You can never say never in the world of professional wrestling as former WWE stars can potentially return to the company at any time. Back in November of 2025, Matt Cardona shocked the world when he returned to WWE as Zack Ryder in The Last Time Is Now Tournament.
Ultimately Zack Ryder was defeated by LA Knight, but the appearance led to a full-time return as Matt Cardona signed a new contract with WWE in January of 2026. Throughout 2026, Matt Cardona has been performing under his real name, but it seems that there’s a possibility we could be seeing Zack Ryder again.
Matt Cardona recently took to social media to tease that Zack Ryder could potentially return when he posted, “1 year ago today was the Ryder Resurrection. Should Zack Ryder come back from the dead one last time?”
Unfortunately it’s going to be a while before we find out if Zack Ryder really will be returning as Matt Cardona is sidelined at the moment. Back in August, Cardona announced that he suffered a torn tricep while taping a match with Kit Wilson for Main Event. There’s currently no word on when he could be back in the ring.
Do you want to see Matt Cardona bring the Zack Ryder gimmick back? Sound off in the comments below.