Matt Cardona
WWE 2K26 roster
Not to be contentious, but actually, 2K has allowed me to be the one to tell you you will be downloadable content in the latest WWE 2K.
NXT/TNA crossover
I'm working for TNA, but not technically like under contract. And TNA does the invasion of NXT. And they asked to have me. And I know I'm not under contract, but I'm like, I'm not going to. I'm going to sneak in. Sure, I'll do it.
Career goals
I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to be the WWE Champ. That's the title I think you and I are alike. We didn't just want to be wrestlers, we didn't just want to be WWE superstars, we want to be the WWE champion.
Nick Gage death match
I'm the internet champ, but like that night it trended number one that match over the Olympics and like an independent wrestling show in the landing state New Jersey. It changed my career, changed my life.
Character evolution
I don't think the WWE universe yet has seen who I was on the indies. Sure, I haven't shown them who I was. I wasn't this nice guy slapping hands, that's not who I was on the independents.
Independent wrestling strategy
I was the WWE guy in the indies. And I was gonna make people hate me for being the WWE guy. I win the GCW world title in this death match, call myself the death match king. I only had one death match.
WWE release
I needed to get fired, I needed to go out there and find who was Matt Cardona. The Zack Ryder guy, it was great, I'm so grateful for it, the woo woo it was awesome, but it had to change and it wasn't going to change in that WWE environment.
Backstage stories
I remember I went to you, I was like he wants you over. Finish, eight minutes, what do you want to do? Whatever. And I knew that that does it really matter? I wasn't mad at him, I was of the thought this moment doesn't... we're about getting this crowd excited.
Z! True Long Island Story
I was the first one to do it myself, film it myself, write it myself, edit it myself, funded myself. But that was building the connection with the audience. It was all to get, I didn't want a YouTube show, I wanted the fans to connect to me.
Career advice
The one piece of advice I give everybody is, it's easy, but the advice is easy. Don't quit. You might make it if you don't quit. You definitely won't make it if you do.
