Matt Cardona made a surprise appearance at Impact's Hard to Kill this weekend, defeating Ace Austin by disqualification.
WWE received a lot of flack in April of last year for releasing more than 40 employees right at the start of the pandemic. It cited the COVID-19 outbreak as the reason for doing so but has also registered big profits in certain areas since. Since the pandemic is still ongoing, it has been difficult for some of those released to find work. Thankfully, many of them have been picked up by other companies.
A few have shown up in AEW, while a handful have been competing for Impact Wrestling. Matt Cardona, formerly known as Zack Ryder when in WWE, wrestled a handful of matches in AEW once his WWE non-compete clause had come to an end. However, he later revealed that it was just a short contract and hasn't competed anywhere since the start of September.
That was until last night. Impact Wrestling's first PPV of the year, Hard To Kill took place last night. The show was headlined by a match featuring Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers against Rich Swann, Chris Sabin, and Moose. However, earlier on the show, Cardona made a surprise appearance. His first ever for Impact, in fact.
Ace Austin came to the ring demanding he be added to the night's X-Division Title match. Scott D'Amore declined Austin's request and instead suggested he face Cardona. The former WWE Superstar won the match, but only because interference from Fulton resulted in Austin being disqualified. The two then attempted to beat down Cardona, but he managed to rally and fend off both men by himself.
It's assumed Cardona will be sticking around in Impact longer than he did AEW. His former tag team partner and fellow podcast host Brian Myers aka Curt Hawkins has been with Impact since midway through 2020. Myers may have helped Impact land Cardona, and perhaps we will see the two team up again soon. Chances are Cardona is going to need a partner in crime if Fulton and Austin come knocking again.