When WWE announces a round of talent releases, dreams shatter, careers hang in limbo, and performers face a crossroads. Recently released talents find themselves suddenly without the platform, paycheck, and infrastructure they’ve grown accustomed to – often with little preparation for life outside the WWE system.
Five years after his own release, Matt Cardona (formerly Zack Ryder) has emerged as both counselor and blueprint for wrestlers navigating this transition. In a revealing conversation on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Cardona details his post-WWE journey and the lessons learned along the way.
A recent tweet addressing newly released WWE talent has resonated throughout the industry with its unflinching clarity: you have three options, and only one leads to sustainable success.
The Three Paths Forward
With characteristic bluntness, Cardona outlines the three options available to released WWE talent:
“You have three options,” Cardona explains. “You can fade into obscurity, feel bad for yourself, have a pity party, never be seen again, or be delusional with your prices, never get booked again. Or you can coast off your WWE name – and I don’t just mean your literal name, I mean the fact that you’re in WWE. Just coast off that. Do a couple indies here and there, some autograph signings. You can probably do that forever.”
The third option, however, requires significantly more effort:
“Work your ass off, reinvent yourself, have a lot of [expletive] fun and make a lot of [expletive] money.”
Cardona concludes:
“You have three options. You choose. It’s not… The third one’s not easy, but it’s possible.”
Option 1: Fading Into Obscurity
The first path—disappearing from the wrestling landscape—happens more often than fans realize. Wrestlers who built their entire identities around being WWE Superstars sometimes struggle to find purpose outside that structure.
Some talents retreat from wrestling entirely, embarrassed by the perceived failure of release or unwilling to work smaller venues after performing in arenas. Others price themselves out of bookings, overestimating their market value without WWE’s platform.
“You’re going from tens of thousands of people in the audience to sometimes tens, hopefully not, but literally sometimes tens of people,” Cardona acknowledges of the adjustment.
This dramatic shift breaks some performers psychologically, their egos unable to handle the perceived downgrade. Rather than adapting, they withdraw, their careers effectively ending with their WWE departure.
Option 2: Coasting on Past Reputation
The second path—coasting on WWE fame—represents the most common trajectory according to Cardona:
“I think history shows that they fall into number two.”
This approach involves minimal reinvention, relying instead on WWE name recognition to secure occasional bookings and convention appearances. These wrestlers may work sporadically, mainly trading on nostalgia rather than creating new memorable moments.
While financially viable in the short term, this approach rarely leads to creative fulfillment or sustained relevance. Bookings eventually diminish as WWE fame fades without new accomplishments to replenish interest.
Option 3: Reinvention Through Hard Work
The third path—Cardona’s chosen route—demands relentless effort, creative reinvention, and entrepreneurial thinking. More than just accepting bookings, it requires completely reimagining one’s wrestling identity and business approach.
“It’s not easy out there on the independence, especially because a lot of these guys and girls don’t know what it’s like to do the independence,” Cardona acknowledges. “I didn’t know, and I had to just dive in head first and I had to teach myself.”
For Cardona, this meant:
- Character Reinvention: Developing “The Death Match King” and later “The Complete” Matt Cardona personas, distinct from Zack Ryder
- Embracing the Grind: Working shows of all sizes, from major independents to small fairs
- Business Development: Treating wrestling as a business with multiple revenue streams
- Social Media Dominance: Posting 10-20 times daily across platforms
- Merchandising Innovation: Creating unique merchandise items beyond standard t-shirts
The Ego Challenge
According to Cardona, the primary obstacle isn’t talent but ego. Many wrestlers struggle to accept the reality shift that independence requires.
“I think you just got to embrace it,” Cardona advises. “When I’m doing push-ups out there on the street, or pissing in between the two dumpsters, I’m like, ‘This is it, baby. Here we go.’ I’m not doing it with a boo-boo face. I’m doing it with a smile.”
This attitude adjustment doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Cardona admits, “I’m not naturally positive. I don’t wake up like today’s a great day. No, I wake up and like, ‘Oh, that glass is half empty’ naturally. And I have to force and condition myself to be positive.”
Learning from Predecessors
Cardona didn’t forge this path alone. He studied those who had successfully transitioned before him.
“I stole things from Cody, from Drew McIntyre, the guys who had left and had made their names even bigger,” Cardona admits. “And then I created my own blueprint.”
This willingness to learn from others’ success models, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel entirely, accelerated Cardona’s post-WWE growth. By analyzing what worked for others while adapting strategies to his unique strengths, he created a customized approach to independence.
Financial Reality: Making More Money
Perhaps most surprisingly, Cardona reveals that his financial success has exceeded his WWE earnings.
When asked directly if he makes more money now than during his best WWE year, Cardona responds without hesitation: “100%.”
He clarifies: “The WWE guys now and girls, they have those big deals. I didn’t have those giant deals. So if I got released now making some of the money some of those people are making, maybe I wouldn’t be making the same amount of money. But for what I was making then, yes, I’m making more now.”
This financial success comes through diversification: “It’s the wrestling, it’s the podcast, it’s the conventions, the autograph signings, the pro wrestling tees, the figure business. It’s everything all combined.”
The Mentorship Role
Now five years into his post-WWE career, Cardona has become a resource for newly released talent seeking guidance.
“I got calls yesterday,” Cardona mentions, referring to recently released wrestlers. “Some people knew me, some people don’t know me. Some people reached out saying, ‘Thank you for that post. It really lit a fire under my ass.'”
Cardona embraces this mentorship role: “I’m not a gatekeeper. Anybody, whether they’re released or still or never got to WWE, I will answer any question they have. I’m not saying it’s the right answer. It’s just what has worked for me.”
The Path Forward
For wrestlers facing release in today’s wrestling landscape, Cardona’s third path offers not just survival but potential thriving. With more independent promotions running, streaming services providing visibility, and social media offering direct fan connection, the opportunity for post-WWE success has never been greater.
“Don’t quit,” Cardona advises simply. “It’s not over until you quit. When you quit, then it’s over.”
Five years after his own release, Matt Cardona stands as living proof that WWE departure can be the beginning rather than the end – if you’re willing to work harder than ever before.
“I’m going to keep working my ass off,” Cardona affirms, embodying the mindset that has transformed him from released talent to independent wrestling success story.
For today’s released wrestlers, the choice is clear: fade away, coast along, or reinvent yourself through relentless effort. According to Cardona, only one path leads to both financial success and creative fulfillment – and it begins with embracing the grind.