During the November 14, episode of WWE SmackDown, Zack Ryder made his return as part of the John Cena final match tournament. The former WWE U.S. Champion was the surprise opponent of LA Knight and despite a valiant effort, came up short against the Megastar.
On WWE’s YouTube channel, Ryder reflected on his return. Zack, who has competed as Matt Cardona since his April 2020 WWE release,
“Five years. It’s been five years since I put on Zack Ryder boots. Every single morning, the first thing I do, before I even open my damn eyes, is I [ask] ‘How can I can get back here? What do I have to do to get back here?’
” I’ve busted my ass for the past five years. Death Match King, the Indy-God, the complete, all for this moment. This might be a one-time shot. I might get the call tomorrow. It doesn’t matter. Because I’m Zack Ryder. And I’m always ready. Woo woo woo, you know it.”
Ryder was then met by Knight, his SmackDown adversary. While Knight wasn’t sure if this was a ‘welcome back’ for Ryder or a one-off appearance, he shook Zack’s hand and gave him a ‘Yeah!’
Ryder isn’t the only person excited about his WWE return as both Triple H and Chelsea Green have shared their excitement to his comeback. It remains to be seen what’s next for Ryder, but his return on SmackDown was a long-time coming.