Matt Cardona recently addressed the status of his remaining independent bookings following his full-fledged return to WWE. Speaking on Notsam Wrestling, Cardona confirmed that he will not be able to fulfill the extensive schedule he had planned through the coming months. Cardona, who spent the last several years reinventing himself as the “Indie God,” noted that the sheer volume of his commitments made it impossible to balance them with his new WWE contract.
“I was booked until the summer,” Cardona said. “If I took every indie date that I agreed to, I wouldn’t be able to be in WWE. It’s as simple as that. It’s not like I had like one or two. I’m literally booked every weekend until the summer.”
Cardona clarified that he has taken steps to ensure promoters were not left in a difficult position due to his sudden departure. “Any promoter who gave me a deposit, they’ve already been taken care of. And everybody understood.”
The transition back to WWE began on the January 2, 2026, episode of SmackDown in Buffalo, New York. Cardona appeared as a surprise opponent for Kit Wilson, initially teasing his old Zack Ryder gimmick before being officially introduced as Matt Cardona. He picked up a victory in his return match after planting Wilson with the Rough Ryder. Following the appearance, it was confirmed that SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis had signed Cardona to an exclusive contract with the blue brand.
As he moves forward with WWE, Cardona is already vacating titles held on the independent circuit. On January 3, 2026, he appeared via a pre-taped video at an ACW event to vacate the ACW World Championship, stating he could no longer defend the title due to his signing.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Notsam Wrestling with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can listen to the full interview with Matt Cardona on the Notsam Wrestling YouTube channel or your favorite podcast platform.
