Matt Cardona Jokes That He Ran Cody Rhodes Out Of WWE The First Time

Cody Rhodes’ return to WWE at last year’s WrestleMania event saw him start one of the most impressive return runs in company history. Even if you consider those months he took off due to a pectoral injury, the American Nightmare is still going strong. His old friend, Matt Cardona, noticed that.

Prior to WWE fans yelling “WOAH” during his entrances, Cody Rhodes came from the WWE system, and he has enjoyed a moderate level of success, securing titles like the WWE Intercontinental Championship and WWE Tag Team Championship. After Rhodes requested his release years ago, before embarking on a journey that transformed him into a bona fide wrestling sensation across various promotions, a few stories about why he left WWE came out.

Cody Rhodes played a huge role in launching AEW in 2019, even serving as one of the company’s Executive Vice Presidents and capturing the TNT Championship three times during his tenure. However, in February 2022, Rhodes made a surprising return to WWE, reappearing at WrestleMania 38.

While reflecting on Cody Rhodes’ WWE comeback during an interview with Sean Ross Sapp, Matt Cardona quipped that he “chased” Rhodes out of WWE in the past, citing his victory over Stardust in their last match when Cardona was Zack Ryder.

“I chased Cody Rhodes out of WWE. Look at the history books, as Stardust, he loses — well the other guy is not here. Zack Ryder, rest in peace, Zack Ryder beat Stardust and he quit the biz. He took his ball and went home. In all seriousness, he took a chance on himself. A lot of people thought he was crazy because it hadn’t been done before to really go out — because there was nowhere else to go, it was just the unknown, the indies. He redefined what it was like to go out there and be a wrestler bigger than the indies. He’s his own entity. He rebuilt himself. AEW, what he did, it speaks for itself.”

Matt Cardona also commended Cody Rhodes for taking a bold leap in his career, carving out his own path and redefining success beyond the confines of WWE. That being said, Cardona was released from WWE in that interim period, and he made a few appearances in AEW before going else where.

Only time will tell if Matt Cardona and Cody Rhodes ever meet again in WWE. They seem to still be friends, but odds are we will never see Stardust in any way in WWE.

What’s your take on Cody Rhodes and Matt Cardona meeting in WWE again some day? Sound off in the comment to let us know what you think!