponent at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13. Whilst LA Knight emerged victorious, WWE Shop later released Zack Ryder merchandise following his return, leading fans to speculate that he was back with the company on a permanent basis.
That does not appear to be the case, however, as Fightful Select are reporting that Ryder or Cardona is not signed to WWE, with the merchandise on WWE Shop stemming from a separate agreement arranged for his return.
“We confirmed with Matt Cardona and WWE that he isn’t signed to WWE, and for now, the appearance is a one-off. WWE sources confirmed that there is a merchandise deal, which is why you saw Zack Ryder merchandise hit the website.”
-Fightful Select
The former Zack Ryder was released by WWE on April 15, 2020, ending a fifteen year spell with the company. Since then, he has become one of the biggest names on the independent scene under his real name, Matt Cardona, and has appeared for promotions including AEW, TNA Wrestling, and GCW, among others around the world.
Regarding the use of the Zack Ryder name and branding rather than Matt Cardona, Fightful were unable to establish why this decision was made. The 40 year old appeared in NXT last month under the Cardona name on behalf of TNA Wrestling.
Cardona himself said after his surprise SmackDown return that it is unclear whether the appearance will be a one-time moment or lead to something more. You can read more about that here.
As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Zack Ryder’s return to WWE as soon as we hear more.
