Every year, the Royal Rumble is home to surprising returns, and could this be the year WWE brings back Matt Cardona, formerly known as Zack Ryder?

He will be in the same city as the 2025 Royal Rumble, Indianapolis, Indiana when the annual event goes down. Cardona booked an appearance at WrestleCon Indianapolis and took to X, formerly Twitter, to share the news with fans.

“I'll be in Indianapolis this weekend!” his post began. “Come meet me Friday & Saturday at [WrestleCon]!”

Of course, the Internet Champion could just be trolling WWE fans. They have been waiting for his return for years, and his post sent fans into a frenzy.

Fans in the comments began speculating about Cardona making a Royal Rumble appearance. The second day of WrestleCon takes place on the same day as the Rumble, so there is a chance he could make an appearance after his meet and greet.

It has been several years since Cardona was in WWE. However, his wife, Chelsea Green, is currently the Women's United States Champion. At Saturday Night's Main Event, Green became the inaugural Women's United States Champion, defeating Michin in the finals of a tournament held to crown the first champion.

Will Matt Cardona return to WWE at the Royal Rumble?

WWE fans will have to wait and see if Cardona makes an epic return at the Royal Rumble. There is a chance that he is in Indianapolis to support his wife, who will likely participate in the Women's Royal Rumble. Still, Cardona being in the city is enough to make fans go crazy with speculation.

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He is currently jumping across various independent promotions. Since being released from WWE, he has appeared in Impact Wrestling (now TNA) and All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

However, he does not appear to be under a full-time contract with either one. TNA does have a working relationship with WWE, which will likely result in a few stars crossing over during the Royal Rumble. Perhaps Cardona could be one of those.

He first joined WWE in 2005, wrestling in their developmental brand, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). Cardona and Curt Hawkins would initially begin as Edge's (now Cope) bodyguards. They would accompany him to the ring for his matches.

Eventually, Cardona would move to ECW before starting his YouTube channel. He quickly gained fame as the Internet Champion, and won his first United States Championship around this time.

Cardona would begin raising his profile, entering storylines with John Cena and Kane. However, his stock would shortly drop as he would be stuck in the midcard.

His WrestleMania moment would come in 2016 when he won the Intercontinental Championship in a ladder match. His reign would only last a day, though, as he lost it to The Miz the following night on Monday Night RAW.

The final years of Cardona's first WWE run were nothing special. He reunited with Hawkins, but they were both released from WWE in April 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It ended his 15-year career with them.