“I’m living the life, I’m busy as hell and I’m loving it.”
These are the words Matt Cardona used to describe his current run in the wrestling world and beyond in a new interview with WrestleZone’s Colin Tessier. Throughout the conversation, the reigning Internet Champion looked back on his banner year — 12 months in which he has fully stepped out of the shadow of Zack Ryder and blossomed into an entirely new performer. He became “The Deathmatch King” in Game Changer Wrestling, and in IMPACT Wrestling, he showed the world that he’s “still here” and “alwayz ready” to shine bright, even when the deck is stacked against him.
Due to this current run, in addition to his popular Major Pod Network, Matt Cardona proved that he was one of the Best For The Business in 2021. As a man who is prospering by being his own boss, Cardona is the “self-chosen one.” He has bet on himself, and this perseverance has certainly paid off. He described how it’s a cold, hard fact that only a select few wrestlers get to be the top guy. With this truth in mind, he has blazed his trail and demonstrated an entirely new way to reach genuine stardom in the industry, without the help of the big-time platform WWE and AEW offer.
“I’m just doing whatever I can,” said Cardona. I’m just doing whatever I can because I’m somebody who, you know, I wasn’t the chosen one, and that’s fine. Not everyone can be the chosen one. Not everybody can be undefeated and win all the titles and have all the big pay-per-view moments. That’s fine, I’m not complaining about that. But I am the self-chosen one. And I’m gonna do whatever it takes to be a top star in this business, whether people like it or not. I mean WWE didn’t want me, AEW didn’t want me, and that’s fine. Because I want me and I’m gonna make sure everybody else does.”
It’s easy to agree with the argument that Matt Cardona is one of, if not the hardest-working wrestler in the industry today. He continues to thrive in IMPACT Wrestling and GCW, and he added the NWA to his list of promotions at its Hard Times 2 pay-per-view. At a time when he’s flourishing more than ever, Cardona has firmly proved that no one can ever truly count him out because he’ll always come back, he’ll always keep fighting, and he’ll always be ready. Against all odds, Cardona has carved out his place as a genuine star in the wrestling world, which is why, despite his past highs, he considers 2021 the best year of his career.
“I have no problem working hard. I have no problem busting my ass. I’m not gonna sit here and say that I’m the hardest worker in professional wrestling. But I dare you to find someone who works harder than me. And you can quote that, you can clickbait that all you want baby, because I mean that 100%. I will work my f-cking ass off and it’s not always gonna be a success. Look, ten years ago, I had the YouTube show, and it was a great year. A lot of sh-t went down these ten years. Highs and lows, baby — winning the IC title at WrestleMania, getting pushed off the stage in a wheelchair and everything in between, baby.
“Nobody in this business and I mean this as well, nobody in this business, in the history of this business, has been counted out more times, whether it be by management, the boys in the back, the fans, no one’s been counted out more times and come back more times than me. I’m the cockroach of this wrestling business, you cannot get rid of me, you cannot kill me, go steal a line from Matt Hardy, I will not die, and I won’t. I’m gonna keep trying, I’m gonna keep fighting. Ten years later, I thought 2011 was the best year of my career, ten years later, it’s 2021. That’s the best year of my career, without WWE, without AEW.”
On paper, success in the wrestling world has ultimately been defined by whether one makes it to the perceived top level in major promotions like WWE and AEW. Matt Cardona previously had a memorable run in WWE; he won the Intercontinental, United States, and RAW Tag Team Championship during his time with the company. He also had a cup of coffee in AEW; he spent just over a month with the promotion after his WWE release in 2020. More than a year removed from his brief AEW run, Cardona focused on the bright side of the fact that he didn’t find a new permanent home in Tony Khan’s promotion.
After he left the company last September, he kicked off 2021 by arriving in IMPACT Wrestling, where he gradually climbed to the main event scene; he’ll challenge for the promotion’s world championship at the Hard To Kill pay-per-view on January 8. Plus, his 2021 generated plenty of major buzz when he started feuding with Nick Gage on social media; this online rivalry quickly exploded and led to an unforgettable deathmatch at GCW Homecoming in July. In this brutal battle, Cardona beat Gage and won the GCW World Championship. As a result, “The Deathmatch King” was born, and Cardona wouldn’t change a thing.
Upon reflection, Matt Cardona explained that he showed the true meaning of “Alwayz Ready” in 2021; life might go sideways and throw any number of challenges at you, but you always need to be ready to make the most of any and every opportunity that comes your way.
“It’s a blessing in disguise I got released by WWE, it’s a blessing in disguise AEW didn’t work out,” said Cardona. “Because I would have never found GCW, never found myself as the Deathmatch King and this new persona, which is really just me getting to show a different side of me. So everything happens for a reason. I don’t necessarily believe in fate but you gotta roll with the punches. You know, not everything’s gonna go according to plan.
“And I say ‘Alwayz Ready’, and it’s more than just a cute little f-cking hashtag. It’s the way I live my life, my career because when you get that opportunity, you better be always ready to deliver. And someone like me, I’m not complaining about it, but I don’t get opportunity after opportunity. So when I get one, you better be always ready.”
I plan on starting 2022 by winning the @impactwrestling World Championship at #HardToKill! #AlwayzReady #StillHere pic.twitter.com/mIGHFe5MkT
— Matt Cardona (@TheMattCardona) December 29, 2021
Looking back on the past 12 months, Matt Cardona described how he’s proud of the way he has proved his fans right by reaching new heights, both in wrestling and podcasting. Now, he’s more “creatively fulfilled” than ever, and he compared this satisfaction to the way an artist must feel when they’re given the freedom to paint a picture the way they want to. In hindsight, Cardona stated that he didn’t plan on becoming “The Deathmatch King”, but this transformation has been part of the ride on this wave.
“I don’t give a sh-t about proving people wrong,” said Cardona. “I don’t care. If I do, great. I care about proving my fans right, my supporters right, people who stuck by me through the hard times, myself right. And that’s what I feel like I did this year and then some. I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished. I’m grateful for the opportunities that IMPACT gave me, GCW, NWA, any indie who padded the lope and paid me, you know. So the wrestling aspect has been awesome. [It’s] the most creatively fulfilled I’ve ever been. And then I have the Major Pod Network, the Major Wrestling Figure Podcast, the MC! True Long Island Story podcast.
“I’m having the time of my life with that, and staying extremely busy with that. So I’m a very creative person, I just need that outlet, and I have, this whole world is my f-cking canvas right now, and I’m just painting and drawing and scribbling, doing whatever I want. And nobody can tell me that it’s not good enough. You know, I’m just doing whatever I want and being my own boss, just riding the wave. I didn’t wake up on January the first of last year and be like, how about this, in July, we’ll like have a deathmatch, and then. no. It just happened. It just happened, and that’s why, you know, this year has been so great.”
Later in the interview, Cardona explained how he’s practically too busy to book his honeymoon with Chelsea Green. Though the COVID-19 pandemic delayed their wedding, the couple finally tied the knot on New Year’s Eve. But both husband and wife will be “booked up” for the first chunk of the new year, so they’ll have to try and find the time to fully celebrate their nuptials. Still, Cardona stated that he’s “so grateful” for the way promoters want to have him. Clearly, being booked through April is a good problem to have for the busiest performer in wrestling today.
2021… pic.twitter.com/TWGvbnKDEO
— Matt Cardona (@TheMattCardona) December 29, 2021
Cardona wrapped up by thanking his fans, those who have supported him through thick and thin, spanning back to the height of the Ryder Revolution in 2011 and continuing through the low of his WWE release. He emphasized that the fans’ backing has made all of his success possible. And to those who continue to doubt him or even root against him, the Internet Champion expressed his indifference; at the end of the day, as long as they react one way or the other, they’re helping the wrestling world, which he believes is better than ever right now.
“I do wanna genuinely say thank you to all my fans who have supported me through the good times and the bad. This year has been a wild, wild ride, very similar to the 2011 YouTube run. But this one I think is even more special because man, I think we accomplished a lot more and that’s not to say that we didn’t in 2011. I say we because I didn’t just do it by myself. Yes, I did that show by myself but without the fans, without my fans, it wouldn’t have worked. The WWE wouldn’t have realized that they had to use me. But now because of my fans, the wrestling world is realizing that they have to use me. The WWE is big, but it’s not bigger than the wrestling world. So I wanna thank my fans for that.”
“For all the doubters and not-supporters of me, well, I mean I don’t care. I’m not gonna say oh, thanks doubters because no, I’m not gonna say f-ck the doubters either. Like I literally don’t care about you at all. If I can win you over, great, I’d love to have you as a fan. I’d love for you to jump ship. But if you don’t, cool. Cheer for somebody else. Boo me. I don’t care. As long as you come to a show and have fun and keep the wrestling world alive, because it’s thriving right now, it’s the best it’s ever been in my opinion, certainly in my lifetime. So I’m very excited for 2022.”
Coming off his absolutely remarkable 2021, Matt Cardona has every reason to be excited for the future, and it will be fascinating to see how he keeps being one of the Best for the Business in 2022.
Check out our full video with Matt Cardona at the top of this post, and the rest of this year’s nominees by clicking the link below:
Read More: Best For The Business 2021: Pro Wrestling’s Most Influential People, Promotions and Brands
