Matt Cardona: “If I Had Signed With AEW Then I’d be on F***ing Dark”

Matt Cardona proved that you can reinvent yourself in the wrestling business after being a comedy figure in WWE for several years and be taken seriously again by fans.

After being let go by WWE, Cardona had a short in AEW in 2020, but he wasn't offered a full-time deal. Caronda changed his gimmick to being a more serious character once he started working for GCW, Impact Wrestling, and the NWA. This was an important shift for him as he started to find success.

While appearing on The Wrestling Classic, Cardona commented on his brief stint with AEW in 2020. In hindsight, he feels it was a blessing in disguise for him:

“Cody, right away put me in contact with his agent. You know, gave me some great advice. But, like in the wrestling business, if a producer or agent is giving you feedback on a match, sometimes that advice doesn’t work for you. And I realized I didn’t need an agent. II wanted to be that guy in the trenches. I wanted to be that guy doing the numbers and negotiating. Cody [Rhodes] set me up for sure, got me that AEW cup of coffee run. I am grateful for that. Didn’t work out at the time, I’ll admit I was bummed out. I was like, ‘Oh sh** now what.’ Looking back, a blessing in disguise. If I had signed with AEW then, I’d be on f***ing Dark right now. No offense to those guys, but that’s not what I want. I was already that guy in WWE. I want to be in control of my own destiny.”