The seeds for Matt Cardona's full-time WWE return were initially planted in September 2025 as he invaded the "WWE NXT" brand as a TNA Wrestling representative. The following month, he resurfaced once more to face "NXT" star Josh Briggs, with an appearance in WWE's "The Last Time Is Now" tournament then following in November. Come January 2026, WWE finally welcomed the former Zack Ryder back as an official member of the "WWE SmackDown" roster. I texted Triple H, 'Thank you for the opportunity.' Following his "NXT" outings, Cardona noted that his wife and active "SmackDown" star Chelsea Green put him in contact with WWE President Nick Khan.