After a five year absence, Zack Ryder (real name Matt Cardona ) returned to WWE last night in dramatic fashion as the mystery opponent for LA Knight in the Last Time is Now tournament.
Ryder, who has made no secret of the fact that he has been trying to get back into WWE for a long time, reflected on his return and didn’t indicate one way or another if his return was a one-off or whether it means he is back in the company on a longer term basis.
“Five years. It’s been five years since I put on Zack Ryder boots. Every single morning, the first thing I do before I even open my damn eyes, I say how can I get back here? What do I have to do to get back here? I busted my ass for the past five years, Death Match King, Indie God, The Complete, all for this moment.”
“This might be a one time shot, I might get the call tomorrow, but it doesn’t matter because I’m Zack Ryder and I’m always ready. And I guess I can say this: Woo woo woo, you know it.”
In the clip below, Ryder’s opponent last night – Knight – entered the frame and the two men shook hands. Knight also wondered if this means Ryder is back in WWE or if it was just for the one match: “I don’t know if this is a welcome back or if this is a see you later but all I can say is, Yeah!”
WWE Executive Paul “Triple H” Levesque also took to social media to comment:
You never know who might show up in The Last Time Is Now Tournament. It’s all about opportunity and @TheMattCardona proved that tonight. #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/OgdbnD5QSN
— Triple H (@TripleH) November 15, 2025
Ryder was with WWE for 15 years before being released in 2020. He has held the WWE Intercontinental, WWE United States and is a multi-time tag team champion too. He is married to Chelsea Green, who is one of WWE’s biggest female stars.
