(1985-05-14) May 14, 1985 (age 39) Merrick, New York, U.S.
Spouse(s)
Chelsea Green
(m. 2021)
Website
mattcardona.com
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)
Brett Major[1]
Brett Majors
Brett Matthews[1][2]
Matt Cardona
Zack Ryder[1]
Billed height
6 ft 2 in (188 cm)[3]
Billed weight
224 lb (102 kg)[3]
Billed from
Long Island, New York[3]
Trained by
Mikey Whipwreck
Debut
August 14, 2004
Matthew Brett Cardona[4] (born May 14, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), and also competes on the independent circuit, under his real name, stylized as Matt Cardona. He is best known for his tenure in WWE from 2006 to 2020, where he performed under the ring name Zack Ryder.
Cardona debuted in professional wrestling in 2004, teaming with Brian Myers on the independent circuit. Both men were signed by WWE the following year, making their main roster debuts in 2007. After the team split in 2009, he made appearances on WWE's ECW brand until 2010, following which he was featured sparingly on television. In 2011, he launched a YouTube web series in which he proclaimed himself WWE's "Internet Champion"; this, along with his creative use of social media, helped him establish a substantial cult following. Over the course of his time with WWE, Cardona held the Intercontinental, United States, and (Raw) Tag Team Championships (the latter with Hawkins on two occasions).
After being released by WWE in April 2020, Cardona has made appearances in major wrestling promotions including All Elite Wrestling, Impact Wrestling, and the National Wrestling Alliance, as well as the American independent circuit, most notably in Game Changer Wrestling (GCW). He has since won various championships including the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, Impact Digital Media Championship, and GCW World Championship. During this time he received critical praise, being named Indie Wrestler of the Year in 2022 and in 2023 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
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^Saalbach, Axel. "Genickbruch.com". genickbruch.com (in German). Retrieved May 9, 2024.
stylized as MattCardona. He is best known for his tenure in WWE from 2006 to 2020, where he performed under the ring name Zack Ryder. Cardona debuted in...
Impact Digital Media Championship to MattCardona after he hit her with a steel chair. At No Surrender, she fought Cardona in a title rematch, but lost by...
Impact!, De Lander returned to TNA and, with help from an also returning MattCardona, with whom she has been aligning herself with in the independent circuit...
Chelsea Anne Cardona (née: Green; born April 4, 1991) is a Canadian professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown...
are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Brian Myers and MattCardona. They are best known for their time in WWE as Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder...
former tag team partner, MattCardona. At Slammiversary, Myers teamed with Tenille Dashwood and were defeated by MattCardona and a returning Chelsea Green...
Jason (July 24, 2021). "GCW: Homecoming Night One Results: Nick Gage Vs. MattCardona". wrestlinginc.com. Retrieved July 25, 2021. Kreikenbohm, Philip (September...
Defelice, Robert (February 7, 2023). "NWA Powerrr Stream And Results (2/7): MattCardona And Tyrus On Opposite Ends Of Major Six-Man Tag". Fightful. Archived...
champion. Austin Aries, Johnny Downunder (also known as Johnny Impact) and MattCardona, share the record for most reigns at two. Aries is the oldest champion...
Texas Death Match for the Knockouts Title, Moose vs. W. Morrissey vs. MattCardona for the Impact World Championship, Jonathan Gresham vs. Chris Sabin for...
October 2023). "WSW Full Throttle Results (10/6): Shawn Spears Faces MattCardona, Cassie Lee Returns To The Ring". Fightful. Archived from the original...
Wrestling (GCW) at The Coldest Winter 2, defeating MattCardona. On March 29, he defeated Cardona once again, but this time for the SCX Championship....
2022). "NWA Hard Times 3 live results: Trevor Murdoch vs. Tyrus vs. MattCardona". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on...
Defelice, Robert (February 7, 2023). "NWA Powerrr Stream And Results (2/7): MattCardona And Tyrus On Opposite Ends Of Major Six-Man Tag". Fightful. Retrieved...
until new signee MattCardona came to even the odds. This culminated in a tag team match the following week, where Alexander and Cardona emerged victorious...
Defelice, Robert (February 7, 2023). "NWA Powerrr Stream And Results (2/7): MattCardona And Tyrus On Opposite Ends Of Major Six-Man Tag". Fightful. Retrieved...
appeared with the physical title belt and "defended" it against MattCardona. Cardona won the match and was declared the "new" ECW World Television Champion...
Fighting Marigold. April 20 – Mike Santana, Sami Callihan, and "Broken" Matt Hardy made their TNA returns at Rebellion. April 21 – At Dynasty, Jack Perry...
Defelice, Robert (February 7, 2023). "NWA Powerrr Stream And Results (2/7): MattCardona And Tyrus On Opposite Ends Of Major Six-Man Tag". Fightful. Retrieved...
2023). "NWA 75 Night One Results (8/26): Kamille vs. Natalia Markova, MattCardona, More". WrestleZone. Archived from the original on September 9, 2023...
MacDonald, Josiah (August 27, 2022). "NWA 74 night one live results: MattCardona returns, four title matches". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived...
The Art of War Games pay-per-view in September 2021, Moxley defeated MattCardona as a surprise opponent to win the GCW World Championship. On January...
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