Felix Upton on May 18, 2023
WWE released a lot of people during the pandemic, including some who were staples with the company. When WWE released Zack Ryder from his contract, that also caused deals with Mattel and other partnerships to change, because he was a face that the company used for those campaigns.
During a recent interview with Good Journeys, Matt Cardona addressed the reaction to his WWE release. He was with the company for a decade, so there was nothing to be ashamed of. He was informed about the cuts along with everyone else, and then he got that terrible news.
It seems that WWE offered him a new five-year contract a year prior. Matt Cardona did not ink that new deal, because he wasn’t certain that he wanted to leave or stay for another half a decade.
“Well, I did not see it coming leading up to that. But that morning, at the time worked for WWE, all the talent got a video message from Vince McMahon basically saying that there would be some cuts. And once we got that message I knew, ‘okay, I’m probably gonna be one of the guys on that list.’ I didn’t know for sure. A year prior, WWE had offered I’d say pretty much everybody a new five-year contract with significantly more money. But I did not sign that contract because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay or go.”
The former Intercontinental Champion added that he had a lot of deep thoughts about sticking around WWE. He had already given ten years to the company, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to make it 15, but those concerns went away when that release call came through.
“At that time I wasn’t sure like, ‘do I wanna stick around here? Do I wanna stay here for another five years?’ I wasn’t sure. And for an entire year I’d be back and forth negotiating the anxiety was weighing on me. Do I stay? Do I go? What do I do? Ultimately the decision was made for me. If I wasn’t released in April, my contract would’ve been up in August. So, that morning when Brian Myers gets the call, guys like Heath [Slater], Gallows, Anderson, I still had not gotten the call yet, and I was thinking to myself, ‘oh my God! Are they just gonna let me rot until August?’ At that point I was like, ‘please, call me and fire me. Please, so at least I can get my life started.’ So, the call eventually came and I needed it. The weight was lifted off my shoulder.”
Triple H has brought back a lot of people that Vince McMahon decided to fire during the pandemic. Chelsea Green, Matt Cardona’s wife, was even re-hired, and she’s enjoying a lot more time on television than she had under Vince McMahon’s reign. Only time will tell if Cardona’s road leads him back to WWE, but timing is everything.
What’s your take on Matt Cardona’s relationship with WWE? Do you want to see him make a return? Sound off in the comments!
May 18, 2023 11:50 am
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