Matt Cardona Re-Signs With WWE, Joins SmackDown Roster

It was a big night for WWE’s blue brand last night as Friday Night SmackDown returned to three hours as the promotion took over the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, and it was also a big night for Matt Cardona. Several weeks back, Cardona returned to WWE’s main roster under his older Zack Ryder gimmick to compete in the Last Time Is Now Tournament in a losing effort to LA Knight. Now, he is back in the fold… and he is once again Matt Cardona.

On SmackDown, Kit Wilson came down to the ring to run down the crowd, being interrupted by the unexpected appearance of Matt Cardona. On the tron, the name of Zack Ryder was replaced by Matt Cardona, with him competing under his post-WWE gimmick for the first time on the WWE main roster. He defeated Wilson soundly in under five minutes, but unlike his previous WWE cameo, this one will see him stick around for some time. 

Per Corey Graves on commentary, it was revealed that Matt Cardona was now an official part of the Friday Night SmackDown roster, therefore re-signing with WWE. Shortly following his SmackDown return last year, it emerged that WWE had reached a merchandise agreement with Cardona.