WWE could bring red-hot 37-year-old indie phenomenon back to the main roster through family ties and unfinished business

Matt Cardona, formerly known as Zack Ryder in WWE, is arguably in the prime of his career. The former Long Island Iced Z was released from the Stamford-based promotion in 2020 after a 15-year stint and has since gone on a tear on the independent scene. Throughout spells in the likes of Impact Wrestling, GCW, and NWA, the 38-year-old star has taken his career to new heights.

Whether collecting belts in five promotions or producing comedic gold on the internet with Steph De Lander (fka Persia Pirotta), Cardona's star has only continued to rise. This has led to much speculation about a potential return to the company where he made his name. He has attended multiple WWE events supporting his wife Chelsea Green, and he has teased a return multiple times himself.

The Deathmatch king has openly flirted with the possibility of a return to the company

Here are four potential ways he could return to the company after his success on the indie scene

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#4: Matt Cardona could make his WWE return by aligning with Chelsea Green

After leaving WWE, Matt Cardona had a stint in Impact Wrestling, where he teamed with his wife, newly-crowned WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Chelsea Green. They had a well-received run, sometimes teaming with Brian Myers (fka Curt Hawkins) in intergender action. The couple worked well together, proving greater than the sum of their parts.

Given that the company has shown great affinity for intergender pairings since Triple H took over, Cardona could return and align with his wife. One hopes that they would have better luck than the likes of Karrion Kross and Scarlett, Emma and Madcap Moss, and to an extent, Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae.

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#3: Matt Cardona could be reintroduced to WWE as a babyface against his real-life friends The Miz and Dolph Ziggler...

These three real-life friends could elevate each other with a reality-infused feud

It's a pretty well-known fact that Matt Cardona is close in real life to WWE stars The Miz and Dolph Ziggler. It's also a well-established tradition in the company to use these superstars as "landing opponents" for NXT call-ups and returning stars. The likes of Tommaso Ciampa, Bronson Reed, and Dexter Lumis had their first main roster feuds with either The Showoff or The A-Lister.

Ziggler or The Miz would be perfect first opponents to reintroduce Cardona to the main roster as a babyface. They would give him the perfect platform to return a conquering hero by vanquishing their underrated yet masterfully annoying heel personas.

Given their history both in real life and on-screen, these men could create magic that ends up catapulting all involved into main event runs.

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#2: ...Or real-life friend Cody Rhodes as a heel

Another real-life friend of Matt Cardona's currently on the WWE roster – albeit on the opposite side of the good-evil divide – is Cody Rhodes. The American Nightmare helped The IndyTaker meet his wife, and they have history in both WWE and AEW. In fact, the latter's entire run in the land of the Elite, however brief, was tied to Rhodes.

Imagine if he announced his return by costing Cody his SummerSlam match against Brock Lesnar or some other huge match! The ensuing feud would be just the kind of reintroduction needed to establish Cardona as a main event-level heel. Just like Seth Rollins welcomed Rhodes back to the company, The American Nightmare could pay it forward to Matt Cardona.

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#1: Matt Cardona could return to WWE in the World Heavyweight Championship scene

One of Matt Cardona's best gimmicks on the indie scene was the Belt Collector. The 37-year-old star established himself as a top star on the independent circuit by pursuing and winning lots of gold in multiple promotions. He currently holds six titles from six different promotions and is a former Impact Digital Media and NWA Worlds Heavyweight champion.

Cardona has reinvented himself as a top-level prizefighter, so what better way to reintroduce him than in the world title scene? Imagine him having a say in Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor at SummerSlam, then demanding a title shot from whoever he helps!

It would be an incredible way to not only reintroduce him as a top talent but also firmly bury his rocky history as the underutilized Zack Ryder in the past.