John Cena Reacts to Matt Cardona’s Full-Time WWE Return After More Than 5 Years Away

The erstwhile Zack Ryder turned on WWE programming as Matt Cardona on this week's SmackDown. Even John Cena has reacted to his homecoming.

John Cena Reacts to Matt Cardona’s Full-Time WWE Return After More Than 5 Years Away

John Cena reacts to Matt Cardona's WWE return [via- WWE]

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Matt Cardona made his WWE debut on the first SmackDown of 2026, beating Kit Wilson in an impromptu match. Even though the Zack Ryder incarnation hit the jumbotron at first, it effortlessly transitioned into Cardona’s, an identity that Ryder will carry forward on WWE programming from now on.

The New Yorker’s emphatic return caught the attention of John Cena as well. The retired wrestling great reacted to Cardona’s WWE homecoming on SmackDown in a post on X.

Cena noted that persistence and preparation tend to manufacture luck, and as per the 17-time world champion, both Matt Cardona and his wife, Chelsea Green, are prime examples of making luck through effort. At last, the Hollywood mogul said, “Welcome home Matt.”

The man who won the Intercontinental title at WrestleMania 32 competed in The Last Time is Now tournament in November 2025. Back then, the 40-year-old returned to WWE programming as Zack Ryder to face LA Knight in the tourney that was designed to determine Cena’s final match opponent. While the ‘Woo Woo Woo Kid’ showed glimpses of his in-ring brilliance against a red-hot Knight, the latter kept an upset at bay.

During a post-match interaction with ‘The Indy God’, Knight wasn’t sure if that was all of Cardona in WWE, but ‘The Megastar’ firmly appreciated his resolve. WWE CCO Paul “Triple H” Levesque also weighed in on The Long Island Iced-Z’s stunning return.

‘The Game’ took to X and asked the entire roster to stay ready in 2026. It was a subtle ode to the erstwhile Zack Ryder’s patented catchphrase of being “Alwayz Ready.”

Matt Cardona pens emotional note after WWE return on SmackDown

Matt Cardona’s return to WWE this past Friday night marked the culmination of a deeply personal journey. ‘The Deathmatch King’ later penned down a lengthy note recounting the hardships he’s been through over the past few years to make it back to WWE. After being released from the company in April 2020, Cardona described the moment as heartbreaking but necessary.

Matt Cardona posing on SmackDown
Matt Cardona posing on SmackDown [via- Post Wrestling]

Wrestling in WWE had been his lifelong dream, and losing it forced him to choose how he would move forward. Rather than growing bitter or relying on his past as Zack Ryder, ‘The Indy God’ committed to reinventing himself. He spent the next five years on the independent circuit, working relentlessly and rediscovering his passion for wrestling.

He later said that period became the most fulfilling stretch of his career. Cardona credited fans, promoters, and opponents for supporting him throughout the process. His focus, he explained, was never about proving critics wrong, but about proving himself right. That belief paid off on January 2, 2026, when Matt Cardona officially returned to WWE on SmackDown.

“I am Alwayz Ready and I’M NOT FINISHED!” wrote Cardona as the concluding note. WWE has rolled out new merchandise for ‘The Ultimate Broski’, which he even mentioned in his post. Now that he’s back with the company on a full-time basis, it’d be interesting to see who he ends up having his first major feud with.

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