Zack Ryder who is presently known as Matt Cardona on the independent circuit was one of the biggest fan favorites of WWE during his time in the promotion. He remained in the promotion for 15 long years and he won all the mid card championships of WWE, including multiple Tag Team championships.
He earned his early Fame as a tag team wrestler when he associated with Edge along with Curt Hawkins and together they were known as La Familia. After the La Familia angle was over, Ryder was struggling to get regular booking. He then started asking the fans to pray on behalf of him so that WWE would give him a chance.
Revealed: Why Zack Ryder Left WWE and Even Turned Down New Deal
WWE gave him some break at some points, he even won the WWE Intercontinental Championship and the United States Championship, but nothing worked for him very well. In 2020 he was released from WWE and it was reported that he left the promotion due to the budget cut issues of the promotion for covid-19 pandemic.
Recently, Ryder spoke with "The Ariel Helwani Show" where he revealed the reason behind his release and he also revealed why he declined a contract renewal. Here is what he had to say;
Zack Ryder is a former WWE United States Champion
"I knew I was going to get fired because we got a little message from Vince McMahon like a general, like, video, the pandemic just started, April 15, 2020, best day of my life ... a year prior AEW was starting up, and WWE," continued Ryder,
Zack Ryder was released from WWE in 2020
"I don't know if it was because of this, I think it was, they offered everyone brand new deals with a lot more money and I didn't sign it because I didn't know if I wanted to stay or go. Ultimately the decision was made for me a year later, when I got fired."
Since leaving WWE, Ryder has worked on various independent circuit promotions including major promotions like TNA wrestling and All Elite Wrestling. He has been using the ring name Matt Cardona since leaving WWE but there has always been a constant request from the fans for WWE to rehire Zack Ryder. We still did not get to see him working under Triple H and there is a belief that he can definitely flourish under The Cerebral Assassin.
Credit "The Ariel Helwani Show"
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
