Matt Cardona made a surprise return on Saturday night’s episode of AEW Collision, accepting Adam Copeland’s open challenge for the TNT Championship.
Cardona took to Twitter earlier today to reflect on his dream match. He wrote,
“@RatedRCope vs. Matt Cardona…my dream match…finally happened last night at #AEWCollision.
When I was in high school, Edge was one of my favorite wrestlers. I’d have matches with him (an invisible version) in my bedroom or trampoline.
Him reinventing himself into the Rated R Superstar made me an even bigger fan of his.
A couple of years later, @Myers_Wrestling and I made it to WWE but were drowning as The Major Brothers. We were about be fired. We had an idea to be Adam’s entourage…his Edgeheads. He didn’t need us but we certainly needed him. He took a chance on us, saved our careers, and changed our lives.
We went from sitting in catering about to be fired to wrestling guys like Undertaker, Batista, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, etc. We learned so much from working so close to Adam. Our first time at WrestleMania was being involved in the main event! I thought the next year at WrestleMania it’d be Edge vs. Hawkins vs. Ryder. That didn’t happen. LOL.
16 years (holy shit!) flew by so fast. Adam had to retire due to a neck injury in 2011. My dream match would never happen. Adam returns to WWE in 2020. I get fired from WWE in 2020. My dream match would never happen.
I’ve been busting my ass these past 4 years to reinvent myself. Adam is the Rated R Superstar and I’m the Self Made Superstar. I’ve been everywhere. I’ve wrestled everyone. When Adam joined @AEW in 2023, I knew my dream match was back on the table.
Last night in Canada, Adam had the Cope Open…an open challenge for his TNT Championship. I accepted. The fans didn’t forget the history. There was a HOLY SHIT chant on my god damn entrance. I may have lost but I learned even more from Adam from that match. It was a night that I’ll never forget. I finally wrestled my dream match.
Thank you Adam. Thank you @TonyKhan for the opportunity.”
.@RatedRCope vs. Matt Cardona…my dream match…finally happened last night at #AEWCollision.
When I was in high school, Edge was one of my favorite wrestlers. I’d have matches with him (an invisible version) in my bedroom or trampoline.
Him reinventing himself into the Rated R… pic.twitter.com/6Apy59XWzM
— Matt Cardona (@TheMattCardona) March 31, 2024
You can also check out some additional highlights from Saturday night’s episode of AEW Collision below:
Matt Cardona, also known as Zack Ryder, made a surprise return to the wrestling world on Saturday night’s episode of AEW Collision. He accepted Adam Copeland’s open challenge for the TNT Championship, creating a dream match for Cardona.
In a recent tweet, Cardona expressed his excitement and gratitude for the opportunity to wrestle against Copeland. He revealed that Edge, Copeland’s wrestling persona, was one of his favorite wrestlers when he was in high school. Cardona would have matches with an invisible version of Edge in his bedroom or on a trampoline. He admired Edge’s reinvention as the Rated R Superstar and became an even bigger fan.
Cardona shared a story from his early days in WWE when he and Brian Myers, known as Curt Hawkins, were struggling as The Major Brothers. They were on the verge of being fired when they came up with the idea to be Copeland’s entourage, known as the Edgeheads. Copeland took a chance on them, saved their careers, and changed their lives. They went from sitting in catering to wrestling legends like Undertaker, Batista, Ric Flair, and Shawn Michaels. Their first WrestleMania experience was being involved in the main event.
However, Cardona’s dream match with Edge seemed impossible when Copeland had to retire due to a neck injury in 2011. Cardona was eventually released from WWE in 2020, but he didn’t give up. He spent the past four years reinventing himself as the Self Made Superstar and wrestled all over the world. When Copeland joined AEW in 2023, Cardona knew his dream match was back on the table.
During the match on AEW Collision, the fans showed their appreciation for the history between Cardona and Copeland. Cardona may have lost the match, but he learned even more from Copeland and had an unforgettable night. He thanked Copeland and Tony Khan, the president of AEW, for the opportunity.
Saturday night’s episode of AEW Collision also featured other exciting highlights. The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass responded to Jay White’s home invasion, the AEW World Tag Championship Tournament quarterfinals took place, Kyle O’Reilly continued his momentum, Big Bill and Starks faced Top Flight in the tournament, Thunder Rosa faced Lady Frost, and BCC’s Danielson and Castagnoli teamed up with Shibata against Archer and The Righteous.
Overall, Matt Cardona’s surprise return and dream match on AEW Collision created a buzz among wrestling fans. It was a special moment for Cardona, who had idolized Edge during his high school years. Despite the loss, Cardona expressed his gratitude for the opportunity and the lessons he learned from Copeland.