Matt Cardona

[4.0] "It's cool that Matt Cardona is one of the most fan-savvy wrestlers out there, becoming a legitimate draw on the indies for several years off of pure marketing alone. He has good matches in his bag, but I'm just not moved by him overall. Good on him for returning to the WWE and getting a bag, but my intrigue has sadly waned."

[6.0] "I think Matt Cardona is a decent wrestler. He isn't anything special in the ring but his character work is pretty good and it's what makes him so known. He shouldn't be a main eventer but I wouldn't mind a short mid card title run."

[7.0] "This guy is tons of fun on mic, & while I wasn't an active viewer during his Zack Ryder days, I could easily see him getting dragged into a position in the WWE where he would play a fun, unique character & get over on his own. His in-ring acumen, while certainly not on the level of someone like a Randy Orton or a Christopher Daniels, is more than permissible, & he gets definite brownie points for having the ability to wrestle in the contemporary hardcore style. I've never been disappointed by a promo by him, & even his bad matches are always at least technically sound. My rating for him, within the context of this websites allowances, is exactly 6. 5 just because his in-ring won't move mountains, but I'll go 7 because, again, his character work is just so fantastic."

[7.0] "Whether he was Matt Cardona or Zack Ryder or Brett Major or whatever, he's always been a compelling figure in the wrestling business. He has been making a living on the independent circuit for years now. I think 7 is a fair rating."

[8.0] "Matt is an epic and compelling wrestler. He favors being a heel but I think he is better as a face. With passion and charisma you never know what will happen next with this guy"

[8.0] "One of the most hard-working guys in the business in the last 15 years. He's very charismatic, entertaining, goofy yet serious sometimes, and a fun wrestler to root for as well. Personally, one of my favorite losers/underdogs in the business. The most influential social media user to date. Also, he is a genius in marketing himself, generating buzz, and staying relevant all these years. Long Island Iced Z, Indie God, Deathmatch King, and a lot more to say about this man who deserved a lot more that he got. In 2011, he was the second biggest thing behind CM Punk. You can also put an argument that he was one of the early PG Era icons beside Punk, Bryan, Cena, and Ziggler. He's ALWAYS READY WOO WOO WOO YOU KNOW IT, broskis."

[6.0] "I think a lot should be said about how he managed to use the internet as a tool to reinvent himself and get over organically, and how when WWE finally released him he managed to find a great niche character in the delusional WWE midcarder thinking the indies are beneath him while trying to be on top of them. Sadly, both of those forward-thinking decisions had their shelf life that he allowed to get stale. Zack Ryder was played out for years before WWE let him go, and Indie God Matt Cardona lost its luster some time ago. As a wrestler he's as serviceable as they come, with few truly bad matches but very few standouts (though I still think that deathmatch with Nick Gage shortly after leaving WWE holds up, a career highlight for him). I can only hope he can find another great idea to change himself up, but at this point I think his goal is to eventually go back to WWE and merge the Cardona-isms into Zack Ryder."

[6.0] "Matt Cardona did a great job getting himself over in his early career and an even better work in reinventing himself when came to the indies. There was a point in time where he was legitimately the best heel around. His in-ring work is not amazing, but he is pretty solid overall and very charismatic."

[7.0] "Matt Cardona has reinvented himself impressively since leaving WWE, transforming from a midcard comedy act as Zack Ryder into a respected independent star. His work in GCW and the indie circuit showed his adaptability and willingness to take risks--earning the nickname "The Deathmatch King." While not the most athletically gifted or technically refined, his charisma, promo work, and ability to evolve with the times deserve praise. He may not be everyone's favorite, but he's carved out a niche that few others could replicate. A true hustler of the modern wrestling era."

[10.0] "He's so good and some want to deny it but he is phenomenal! The crowd loves him and he draws money! He gets the job done in the ring but his promos are outstanding! Definitely one of the best heels you can ever find! He takes the extremes for his matches and is well respected by other wrestlers!"

[8.0] "Matt Cardona reinvented himself after WWE by betting on his own brand and grinding through the independent scene. He transformed from undercard talent to a top draw in multiple promotions, showing smart self-promotion and surprising versatility. His hustle, charisma, and willingness to evolve have made him a standout on the modern wrestling landscape."

[8.0] "He was able to get himself over multiple times by thinking outside the box in spite of management never truly having his back. He's extremely likable & has a work ethic that's second to none. The biggest negative is that his matches are usually not as good as his character work builds them up to be."

[7.0] "Up until 2020 I thought for sure he was destined to be the Koko B Ware or Brooklyn Brawler of his time. He was the very definition of complacent. He was so happy to just work for WWE he didn't care about his career. Then he was released and after several months he completely reinvented himself and even became NWA champion! I don't think he's ever going to main event major ppvs but he's carved a great niche for himself and might be making more money now than WWE."

[2.0] "How can he be "The Deathmatch King" he hasn't even been in other deathmatch promotions besides GCW stick to doing non-deathmatches, and also if you want to be "The Deathmatch King" then you have to face numerous deathmatch wrestlers not just Nick Gage and that's why I'm giving this man 2 points he did accomplish other stuff but I can't wrap my head around the fact that he isn't "The Deathmatch King" and he should get rid of the gimmick, end of discussion I don't care he only had 2 deathmatches. One with Nick Gage and the other one with EC3, just stop with the whole "Deathmatch King" shit."

[10.0] "Really love this guy from times, when he work at WWE. Great ring skill, really charismatic guy. Also love his podcast. I think this guy is best midcarder that WWE ever have, and most Important: this guy can be Maineventer, but WWE don't love him for some reason. I'm really happy that right now Matt doing a great things on Indie scene"

[8.0] "After some time being on the Indies, he truly has reshaped his career. Zack Ryder is dead. Matt Cardona's charisma has always been high. He has improved in the ring, on the mic, and with his character work making his matches solid. He is a great guy for the midcard, but shouldn't be slotted as just a midcarder because he has shown he has what it takes to be a main eventer."

"Cardona is solid in the ring. Great charisma as a shit heel and genuinely got himself over. I love watching how hated he is by indie crowds. Immediate heat. He's not gonna be a in ring wonder but hes gonna put on solid matches and get the crowd behind the babyface no matter what."

[5.0] "Haven't watched his post WWE stuff so I'm rating him solely on his run in WWE here. Had a pretty average tag team with Curt Hawkins, didn't really help the fact that they were active when WWE considered tag teams to be a waste of time. Post tag breakup, he was pretty interesting in ECW. You could tell he was working on something, and his gimmick turned out to be pretty decent. WWE do not give him credit for the whole social media thing, he was way ahead of the curve and did a very good job of promoting himself online before it was "cool" in the eyes of WWE. They kind of gave him a chance afterwards, but it's pretty clear nobody had faith in him, which is a shame. Seems like a good guy, he was decent in-ring, should've been given more of an opportunity to showcase his ability as a wrestler. Got lost in the shuffle and was very forgettable aside from the IC title win at WM 32. He would do a decent job in AEW if he was signed there permanently I think, if he were to go back to WWE, it would be a huge mistake imo. Overall, decent wrestler, career is quite forgettable unless you're aware of his social media stuff from back in the day."

[10.0] "As a child getting into WWE, I was never too into the main guys like Triple H or John Cena, my favourite wrestler and the first ever wrestler I was obsessed with was Zack Ryder. His charisma, his confidence and his move-set which was one of the best in the PG era, Ryder was the superstar I immediately clicked with. Matt Cardona has only ever evolved since his shitty angles from 2011 and 2012, not only is he in phenomenal shape but he has been dominating the independent scene, which makes sense as Cardona always looked the part of a main eventer. Just a real shame WWE barely used him, never putting him in royal rumbles (not even the greatest royal rumble, which had baba fucking tunde) and only ever appearing on the Main Event show, its good to see Cardona is getting the bookings he deserved."

[10.0] "Matt Caronda/Zack Ryder was that wrestler who I resonated with so much especially with his run with the US Title(which made me love that belt even more) Just the way he was able to build himself when figureheads didn't believe in him & create a connection with the audience either it be big or small he just knew how to guide through the social media age of wrestling & grasp at it! Now he's still one of my favorite due to his ability to always find new avenues to generate motivation & evolve into something mind-blowing i.e. The Deathmatch King or The Indy God! Even looking at his work inside the ring he's always bringing his A-Grade, for example against his match with John Cena's US Open Challenge he busted out a 450 splash! he's not afraid to go big! He has a certain understanding of the business & is ability to scope out what will work either it be his charisma, merch, various media he's navigate on Matt Cardona will forever hold a spot in my heart as my favorite wrestler bc HE ALWAYS READY!"

"Matt Cardona was the reason I feel in love with WWE in the PG era. He brought the Zack Ryder character to life and was my favorite midcarder in the early 2010s. Its a shame WWE didnt treat him better. Im glad hes making a name for himself on the independent scene, and on top of that hes having fun doing it."

[8.0] "kudos to Cardona honestly, even if i really indifferent to what he has been doing a lot of the times, you gotta give him credit where credit is due: he understands how to get over like a fish understands how to swim. His understanding of fanfare and creating buzz over whatever he is doing should be looked into more. He got some great moments in his career even if its full of lowlight and come out at the other end."

[6.0] "This guy was always solid, in WWE, as Zack Ryder, he had a period where he was super over with the fans, but they didn't pushed him, and he unfortunately became a jobber again. I really like his persona as the Indy God, it's unique and special, and he is a notable presence in every show he's in, but Cardona is not a guy that I stop to watch a match and have a great time, he's average, but very charismatic and functional."

[8.0] "Really cool wrestler, one of my favorite in WWE tbh, always a pleasure to see him pop on a rumble or any random match. I can understand that he was not very used, but his charisma could have convince the company to give him more mid card title. Now he is a big deal in the indy scene and thats well deserved."

[10.0] "Matt Cardona has had an amazing run on the independents and is still as hot as ever very diverse and can wrestle any style you want him and Steph are amazing with each other! Zach Ryder was one of my favorites as a kid always loved him hes great at what he does and is one of the best things in wrestling today!"

[8.0] "He's one of my favorite wrestlers of all times. He may not be the best in-ring worker in the world (he's a solid 7), but when you talk about the promos, the charisma and the impersonification of gimmicks, he's a full 10. He's top three heels in the world right now, and every company he went these days earned money and popularity thanks to him. Every new gimmick he creates is brilliant and better than the previous one. Matt can work deathmatches, comedy acts, simple one on one matches, tag team matches. He's the definition of entertainment. He managed to become one of the greatest superstars alive, despite all those years being a jobber. He doesn't need a major company to be a star, and that's something very few people could tell today."

[8.0] "matt cardona is so good the stuff he did in wwe was okay but what he is doing now on the indys is super good his heel run has been great the title wins mathces and more. i also loved how he can get over pretty much anyway he is even pretty decent in the ring"

[10.0] "Matt Cardona is probably one of my favorite independent wrestlers of all time. Some may argue that he isn't an indies guy, since he was in WWE, but back there, he was nothing more than a jobber with random title wins every so often. In Impact and NWA and those other promotions he wrestled in over his time outta WWE, he has really become everyone's favorite heel. He isn't lacking in the ring, either."

[10.0] "Cardona is bringing back the classic 80s heel character on the indies, and he is doing a fantastic job. His in ring skills are fine, considering he spent 95 percent of his career learning the WWE style, but he really stands out as a character. Zack Ryder was WAY ahead of his time, and paved the way for social media being used to improve a wrestlers status with the fans. When he got released I knew he would be in good hands, but I didnt know he would be as entertaining as he is."

[4.0] "Matt Cardona is competent in the ring, but his time in the WWE has greatly influenced the way he is perceived. It's challenging to see him as a serious competitor due to his involvement in activities outside the ring, such as collecting toy figures and engaging in comedic antics. Consequently, his career has been negatively impacted, making it hard to consider him a credible wrestler."

[9.0] "I've always enjoyed Cardona even during his Zach Ryder days. His IC title win at mania 32 is still one of my favorite Wrestlemania moments and his US title win against Ziggler is a really fun match too. Also the guy really knows how to get over even when WWE had no interest in pushing him. He's really turned it to 11 since he became an indie wrestler and now people finally respect him as an awesome talent, but I've been rooting for him since 2014 when I started watching wrestling. The skies the limit for Matt Cardona and I'm excited to see where his career takes him."

[5.0] "Had a unique enough look in the WWE and dared to get over on his own which pissed off the Powers That Be to act so petty as to purposely derail his career by trying to embarrass him so the fans wouldn't want to see him. Chris Jericho should talk to him about being a conspiracy victim. Good on him for not giving up and is still pretty popular after getting away form the poisonous booking of the WWE."

[10.0] "Best worker in the business today. Can cut a promo better than most and can do well in ring. He is the epitome of a what you want in a draw. His Indy run is the best in the business."

[5.0] "The best thing he did was get himself over despite WWE, so that was nipped in the bud rather quickly. A decent worker but his persona wherever hes been has been a bit strange."

[7.0] "ALWAYZZZZ READY MATT CARDONA BABY! It took him a long time but this guy gets it big time. Just like Cody Rhodes, it took being released from WWE for him to find it. I hope he makes his way back to the E soon"

[7.0] "We all know how great of a promo he is, but honestly he is such an underrated wrestler. He deserves better than the booking he has gotten in places like Impact and the NWA."

[10.0] "Matt Cardona es considerablemente uno de los mayores luchadores independientes de la actualidad, causando el mayor de los revuelos como campeón de la GCW y que obtuvo una gran admiración de todo el mundo del wrestling al proclamarse como campeón de la NWA."

[7.0] "(I'm writing a comment based on my experience of watching WWE) "Long Island Broski" are a perfect example of an underdog - someone we support and want him to win, and in practice he rarely succeeds. Ryder had a large win percentage but these were not major victories and especially his final years in WWE were difficult. The brightest moment in his career was Wrestlemania 32 when he won the IC title - but he lost it the day after, in my opinion WWE made the right decision to drop the title on Miz, but the moment that could change Ryder's career was killed. Another chance was Wrestlemania 35 - he then won the RAW Tag Team belts with Curt Hawkins - it was also a big moment, but Hawkins & Ryder disappeared from TV as champions and lost their belts quickly, then Ryder was not pushed either. I am writing about these moments because Zack's strength has never been his outstanding ring skills. His strength was that fans believed in him that he would win and that he would do well as a champion. In fact, for many years we have not found out if he would be good at WWE as a champion because we were not able to experience 100% of his potential, WWE has always taken a step backwards."

[4.0] "He was a decent jobber on WWE but his indy stuff is just weird. I think the guy is more entertaining when he isn't wrestling and just doing toy vlogs."

[9.0] "Loved Zack Ryder in WWE and think his Matt Cardona character is even better. As Zack Ryder he was the underdog I loved rooting for and was disappointed in WWE ruining any moment he gained. As Cardona he is the heel I love to hate as he knows how to play the crowd."

[9.0] "With just a "short" indy run, Matt putted and is still putting his name in one of the highest stairs of indy wrestling. If I was him, I'm 90% sure that I won't go back to the big leagues."

[9.0] "With only one deathmatch he made history and attracted the attention of the whole world. It is perfect for the indies and the best stage of his career is just beginning. I'd love to see him in another deathmatch with a bigger history."

[7.0] "zack ryder is one of those wrestlers you DID NOT see succeeding outside of wwe. but rebranding himself as a pro-sports entertainment douchebag in a heavy anti-sports entertainment company like gcw worked so well for him. for sure one of the top indie wrestlers right now."

[10.0] "I have so much respect for Matt Cardona, for me he is the definition of hard work and doing everything you can to make your name, for me he is living proof that you don't need to part of a huge wrestling promotion to make your name and that hard work regardless can always pay off, I hope to see him go bigger things in future where may he'll either go to AEW or return to WWE having now proven his worth."

[5.0] "Cardona is fine. I think he's a pretty average guy in everything who's been lucky enough to garner support of internet fans and has had some pretty cool moments. I suppose he's reinvented himself to a guy who's 'betted on himself' and has won all these indie belts."

[4.0] "I dunno from where all these 10s are coming from. The guy is clearly still very very bad in-ring worker, he can't cut good promo, his charisma I guess is alright but that's all. He isn't even MID Cardona, he is Job Cardona. He gets the heat from the fans only because he is trash wrestler who gets pushed over the moon. He is like Baron Corbin but worse."

[10.0] "Best indie wrestler in the world right now. Amazing character work and has proved himself as a world title worthy performer."

[10.0] "Matt Cardona... Man, this dude proves wrong so many people (including me), he's in his absolute peak and the best heel in the indies. Cardona is a must-watch for every wrestling fan. Not the best in-ring, but in character is just brilliant"

[10.0] "One of the best Heels in history. He is like the Angel Garza of the Indies, the GOAT Heel and dominator of the industry."

[8.0] "Cardona I find to be a very good talent. He reinvented himself very well after his exit from wwe and has done a great job everywhere."