Matt Cardona (formerly Zack Ryder in WWE) made his AEW debut on Wednesday, but he might not be there very long.
According to Raj Giri of Wrestling INC, Cardona is on a per-appearance deal with AEW and is currently signed for five appearances. Fightful has since confirmed the report.
Cardona made a surprise appearance on Wednesday, saving his friend Cody from an attack by the Dark Order. Cardona is set to make his in-ring debut next Wednesday when he teams with Cody against Dark Order members John Silver and Alex Reynolds.
Cody spoke highly of Cardona in an interview with ESPN before Dynamite, saying he and Rusev were on his "free agent radar." Rusev has since stated that he is done with wrestling and is now a professional Twitch streamer.
Cardona was released by WWE on April 15 as part of the company-wide cutbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He first appeared in WWE in 2005 and signed a developmental deal in 2006. Ryder continues to host the Major Wrestling Figure Podcast alongside Brian Myers (Curt Hawkins in WWE). Myers has since joined IMPACT Wrestling.
If you missed anything from AEW Dynamite, check out Fightful's full report on the show by clicking here.
