Zack Ryder: Former WWE Star makes AEW Debut

Archie Blade | 30/07/2020
Zack Ryder Former WWE Star makes AEW Debut

Zack Ryder: Former WWE Star makes AEW Debut. His first appearance in the promotion had him save his old friend Cody Rhodes from a post-match beating.

Cody Rhodes was scheduled to face Warhorse in a match with his TNT Championship on the line. The Challenger put in a good shift but failed to dethrone Cody as the Champion beat Warhorse via submission after locking in the figure-four lock.

After the match, Cody went to shake hands with his opponent as a sign of respect. The Dark Order made an appearance soon after. Warhorse attempted to push Cody out of the way but was soon overpowered by the pair who then launched a post-match beatdown on the TNT Champion.

Zack Ryder rescues Cody on AEW Debut

Former WWE Superstar Zack Ryder made his AEW Debut in the very same segment, coming out to the ring to save his friend Cody. After clearing out John Silver and Alex Reynolds, he ripped his shirt and yelled, “I’m here!” to the camera before checking on Cody.


Ryder, who is now known as Matt Cardona, helped the American Nightmare up on his feet, before Cody raised his rescuer’s hands to bring the segment to a close.

Cardona was a long servant of the WWE where he won numerous titles including the United States and the Intercontinental Champion. However, he could have been much more but the WWE failed to push him and ultimately brought his momentum to a halt.

He has since expressed regret over not speaking up to the management then.

Hopefully, he can still the career he once seemed destined to have in AEW. But we will have to wait and see, for now the fans can just sit back and enjoy the glorious debut.

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Post Edited By: Archie Blade
Matt Cardona Zack Ryder

About the author

Archie Blade

Archie is a WWE and UFC Editor/Author at the SportsRush. Like most combat sports enthusiasts, his passion for watching people fight began with WWE when he witnessed a young Brock Lesnar massacre Hulk Hogan back in 2002. This very passion soon branched out to boxing and mixed martial arts. Over the years he fell in love with the theatrics that preceded the bell and the poetic carnage that followed after. Each bruise a story to tell, each wound a song of struggle, his greatest desire is to be there to witness it all. His favorite wrestler is Shawn Michaels and he believes that GSP is the greatest to ever step foot inside the octagon. Apart from wrestling, he is also fond of poetry and music.

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