Last Friday night’s episode of WWE SmackDown featured a surprise return from Zack Ryder (Matt Cardona), who faced LA Knight in a first-round match of the “Last Time Is Now” tournament. Unfortunately, Ryder came up short in the match.

According to Fightful Select, both Cardona and WWE have confirmed that he has not signed a contract with the company following his return, indicating that his appearance on SmackDown was likely a one-time thing.

However, it was reported that Cardona has signed a merchandise deal with WWE, which is why Zack Ryder merchandise became available on WWE Shop after his appearance.

The report also mentioned that it remains unclear why WWE chose to use the Zack Ryder persona instead of Matt Cardona. It is possible that, since the “Zack Ryder” gimmick is owned by WWE, the company preferred to utilize its own intellectual property, including the ring name and entrance music. Additionally, the decision to promote “Zack Ryder” merchandise may have been more beneficial for WWE given the merchandise agreement.

This situation follows Cardona’s attempt to trademark his former ring name in 2023 after WWE allowed the trademark to expire. Subsequently, WWE filed a new trademark for “Zack Ryder,” which has prevented Cardona from successfully trademarking the name.