Matt Cardona Debuts At Impact Hard To Kill

Matt Cardona made his Impact Wrestling debut at Saturday night's Hard to Kill pay-per-view, as part of an unadvertised match.

The former Zack Ryder defeated Ace Austin via disqualification in a match that went less than three minutes, following interference from Madman Fulton.

The match was facilitated by Austin demanding to be added to the X Division title match, only for Scott D'Amore to issue Cardona as a surprise opponent.

Cardona tweeted after the match, "I told you I’m #AlwayzReady...but now you know I’m #HardToKill. @IMPACTWRESTLING"

Cardona was released by WWE last April following a 13-year run, as part of the massive wave of wrestler and staff cuts. He went on to have a brief stint with AEW later that summer, but was only contractually obligated for a handful of appearances. That run included an eight-man tag at All Out in September, as well as a televised match where he teamed with Cody Rhodes.

Cardona's long-time partner Brian Myers (Curt Hawkins) has been with Impact Wrestling for several months, having recently signed a formal contract.