Matt Cardona Debuts On Impact Wrestling And Contract Confusion

Matt Cardona, formerly known as Zack Ryder, made his Impact Wrestling debut during Hard to Kill. The wrestler surprised everyone due to his ties with Cody Rhodes and AEW.

Big Feud Planned For Matt Cardona

After making his debut for Impact Wrestling, fans started speculating about his contract details. Now it seems that contract may mean a big feud for Matt Cardona at Impact Wrestling.

Naturally, fans are a bit confused considering Cardona popped up at AEW wrestling some time back. And considering his bond with Cody Rhodes, a long-term AEW run was expected.

Nevertheless, there are some ties between AEW and Impact, so this could be a reason why Matt is working that promotion as well.

For now, it seems Cardona has his sights set on Ace Austin. Cardona started his stint by facing his opponent during Hard to Kill and picking up a win.

After his win, the former WWE superstar took to social media.

It will be interesting to see where the feud with Ace Austin goes. However, it also shows that his appearance on AEW may have been a one off.

What Happened At AEW?

Cardona made his AEW debut in the summer of 2020. Many fans assumed that the wrestler would be offered a multi-year contract.

According to sources, Cardona only received a short-term offer from the promotion. This leaves Cardona free to explore other avenues in terms of his future wrestling career.

Nevertheless, I would not rule out AEW completely. After all, AEW is not the WWE when it comes to their wrestling contracts. 

There are many wrestlers who work multiple promotions and are still signed with AEW. Kenny Omega and Pac are just some examples of wrestlers with this particular deal.

As the AEW champ, Omega has also been switching promotions lately. So, the Impact Wrestling debut and potential contract for Matt Cardona does not necessarily mean anything.

AEW Cross-Brand Feuds?

With many AEW wrestlers appearing in Impact Wrestling and other promotions, there could be a feud for Cardona with some existing AEW wrestlers. One of them that springs to mind is none other than Kenny Omega.

There are other wrestlers who are currently signed with Impact but had made several appearances in AEW. The most notable recently were the Good Brothers Gallows and Anderson.

Contrary to his stint in the WWE, Cardona is no longer putting all his eggs in one proverbial basket. This is not a bad thing at all considering the betrayal of his former employer.

Of course, the large number of former WWE wrestlers and other big names in both AEW and Impact is a good thing for the wrestling industry. Now more than ever, there are many alternatives to the WWE. 

The wrestling industry is changing, and Matt Cardona is just one of the recent examples. While I would have loved more AEW work for him, I do not think his Impact debut is a bad thing.

I look forward to some new feuds, but also potential cross-brand feuds coming in the future. It is an exciting time to be a wrestling fan, this in spite of this horrible coronavirus.