Matt Cardona makes surprise AEW debut on 'Dynamite'

Tom Gatto

Matt Cardona makes surprise AEW debut on 'Dynamite' image

Matt Cardona has landed on his feet inside another promotion's squared circle.

The wrestler formerly known as Zack Ryder burst onto the set of "AEW Dynamite" on Wednesday night, running in and cleaning house while Cody Rhodes was getting roughed up. 

Cardona, wrestling under his given name, was last seen in WWE, where he earned tag team, U.S. and intercontinental belts. He was one of about 20 performers cut from the WWE roster in April, with a 90-day no-compete clause.

RIVERA: Mike Tyson's 'Dynamite' debut made for cringeworthy TV

Rhodes initially sounded hesitant to add his friend, but this week he was teasing signing not only Cardona but also Rusev, another Superstar jettisoned in the WWE cutdown.

"They have literally drawn money. They have TV experience. They have high-profile experience. They have locker room experience. The pros heavily outweigh the cons," Rhodes told ESPN in a Q&A.

"Those are two great free agents. I'm not going to go as far to say that if I had to sign anybody, those would be the two that I would sign. But I think they're great free agents. I think if they have the passion for pro wrestling, they're going to continue to succeed."

Rhodes said that he was weighing adding a "hot free agent" against pushing aside an existing performer, but he also liked the idea of increasing competition.

"The best wrestlers, no matter where they came from, you're going to want on your show," he told ESPN.

Viewers will get another look at Cardona next week when he and Rhodes take on Dark Order in tag-team action:

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.