Matt Cardona Makes More Money Since Leaving WWE, Learning From Cody Rhodes, Chelsea Green's Return

On rebranding:

"Listen, this wasn't this master plan like, Ooh, how can I reinvent myself? I knew I had to. And like I said, when I got fired it was the pandemic, there was really nothing going on. Had the cup of coffee in AEW, that didn't work out. But then like, okay, so I'm not Cardona. But who is Matt Cardona? Even I didn't know that. And even when I was in WWE towards the end, I dropped the headband, dropped the glasses dropped the woo woo woo, but I don't think people really recognise that, you know, because I wasn't really featured that much on TV, which is fine. But now everything was in my control. You can't just turn heel on the Indies, you can’t just be a different character. One day, it's not going to work. So is that deathmatch with Nick Gage That really was the catalyst the snowball that I needed that changed not just my career, but changed my life."

On the GCW deathmatch:

"So John Carlo, my friend, John Carlo, who was working for GCW at the time worked for  WWE, now works for AEW awesome, dude. He pitched it to me. I was like absolutely f*cking not. Nick Gage was just on Dark side of the Ring. Yeah, right. He almost killed David Arquette in the ring, criminal, drug addict, I'm not wrestling this guy. And then I took a step back and said, Wait a minute. People are gonna watch this. We're going to talk about this they're gonna want to see Zack Ryder get carved up by Nick Gage. And I said let's do it. And it was only a three-shot deal three shows. Go in attack, Nick Gage have the match. And then the one show after. But we I think we change independent wrestling. I say we because without GCW, you know, GCW needed to be GCW I needed to be me, Nick Gage needed to be Nick Gage. We just needed all those ingredients. You know, I'm saying and like that night. You know, if you really look at it, it's an independent show in Atlantic City, New Jersey. But it trended number one over the UFC pay-per-view that night and the Olympics, which is nuts, and we captured, you know, lightning in a bottle, you hear that expression all the time we had it. And I just ran with it."

On saying goodbye to Zack Ryder:

"That's what I needed. Because you know, it bled into other indies where I'd go out 25% of the fans go f*ck you, then 50% Then 70 If not 100%? You know, like, Yeah, we talked about this earlier. There are definitely some WWE fans who come up to me now like, what do you do these days? They think I just retired. But if you're in the indie scene and if you're a fan of indie wrestling, Zack Ryder is f*cking dead. You know?"

On never returning as Zack Ryder:

"I say this all the time. This isn't my Honky Tonk Man run. I wasn't going to just tour the Indies with the headband, the glasses, woo woo woo. This is like my reinvention. This is my Hollywood Hogan run. If anything. But I knew I needed to change I knew like Zack. Listen. so, so grateful for WWE. For Zack Ryder. That was my dream. I lived it. Highest of highs lowest of lows. I'm forever grateful for that time. It set me up for who I am today. But it's over. Zack Ryder is dead. And if I ever want to go back to WE if it was up to me, it'd be as Matt Cardona."

On not everything working on the indies:

"There are things that are absolute flops, like for instance, okay, I'll give you two sides. The death match with Nick Gage. Okay, I had this blood. I knew, I thought I was gonna be a couple of drops of blood on me. So I wore like white bro that the white turn maroon the shirt was maroon and like, I gotta sell this somehow. Now I'm a diehard collector and diehard fan. I said wouldn't it be cool if it was like that WrestleMania plaque with an autograph and a piece of the canvas? You know, I'm saying yeah, so I contacted that company, the actual company, and I made the plaque that has the picture of me bloody, they cut up the t-shirt. I made over $20,000 on that on a t shirt, essentially. But then on the flip side, right, I thought all the Deathmatch King crown let me make like Burger King style crowns. Sell them for like 10 bucks, I can't give them away. So you know, but I'm taking the chance. You know, I'm taking a risk. And some are calculated, some are not. You gotta invest in yourself." 

On raising the bar for indie wrestlers:

"So listen, this is not the run to pass the torch, right? That's not what it's about. I'm lighting a new torch for myself. But if I can help people along the way, so be it. If I can change independent wrestling, if I can get f*cking water bottles backstage for the locker room, I'll be that guy. And there are people, you know, who are too afraid to speak up about certain things like, listen, I understand paying your dues. You got to split a room with somebody, okay? I don't think you need to split a bed with somebody. Now. I don't, I don't do that. But I want I want to change certain things for the people who can't necessarily speak up. And if he's getting water, water bottles backstage, then I'll be that guy."

On the end goal:

"I certainly don't want to end my career in a high school gym, in a bar, you know, I want to end it in an arena. Well, that would be WWE, AEW, something else starts up. That is the goal. But also the goal is not oh, what can I do to get back to WWE? Or what can I do? I don't think about it like that. You know, I'm the most successful I've ever been right now. I don't care how you define success we talked about before. Accolades, like my PWI ranking was higher as Matt Cardona than I ever was, as Zack Ryder I won more titles. This is the BS stuff that people want to count. I am also making more money. And the most important part. I'm the happiest I've ever been. That's the most important, I’ve been more fulfilled than I've ever been. Yeah. But I'd be lying if I said that if my phone rang and it's is a 203 which is Stamford, Connecticut, of course, I’m going to pick it up. You know, of course."

On multiple previously released WWE stars returning:

"I mean, I'll be honest when all those people got rehired, I was thinking, not me? The guy who has been doing everything. What was the prerequisite to getting re-signed, not doing anything? Besides like Chelsea and like The Good Brothers, and a handful of others, most people didn't do anything. But that's fine. Everyone has a different paths, a different story. Do you have a chip on my shoulder about that? I wouldn't say a chip, like a little crumb. But listen, this isn't about proving people wrong. It's about proving myself right. My fans right. If I can convert some doubters and get some new fans along the way, so be it. You know, but I can't have this goal of being the absolute best with like negativity driving it, if that makes sense." 

On Dolph Ziggler:

"I think Ziggler is gonna be fine. I'm anxious to see these people come, because I just want some competition. I love it. I say on Twitter to all these these these guys or girls. Somebody please step up. This is too easy. You know,  we talked about accolades, right? The PWI independent wrestler of the year, last year spoiler I won it again this year, okay. I don't know when this episode comes out. That's two years in a row. An ex-WWE guy should not be the PWI independent rest of the year twice, step up. And if that pisses someone off, good, please, please. That's all I just want competition. And I'm not saying I'm the best wrestler, who gives a shit about that? Nobody creates more buzz than me, nobody has a longer merch line than me consistently. Nobody also elevates other wrestlers like I do. Yeah, it's true. And I'm just begging for some competition."

On rejecting a deal in 2019:

"I didn't take the deal, because I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay or go. It weighed on me every single day. Like what am I going to do? Am I going to stay? Am I going to go? And ultimately, the decision was made for me, thank God. Because I didn't know what I wanted to do. I knew I didn't want to just be a guy on the roster. Even now. Like I don't want to go to WWE or AEW and just be a guy on the roster. Been there done that. And if someone is doing that, or wants that then fine. I'm not saying that's right or wrong. It's just not right for me."

What is Matt Cardona grateful for:

“Chelsea Green, my dogs and my family.”