By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Inside the Ropes interview with guest Matt Cardona
Interview conducted by Kenny McIntosh
Available at ITRwrestling.com
On AEW making his dream match with Adam Copeland: “That was my dream match for shoot, even before I got in the business. Edge or Adam Copeland, one of my favorites of all time, that was my dream match. When I was in WWE, Zack Ryder was one of his Edgeheads, I thought for sure, ‘Oh my God, it’s gonna be Edge vs. Hawkins vs. Ryder eventually.’ Never happens. I became the Woo Woo Woo guy. I guess it’s still on the table, Zack Ryder vs. Edge, and he retires. So this dream match is never happening. He goes back to WWE. I get fired. Shit, this dream match is definitely never happening.
“But once he goes to AEW, it’s still on the table because AEW, with the forbidden door, anybody can come in and out. A few months ago he was doing his Cope Open and I shot him a text. I shot my shot. I don’t know if this has been said publicly. But I said, basically, I’m paraphrasing here, something like, ‘Gotta shoot my shot here. You got the Cope Open, this is my dream match. I would really appreciate it if you’d consider me as a challenger.’ He was really cool about it and said they were finishing up the Cope Open but if it ever happened again he’d keep me in mind.”
‘I wrote it off in my mind. Well, a couple of months went by, and all of a sudden he brings it back, and he brings it back with me. He called me on a Wednesday and said, ‘Hey, can you be at Collision on Saturday?’ I’m like, well I gotta cancel the convention but yeah, somehow, someway, I’ll be there. So I went to the convention for one day, and I made it. I got there and I had the dream match. What a special night for me on so many levels. It’s a match I never watched back because it just felt so special in that moment.
“I wouldn’t want to watch it back and start critiquing things I did to ruin the night. But getting the ‘Holy shit’ chants on my entrance, it was like what I’ve been doing is working and it’s a night I desperately needed. To see all the social media responses, I think it did good numbers on the show. And to have Adam afterwards put it over to me and on social media… What a great, great night. I’m so fortunate, so glad I was able to get that night. But I’ll tell you what, I’d love a rematch. I’d love to beat Adam Copeland.”
On why he was not offered an AEW deal: “I’m not sure [why I didn’t receive a contract]. I thought I delivered on the shows. My merch was the number one shirt of the week. At the time I was devastated that I did not get offered a contract, I absolutely was, because there was nowhere else to go and build my name. I’m sure I could have found an independent that was running with social distancing but that’s not what I wanted to do. So I wanted to wait until the world opened back up. When AEW didn’t work out for me at the time, I was absolutely devastated. Looking back, it was a blessing in disguise, but it wasn’t until the world opened up the following year that I was just dipping my toe in the independent scene, so to speak.
Whether he actually asked AEW to pay him “Sting money”: “That actually was a rumor. I don’t think I’ve ever said this publicly, but that was actually a rumor about why I didn’t get hired in AEW. Apparently—first of all, this is not true—I’m not sure if this was said but this definitely didn’t come out of my goddamn mouth: I heard one of the reasons I wasn’t signed to AEW was because I was asking for ‘Sting money’. That’s the rumor I’ve heard, which is such a ridiculous thing that I have to laugh about it. We’ve never even talked about it.”
Cardona proves being conceited is bad, being convinced is worse.