Matthew Cardona

Matthew Brett Cardona born May 14 1985 is an American professional wrestler and actor He is signed to WWE where he performs under his real name He previously performed in WWE from 2006 to 2020 under the ring name Zack Ryder and is also known for his tenures in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling TNA and the independent circuit Cardona debuted in professional wrestling in 2004 teaming with Brian Myers on the independent circuit Both men were signed by WWE the following year making their main roster debuts in 2007 After the team split in 2009 he made appearances on WWEs ECW brand until 2010 following which he was featured sparingly on television In 2011 he launched a YouTube web series in which he proclaimed himself WWEs Internet Champion this along with his creative use of social media helped him establish a substantial cult following Over the course of his time with WWE Cardona held the Intercontinental United States and Raw Tag Team Championships the latter with Hawkins on two occasions After being released by WWE in April 2020 Cardona has made appearances in major wrestling promotions including All Elite Wrestling AEW Impact Wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance NWA as well as throughout the American independent circuit most notably in Game Changer Wrestling GCW He has since won various championships including the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship Impact Digital Media Championship and GCW World Championship During this time he received critical praise being named Indie Wrestler of the Year in 2022 and in 2023 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated He returned to WWE in October 2025 and resigned with the promotion in January 2026