Matt Cardona has opened up about how a key conversation involving his wife, Chelsea Green, and WWE President Nick Khan helped set the stage for his return to WWE.
Speaking on Cody Rhodes’ podcast What Do You Wanna Talk About, Cardona explained that his surprise appearance on WWE NXT in October 2025 during the TNA invasion storyline came at a time when he was not officially under contract.
“I’m working for TNA but not technically under contract,” Cardona said. “TNA does the invasion of NXT, and they asked to have me. I know I’m not under contract but I’m like, I’m going to sneak in. Sure, I’ll do it.”
That appearance proved to be a turning point. Shortly after, Green attended media events in Saudi Arabia tied to the Royal Rumble and spoke with Khan, which led to an unexpected opportunity.
“Chelsea said to Nick something like, did you see my husband wrestle on NXT?” Cardona said. “Nick said something like, I’ve always wanted to meet your husband, talk to your husband, give him my number. She gave me Nick Khan’s number. You know I’m texting immediately. And then Nick called me right there and said, what do you want? I said, I want to come back. And the ball kind of got rolling from there.”
Cardona noted that the process was not immediate and included some setbacks, but he pointed to that initial phone call as the moment things began to move forward. His return became official at the start of 2026, marking a new chapter in his WWE career.
Now part of the SmackDown roster, Cardona made it clear that his goals have not changed. He is aiming for the top prize in the company.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to be the WWE champ,” Cardona told Rhodes. “That’s the title. I think you and I are alike. We didn’t just want to be wrestlers, we didn’t just want to be WWE Superstars, we wanted to be the WWE Champion. So why not swing for it? That’s the goal ever since I was a little kid.”
After his WWE release in 2020, Cardona rebuilt his reputation on the independent scene, including standout runs in GCW. His return now places him back in a position to pursue championship success on a major stage.
Matt Cardona Credits Nick Khan Call for WWE Return
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