‘Do I Miss Peeing Outside?’ – SmackDown Star Compares Indie & WWE Experience

Published: Mar 15, 2026 by Jamie Toolan | Last Updated: Mar 15, 2026 by Jamie Toolan

Jamie has been covering the world of wrestling for four years and currently holds the position of Assistant Editor of WrestleTalk.com. During his time working for WrestleTalk.com he has written and published over 4,000 news and feature articles covering events and happenings from WWE, AEW, TNA and a variety of international and independent wrestling promotions.

WWE

A WWE star has compared his experience on the indies to WWE, reflecting on what he misses and doesn’t miss about his time competing outside the company.

The January 2, 2026 episode of Friday Night SmackDown saw Matt Cardona make his long-awaited return to WWE after almost six years away from the company.

The return came following a period of reinvention on the independent scene for the former Zack Ryder, where he transformed himself from “Long Island Iced Z” to the “Indie God” and “Deathmatch King.”

Sharing a clip from The Major Wrestling Figure Podcast on Twitter, Cardona reflected on what he “loved” about the indies and what he didn’t:

He said:

“Listen, that Ukranian Cultural Center. No locker room. Literally an alley doing push ups inches away from where I just peed. But that was indies. That was GCW and I loved it and embraced it.

“Do I miss it? Do I miss the atmosphere of the crowd? 100% Do I miss the shows? 100% Do I miss not getting to shower after a match? No. Do I miss peeing outside? No. I don’t miss any of that.

“I love being in WWE. Hot shower, catering, water bottles, stuff like that.”

If you use this transcription or any portion of it please credit WrestleTalk.com and link to this page.

Matt Cardona’s Path Back To WWE Following His 2020 Release

Matt Cardona was one of many WWE stars to be released from his contract in April 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While he would make a appearances in AEW, first in 2020 and later in 2023 and 2024, Cardona was never signed to the company and became more known for his work in promotions such as GCW, TNA Wrestling and NWA.

During this time he won a litany of championships, including the World Heavyweight Championships of GCW, NWA and House of Glory, as well as the TNA Digital Media Title, the latter of which he was only the second ever holder after Jordynne Grace.

During the latter years of his independent run, Cardona publicly expressed his wish to return to WWE, stating that he wanted to end his career in the company and finally win the WWE Championship.

Matt Cardona’s Rebrand After One-Time Zack Ryder Return

Whilst on the indies, one of the points Cardona consistently made when discussing a potential WWE return was that he wanted to retain his real name, rather than return to his former WWE name Zack Ryder.

This would come to fruition when Cardona officially rejoined the WWE roster in January 2026, however, fans were treated to the one-off return of Zack Ryder during John Cena’s Last Time is Now Tournament.

On the November 14 episode of SmackDown, Zack Ryder was a surprise opponent of LA Knight during the tournament’s first round, however, it was Knight who picked up the win and advanced.

The opening to Ryder’s old WWE theme song ‘Radio’ was played one more time when Cardona made his return on the January 2 SmackDown, but it faded out and was replaced by Cardona’s ‘Always Ready’ theme – signifying the beginning of a new era for his character and career.