# Matt Cardona aka Zack Ryder debuts-signs with AEW (Thoughts??)



## Chan Hung (Dec 28, 2011)

What are your thoughts on him signing with AEW? What program do you think he will be in? Etc...?


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## TerraRising (Aug 5, 2015)

OOOH STEREO

TELL ME SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW


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## PavelGaborik (Oct 30, 2015)

He looks legitimate and can go in the ring. 

I have no issue with the signing as long as he's used as a mid carder.


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## One Shed (Jan 7, 2014)

Dude looked like Brock next to the Dark Order geeks.


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## Top bins (Jul 8, 2019)

Hate the signing. For AEW. Never a big star looks like going after all of WWE's trash. Hasn't been over since like 2010. Awful.


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## Oracle (Nov 9, 2011)

Whats Matt Cardona doing in the impact zone??


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## IronMan8 (Dec 25, 2015)

He’s a 10-year jobber for WWE, so if he wins matches in AEW, then that means AEW is the minor league.

They should push their own guys above WWE guys whenever practical.


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## K4L318 (Nov 12, 2014)

who looked jacked da fuck up.


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## RainmakerV2 (Nov 8, 2017)

Totally unnecessary.


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## deadcool (May 4, 2006)

Lheurch said:


> Dude looked like Brock next to the Dark Order geeks.


I was about to say the same thing. He looked massive.


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

I know many people will get shitty at me for bringing this stat up but AEW has not had a non WWE guy in their main event for 5 months now. They are coming off as the place that the WWE castaways go off to for a final payday similar to how football/soccer players head off to countries like Australia, China, India, South Korea, United States etc when their European careers are over. However, even the football teams know that you only want a couple of the ageing veterans to work with your youngsters as opposed to filling your squad with Euro castaways.

People compare it to TNA (Including in this very thread) but at least when TNA was signing up the WWE guys they were generally filling spots that needed to be filled. For example, one story line they needed a big bodyguard type so they brought Test from WWE in for a couple months and the other team I believe got Rikishi on their side to even the odds. Rikishi lasted even less than Test if I recall correctly.

TNA also had a great midcard whilst AEW does really not. It really makes AEW look like another brand of the WWE and unfortunately it's become All Friends Wrestling.


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## Hephaesteus (Aug 20, 2018)

Im more wondering what took them so long. We all knew that this is where he was going to wind up


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## alex0816 (Jul 27, 2011)

don't care


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## Unityring (Jun 25, 2020)

That finisher of his is horrendous lol


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

Hephaesteus said:


> Im more wondering what took them so long. We all knew that this is where he was going to wind up


WWE has a 90 day non compete. I think that just finished up last week.


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## Danielallen1410 (Nov 21, 2016)

im not bothered whether they come from wwe or not, I care about how they are presented in aew so let’s see.


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## K4L318 (Nov 12, 2014)

Chip Chipperson said:


> WWE has a 90 day non compete. I think that just finished up last week.


dat signing is good doh.


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## Hephaesteus (Aug 20, 2018)

Chip Chipperson said:


> I know many people will get shitty at me for bringing this stat up but AEW has not had a non WWE guy in their main event for 5 months now. They are coming off as the place that the WWE castaways go off to for a final payday similar to how football/soccer players head off to countries like Australia, China, India, South Korea, United States etc when their European careers are over. However, even the football teams know that you only want a couple of the ageing veterans to work with your youngsters as opposed to filling your squad with Euro castaways.
> 
> People compare it to TNA (Including in this very thread) but at least when TNA was signing up the WWE guys they were generally filling spots that needed to be filled. For example, one story line they needed a big bodyguard type so they brought Test from WWE in for a couple months and the other team I believe got Rikishi on their side to even the odds. Rikishi lasted even less than Test if I recall correctly.
> 
> TNA also had a great midcard whilst AEW does really not. It really makes AEW look like another brand of the WWE and unfortunately it's become All Friends Wrestling.


Despite all this, it currently seems to be working for them. Hire people experienced in the big leagues let them work the main events until your homed growns can take over. Not the worst plan in the world


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

Hephaesteus said:


> Despite all this, it currently seems to be working for them. Hire people experienced in the big leagues let them work the main events until your homed growns can take over. Not the worst plan in the world


Sure but how many of these young homegrown talents are working with and learning from the stars? This isn't WWE where if you're feuding with a star you're working with them on a house show loop 3-4 times a week and really getting an education every night this is AEW where you might work with the big star once or twice and that's it before falling back down to the midcard.


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## spiderguy252000 (Aug 31, 2016)

I’m not a fan of the signing at all... BUT.... I might be ok with it if next week Cody starts the match and never gets a tag in and eventually loses the match. It’s revealed either during the match or after that Matt Cardona signed and is actually in Dark Order. They keep saying that the Dark Order is “everywhere” and this would be an interesting route to take. I still wouldn’t be crazy about it, but it’d be interesting and give the seemingly random Dark Order attack meaning. As of now they just attacked Cody so that Matt had a reason for A run in.


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## MarkOfAllMarks (Apr 7, 2018)

Unityring said:


> That finisher of his is horrendous lol


It's not bad.


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## Hephaesteus (Aug 20, 2018)

Chip Chipperson said:


> Sure but how many of these young homegrown talents are working with and learning from the stars? This isn't WWE where if you're feuding with a star you're working with them on a house show loop 3-4 times a week and really getting an education every night this is AEW where you might work with the big star once or twice and that's it before falling back down to the midcard.


Thats why you give them a couple of years of seasoning. That being said, they really need to stop having their main eventers wasting time with the likes of cassidy, sonny kiss, and similar flash in the pan personalities


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## La Parka (Oct 28, 2008)

Not a terrible guy to have on most rosters. When you already have 15-20 job guys on your roster, there really isn't a need for Ryder. 


Maybe this will lead to AEW cutting some dead weight.


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## Garty (Jul 29, 2007)

Even though it was pretty obvious that he was going to be signing with AEW, but after Myers quick promos over in Impact the past few weeks. I thought, just maybe, Cardona would have had his promo the week after Myers.

I've never really cared much for Cardona and his 10+ year gimmick was beyond worn out. The "Jersey Shore" craze died a long time ago and besides, I thought Robbie E over on Impact/TNA, was the better of the two "Bros."

I must point out though, it looked like he added about 25-35 pounds of muscle to his physique. I couldn't believe how big his upper body looked and it actually took me a few seconds to figure out who it was. However, can he overcome his mostly "jobber" past, to now, being bigger and better in AEW? Time will tell and at least he's in the right promotion, to do just that.


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## Botchy SinCara (Apr 24, 2013)

Same shit different posts 

It's always either aew misses out on talent or when they do sign someone from wwe they are just tna 2.0 .. literally everyone has been in wwe at this point ..not many you can sign that haven't been


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## Hotdiggity11 (Aug 24, 2006)

Looks like he hoped on the 3 month "training" cycle if ya know what I mean. Regardless of how he looks, shouldn't rise above mid-carder. Winning the occasional feud or match will be fine as his peak.





Unityring said:


> That finisher of his is horrendous lol



Yeah, he needs to move away from that WWE jobber "finisher."


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## Not Lying (Sep 9, 2013)

Happy for Matt. He definitely knows how to get in the business, he looks incredible, he's looked great for a few years now but never got opportunities in WWE. Happy to see what he can do in AEW. 



Chip Chipperson said:


> I know many people will get shitty at me for bringing this stat up but AEW has not had a non WWE guy in their main event for 5 months now.


Didn't Omega/Page vs Best Friends main event a few weeks ago?

And btw I find this is the stupidest complaint on AEW that I see. Jericho, Moxley, Cody are the biggest stars they have, they should be main eventing. And The fact you consider Cody of all people a "WWE guy" is ridiculous.

This week you had 3/4 people in the main event NOT on WWE TV before. But nah, anyway to make AEW look bad..


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## DarkMyau (Jun 22, 2020)

I have doubts that he will draw enough money to cover his contract.


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## JeSeGaN (Jun 5, 2018)

Meh.

He's an eternal mid-carder at best. I see no reason to get excited over him.


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## Dizzie (Jun 22, 2019)

Chip Chipperson said:


> I know many people will get shitty at me for bringing this stat up but AEW has not had a non WWE guy in their main event for 5 months now. They are coming off as the place that the WWE castaways go off to for a final payday similar to how football/soccer players head off to countries like Australia, China, India, South Korea, United States etc when their European careers are over. However, even the football teams know that you only want a couple of the ageing veterans to work with your youngsters as opposed to filling your squad with Euro castaways.
> 
> People compare it to TNA (Including in this very thread) but at least when TNA was signing up the WWE guys they were generally filling spots that needed to be filled. For example, one story line they needed a big bodyguard type so they brought Test from WWE in for a couple months and the other team I believe got Rikishi on their side to even the odds. Rikishi lasted even less than Test if I recall correctly.
> 
> TNA also had a great midcard whilst AEW does really not. It really makes AEW look like another brand of the WWE and unfortunately it's become All Friends Wrestling.


Brian cage was in the main event recently?

Not happy about this signing, dont care what people say this guy has been like 15 year jobber in wwe, it's this nepotism bs that turn fans away including myself who is already sitting on the fence as to whether I want really follow this promotion or not.


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## rbl85 (Nov 21, 2017)

It's not the WWE here.....

It's not because you weren't a main eventer in WWE that you can't be a main eventer in AEW.

Cody never was a main eventer in the WWE, yet is kind of the face of AEW

I find weird to use the "he was a midcarder in the WWE so that means he's a midcarder for life"

Do i have to remind you that the WWE didn't even think MJF was worth recruting ?


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## Optikk is All Elite (Sep 5, 2007)

Guy looked JACKED. If it’s good for business then ok, but we have enough talent now !!!! Enough.


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## rbl85 (Nov 21, 2017)

I'm sorry but for me he have the look of a main eventer.


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## TD Stinger (May 9, 2012)

Ryder was always a guy to me in WWE that had good size and was solid in the ring and comfortable on the mic. And while I don't think he should have been a main eventer in WWE, he could have done far more.

He looks great from what I saw last night and I hope he can do some good in AEW. I just hope his run goes better than Cody's other friiend's run Spears.


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## Freezer Geezer (Jul 15, 2020)

I have a feeling Cardona is going to surprise a lot of us. I've got a Christian Cage sort of feeling, not too sure why. May be way off though. Wait and see I guess.


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## Optikk is All Elite (Sep 5, 2007)

Freezer Geezer said:


> I have a feeling Cardona is going to surprise a lot of us. I've got a Christian Cage sort of feeling, not too sure why. May be way off though. Wait and see I guess.


I get where you’re coming from. He’s got the charisma for it. He hasn’t had a proper chance in WWE. Who knows


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## Oracle (Nov 9, 2011)

rbl85 said:


> I'm sorry but for me he have the look of a main eventer.


Well your opinion on anything AEW is pretty poor so i wouldnt trust your judgement of talent. 

Leave that to us witty folk.


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## Freezer Geezer (Jul 15, 2020)

optikk sucks said:


> I get where you’re coming from. He’s got the charisma for it. He hasn’t had a proper chance in WWE. Who knows


Yep, he's always been one I've thought was capable of a lot more due to the charisma he has. I could be wrong but the Page/FTR and Omega/Bucks storyline felt a bit off for me due to Cody having nobody to go against once they pull the trigger on that feud. Cardona feels like he will fit perfectly within the storyline overlap to me. 4 vs 4. I might be off on the above but it feels like everything is beginning to unravel now.


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## rbl85 (Nov 21, 2017)

Oracle said:


> *Well your opinion on anything AEW is pretty poor so i wouldnt trust your judgement of talent.*
> 
> Leave that to us witty folk.


Maybe you are the one with a pretty poor opinion.


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## Optikk is All Elite (Sep 5, 2007)

Oracle said:


> Well your opinion on anything AEW is pretty poor so i wouldnt trust your judgement of talent.
> 
> Leave that to us witty folk.


Why do people resort to talking down to others when their opinions don’t match?


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## Geeee (Aug 9, 2010)

I've always felt like Cardona was underused by WWE. However, he's been underused for so long, who knows if he can get back to the level he was at when he was one of the most over acts in wrestling.

Overall, I like this signing better than the Matt Hardy one because there's a glimmer of potential there


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## Speedy McFist (Jun 23, 2018)

Is AEW worth watching ?


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## RiverFenix (Dec 10, 2011)

He needs to chance his wrestling style to be a more big man/power based guy. Matt was always going to be hired for the same reason Colt was always going to be hired - without either there would be no Young Bucks. Cardona's Z! True Long Island Story was ground breaking at the time. Paved the way for all the indie vloggers wrestling you have now and certainly Being the Elite. Pro-Wrestling Tees and Z! True Long Island Story made indie wrestling a viable struggling artist career. 

Matt never settled and got himself over in spite of WWE. 

BUT how much of that was because he was rebelling against the system holding him down and how can he keep that rebel mentality now out of WWE with no evil McMahon machine keeping him in chains? It's like the Bucks being the indie for life outsiders now ultimate insiders as EVP's. 

He's never been all that good in-ring. But that can change now as I mentioned above given his size in AEW he can work a big man style. He should really work a Randy Orton style.

I mean I get he has a history with Cody and all but bloody hell did we need another angle with Cody making sure he's front and center with?

He can't be woo-woo-woo Broski Zack Ryder. He's not 24 yrs old anymore. I don't think he should be a heel though either because all the recent debuts are heels and AEW is desperate for upper card singles faces. Mox and Cody and then who? Even when Omega/Page break up one is going heel it seems. I guess Hardy did debut as a face, but he's crud. Archer, Brodie, Cage have all been heels. 

What are matches you want to see with Cardona - that is another issue. He's not a workrate guy so he'll need storylines to sell his matches. 

He deserves this shot but I'm worried he'll end up Shawn Spears. In a non COVID world where he was still released I think he'd have been better off doing the indies for a year.


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## Geeee (Aug 9, 2010)

One thing I like about it is that Matt has a good chance of trying something new and innovative instead of going out there and playing the greatest hits


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## Erik. (Mar 17, 2014)

He looked great.

Good luck to him.


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

rbl85 said:


> It's not the WWE here.....
> 
> *It's not because you weren't a main eventer in WWE that you can't be a main eventer in AEW.*
> 
> ...


This line of thinking holds no weight yet. Cody is one of the bosses. But for the guys with no power as of yet no WWE guy that wasn't a main eventer has actually risen to that level. Spears hasn't, Brodie hasn't, Dustin hasn't, Hager hasn't, and Matt Hardy hasn't. There's no reason to believe Matt C will rise to the main event. That said it's a fine signing



Speedy McFist said:


> Is AEW worth watching ?


Yes it's solid wrestling every week.


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## Speedy McFist (Jun 23, 2018)

RapShepard said:


> Yes it's solid wrestling every week.


I have to check it out then.


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

Botchy SinCara said:


> Same shit different posts
> 
> It's always either aew misses out on talent or when they do sign someone from wwe they are just tna 2.0 .. literally everyone has been in wwe at this point ..not many you can sign that haven't been


I don't know how many times I have to repeat myself but it's simple.

- If it's someone who really didn't get a fair shake in WWE but has obvious potential then sign them up and put them on TV (Archer, FTR, PAC)

- If it's someone who is a really big star and brings eyeballs to the TV screen then sign them up and put them on TV but also use them to help get the younger talent over (Jericho, Moxley, Cody)

- If it's someone who has already done the best they ever will do in WWE (Ryder, Vickie, Brodie, Dustin, Hardy, Hager, JR, Spears, Brandi, Leva Bates etc) then just don't bother with them. A couple of guys are fine just to round out the midcard but when you have 10+ floundering ex WWE guys running around it's off putting and makes you look like another brand of WWE.

It's not TNA 2.0 because generally TNA knew how to use these guys upon signing them.



The Definition of Technician said:


> Didn't Omega/Page vs Best Friends main event a few weeks ago?
> 
> And btw I find this is the stupidest complaint on AEW that I see. Jericho, Moxley, Cody are the biggest stars they have, they should be main eventing. And The fact you consider Cody of all people a "WWE guy" is ridiculous.
> 
> This week you had 3/4 people in the main event NOT on WWE TV before. But nah, anyway to make AEW look bad..


It did. Trent was on the main roster of WWE for 3 years mainly on Smackdown and if you want to count developmental (I generally don't) it's an additional 2 years on top of that. If you want to get super technical Kenny Omega was also under WWE developmental contract way back in 2006 at Deep South Wrestling but I don't really see him as former WWE. Trent though? Yes.

Again, as I've responded to the person above it's not a problem that Jericho, Moxley and Cody are in the main events most weeks but no non WWE guy Vs non WWE guy in a main event since February? Come on now. 

People love to shit on TNA but at least in their first year they had plenty of AJ Styles and Low Ki main events to give off the vibe that they were indeed different.




optikk sucks said:


> Why do people resort to talking down to others when their opinions don’t match?


You literally do this every week when the Thursday ratings come out. I imagine you will do it tomorrow also...


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## ProjectGargano (Apr 7, 2018)

So if they sign indie guys you all say "stop signing indie shit" and if they sign ex-wwe guys you say "stop signing WWE guys". Is this?


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

ProjectGargano said:


> So if they sign indie guys you all say "stop signing indie shit" and if they sign ex-wwe guys you say "stop signing WWE guys". Is this?


Here's an idea. Sign good indy guys.

Eddie Kingston came out on your TV and blew everyone away but thus far no contract for him. Meanwhile Marko Stunt has a job. Ridiculous.


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## Jersey (Jun 24, 2014)

Hopefully he drops the Jersey shore gimmick.


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## Freezer Geezer (Jul 15, 2020)

Chip Chipperson said:


> *Here's an idea. Sign good indy guys.*
> 
> Eddie Kingston came out on your TV and blew everyone away but thus far no contract for him. Meanwhile Marko Stunt has a job. Ridiculous.


I mean, they do. But given what you've said is a matter of opinion and subjective, you'll choose to bitch about even "good" indy guys when they don't quite provide the brand of wrestling you like. They cannot win with folk like you.

In regards to Marko Stunt. You're comparing a guy that would be in the midcard with what is essentially a cheerleader and occasional jobber. Do you really want them to replace Marko Stunt with Eddie Kingston? So that Kingston can fulfill his spot? Odd.


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## EmbassyForever (Dec 29, 2011)

Don't mind him, he's a solid talent and in the best shape of his life.

But right now AEW's roster is LOADED, and they keep hiring. Hopefully when things are back to normal they'll let go of 20% of the roster.


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## Cooper09 (Aug 24, 2016)

Another WWE loser who'll get a big time push in AEW.


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## Freelancer (Aug 24, 2010)

I'm an AEW mark, but I don't think they should of signed him.


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

Freezer Geezer said:


> I mean, they do. But given what you've said is a matter of opinion and subjective, you'll choose to bitch about even "good" indy guys when they don't quite provide the brand of wrestling you like. They cannot win with folk like you.


You've been here 15 days how would you know that?

Who have they signed recently that is a good indy guy? They took Starks who I praised them for signing. The rest have been ex WWE guys or awful green independent guys that should be nowhere near TV.



Freezer Geezer said:


> In regards to Marko Stunt. You're comparing a guy that would be in the midcard with what is essentially a cheerleader and occasional jobber. Do you really want them to replace Marko Stunt with Eddie Kingston? So that Kingston can fulfill his spot? Odd.


Marko's 2020 record is 9-8 and he's wrestled some pretty major names in AEW such as Archer, Brodie, Elite, Jericho, Lucha Brothers and MJF. Sure, he jobbed to a few of those guys but he had competitive matches with the bigger names on the list.

Face facts, Marko Stunt is a midcard act and so is Eddie Kingston. You could sack Marko and Joey Janela and use their salary to sign Eddie Kingston to a contract.


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## Freezer Geezer (Jul 15, 2020)

Chip Chipperson said:


> You've been here 15 days how would you know that?
> 
> Who have they signed recently that is a good indy guy? They took Starks who I praised them for signing. The rest have been ex WWE guys or awful green independent guys that should be nowhere near TV.
> 
> ...


As I've said on the other thread, I've been here before. Not a secret and not something I care about you or others knowing. I lost access to my previous account, and re-registered. No conspiracy my friend.

You're moving the goal posts. Signed recently doesn't matter when you literally said, they don't sign good indy guys. They've signed Guevara, Allin, Starks, MJF, Santana, Ortiz, Wardlow amongst others that are "good indy guys". There is only room for so many signings, the fact that the majority of those signed recently are ex-WWE doesn't mean much at all when those signed have ability to be utilised on the show in a different way. They can't just do a WWE and hoover up all the good talent available when there is little room for manoeuvre. They've signed a few ex WWE guys recently to add a little bit in certain areas where they see value. They haven't gone full TNA.

Stunt is so clearly not a midcard act, he's a sideshow in a mid-card act. He's quite clearly the cheerleader of the team, when that stable gets broken up do you think he remains a mid-card act? You're arguing for removal of Stunt for Kingston when he's literally a footnote in a stable. If that's what you want for a talent like Kingston then sure I guess. But I'm not sure there's room at this moment for a singles guy like Kingston in the mid-card. In the future maybe,but right now I don't believe so.

They've signed Lance Archer and Brian Cage from the indies recently too. It's a pretty even mix, which given WWE's love for hoovering up talent from elsewhere, saying no to ex WWE talent would be rather stupid.

Ivelisse and Diamante seem pretty good to me too, from the indies.


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## TKO Wrestling (Jun 26, 2018)

Last nights main event was Mox and 3 Indy guys. The focus ended on Mox v Indy guy next week. Jericho is feuding with a top Indy guy. And the best part of the entire show was a promo by a non WWE guy.

with that said, I am down for any WWE guy that fits. I just don’t like Zach Ryder lmao.Hopefully I change on that, the way they used Matt Hardy last night gave me hope.


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## Dizzie (Jun 22, 2019)

Why should cardona get a fair break, nobody put a gun to his head and forced him to stay with wwe for a decade after vince screwed him over when he actually got himself over, I have little sympathy for guys that are happy settle for mediocrity in return for a decent wage.


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## Carter84 (Feb 4, 2018)

*As long as there's no woo woo, or that stupid hand sign he done last night then, let's see, looked like he has been smashing the protein shakes or Juice , looked huge did he .*


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## Prized Fighter (Aug 31, 2016)

Cardona is in great shape, is tv ready, has a pretty creative mind with a built in fanbase and has needed a reboot for years. I don't mind the signing. Drew McIntyre was a jobber when he left WWE too, but getting in great shape and changing his character on the indies made a world of difference. Given the right circumstances, Cardona could do well. Maybe not world champion level, but he could be someone that adds upper mid card value.


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## Asuka842 (Jul 19, 2016)

1. He's in great shape, he looked ripped.

2. Just because WWE underused him doesn't mean he ahouln't get a shot here. If it works, awesome, if it doesn't, well at least they can say they tried.

3. I'm just waiting for him to turn on Cody at some point.


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

Freezer Geezer said:


> They've signed Lance Archer and Brian Cage from the indies recently too. It's a pretty even mix, which given WWE's love for hoovering up talent from elsewhere, saying no to ex WWE talent would be rather stupid.
> 
> Ivelisse and Diamante seem pretty good to me too, from the indies.


Brian Cage barely. He was with Impact which I class as one of the biggest indies in the United States but many people don't count them as indy due to being on national television and before that Lucha Underground which was also national. He was also under a WWE developmental contract at one point so indy guy is a bit of a stretch

Archer was not an indy guy either. Dude had been part of a national wrestling company in some capacity since 2004. TNA from 2004-2008, WWE from 2009-2010, New Japan 2011-2014 and 2017-2020 plus also NOAH for 2 years in 2015-2016.



TKO Wrestling said:


> Last nights main event was Mox and 3 Indy guys. The focus ended on Mox v Indy guy next week. Jericho is feuding with a top Indy guy. And the best part of the entire show was a promo by a non WWE guy.
> 
> with that said, I am down for any WWE guy that fits. I just don’t like Zach Ryder lmao.Hopefully I change on that, the way they used Matt Hardy last night gave me hope.


Out of all the matches on this weeks Dynamite the only one that didn't feature a formerly WWE contracted wrestler was Diamante Vs Shida.


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## Undertaker23RKO (Jun 11, 2011)

La Parka said:


> Not a terrible guy to have on most rosters. When you already have 15-20 job guys on your roster, there really isn't a need for Ryder.
> 
> 
> Maybe this will lead to AEW cutting some dead weight.


This.


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## yeahright2 (Feb 11, 2011)

Matt Cardona is a great signing. He has proven that he can get himself over, even in a micromanaged environment like WWE (and was buried as a result), there´s no reason why he can´t do it again. And he´s by no means a small guy.. he just looked that way in WWE´s land of giants.
Cameron on the other hand.. What´s the point of signing her?


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## Optikk is All Elite (Sep 5, 2007)

Asuka842 said:


> 3. I'm just waiting for him to turn on Cody at some point.


we've seen enough of this. time for cody to turn on his friend.


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## shandcraig (Mar 23, 2008)

These guys are so stuck in the wwe system that they dont see to understand character development and story telling. Hes just going to be exactly what he was in wwe because i dont think he knows how to be anything else. Im always happy to see someone entirely change and prove me wrong but i just dont see it. Someone like EC3 was hardly in wwe at all and left and truly had a chance to be what makes him great,So of course ill give this guy a chance to prove that too but i dont see it but hopefully im wrong. A lot of the wwe guys seem to be getting beat by miles from these younger break out independent stars when it comes to creating a character and not being this boring wwe cookie cutter imagine .
Like i said i hope im wrong.We're still waiting for Spears to "GET IT "

He most def deserves a shot though and lets hope its good!


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

yeahright2 said:


> Matt Cardona is a great signing. He has proven that he can get himself over, even in a micromanaged environment like WWE (and was buried as a result), there´s no reason why he can´t do it again.


AEW's creative is the reason. I heard the same thing about Brodie Lee and how he will flourish once he has his creative freedom and is out of the micromanaged WWE. Look at him now.


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## Gibbs0102 (Oct 15, 2019)

Seriously don’t get why people are bothered about if he is a former wwe superstar or jobbed out for wwe Austin wasn’t utilised by wcw went in to be one of the biggest superstars ever just because they aren’t a big hit in one company doesn’t mean they can’t be more useful in another 

And I’m not saying he will be a big superstar like Austin


----------



## yeahright2 (Feb 11, 2011)

Chip Chipperson said:


> AEW's creative is the reason. I heard the same thing about Brodie Lee and how he will flourish once he has his creative freedom and is out of the micromanaged WWE. Look at him now.


Well, like I said, Matt has proven he can get over despite the odds. Brodie Lee (Luke Harper) didn´t accomplish anything, his IC title reign is among one of the most forgettable reigns ever.
So I´m hopeful


----------



## Prosper (Mar 25, 2015)

I don’t mind the signing. Don’t care for this whole “Too many WWE guys!!!” kick that some of you have been on. He can be good for the mid card and is a solid talent.


----------



## SparrowPrime (Jan 3, 2012)

I dont mind Cardona being brought in. But AEW needs to cut at least 8 to 10 Talent. The bottom 10% can easily be let go. Too much talent for a 2 hour show. I mean what is Peter Avalon doing? Angelico, jack Evans, etc. Do we really need john silvers and Alex Reynolds?


----------



## rbl85 (Nov 21, 2017)

SparrowPrime said:


> I dont mind Cardona being brought in. But AEW needs to cut at least 8 to 10 Talent. The bottom 10% can easily be let go. Too much talent for a 2 hour show. I mean what is Peter Avalon doing? Angelico, jack Evans, etc. Do we really need john silvers and Alex Reynolds?


That's maybe why they're going to have a "third hour"


----------



## Not Lying (Sep 9, 2013)

Chip Chipperson said:


> It did. Trent was on the main roster of WWE for 3 years mainly on Smackdown and if you want to count developmental (I generally don't) it's an additional 2 years on top of that. If you want to get super technical Kenny Omega was also under WWE developmental contract way back in 2006 at Deep South Wrestling but I don't really see him as former WWE. Trent though? Yes.
> 
> Again, as I've responded to the person above it's not a problem that Jericho, Moxley and Cody are in the main events most weeks but no non WWE guy Vs non WWE guy in a main event since February? Come on now.
> 
> People love to shit on TNA but at least in their first year they had plenty of AJ Styles and Low Ki main events to give off the vibe that they were indeed different.


You can't be fucking serious lmao. You think people are going to see that tag match and thinnk "OMG THAT'S TRENT WHO WAS IN WWE 10 YEARS AGO, LOL THIS COMPANY IS 2ND RATE?"

no. Nobody gave a fuck about Trent then, and he's built himself in AEW.
Cody too.
Moxley should always main event.

This is the worst nitpicking and worst possible thing to complain about I have read so far.

What's next? Oh Sammy was seen once in the crowd when he was 5 on WWE TV?? Must be a WWE reject.


----------



## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

The Definition of Technician said:


> You can't be fucking serious lmao. You think people are going to see that tag match and thinnk "OMG THAT'S TRENT WHO WAS IN WWE 10 YEARS AGO, LOL THIS COMPANY IS 2ND RATE?"
> 
> no. Nobody gave a fuck about Trent then, and he's built himself in AEW.
> Cody too.
> ...


No, I'm simply suggesting it's too many WWE guys. Trent isn't really a concern but when you have Matt Hardy, Dustin Rhodes, Chris Jericho, Cody, Arn Anderson, JR, Taz, Schiavone, Tully, Vickie Guerrero, Zack Ryder, Moxley, Brodie Lee and countless others it kind of looks like the place where ex WWE guys go for a final pay day. Especially since all bar Cody, Moxley and Ryder are 40+

I mentioned football before. When star players hit mid thirties, slow down and no longer can compete as good as they once could they head off to Asia, Australia and North America to get one or two more big final paydays before calling it a career. Sometimes they do awesome, sometimes they do shitty and sometimes they're simply solid. AEW is coming across as one of the leagues in Asia, Australia or North America where the big name European stars go when they're not good enough for the big leagues anymore.

You can call it a nitpick but for the casual wrestling fan if they saw All Elite Wrestling on their TV guide and watched it only to see all those guys they would assume that it's either another brand of WWE or the wrestling show where they finish up.


----------



## Not Lying (Sep 9, 2013)

Chip Chipperson said:


> No, I'm simply suggesting it's too many WWE guys. Trent isn't really a concern but when you have Matt Hardy, Dustin Rhodes, Chris Jericho, Cody, A*rn Anderson, JR, Taz, Schiavone, Tully, Vickie Guerrero,* Zack Ryder, Moxley, Brodie Lee and countless others it kind of looks like the place where ex WWE guys go for a final pay day. Especially since all bar Cody, Moxley and Ryder are 40+


All those are personalities who were probably getting paid too much in WWE, they're probably getting paid their value in AEW. Plus, Tully, Arn, and Schiavone, those 3 particularly, haven't been seen in years.

Plus, Cody is an EVP of the company, like he's more synonymous with AEW than WWE. Cody was nothing but a mid-card forgettable act in WWE.

Plus it's the weird focus on "no main event featured AEW original' complaint I find ridiculous, as I said, Jericho Cody and Mox should be main eventing every show as they are the biggest names. If 3/4 guys in the main event weren't on WWE, it's ridiculous to complain that only 1 was, when he's the world champion.



> I mentioned football before. When star players hit mid thirties, slow down and no longer can compete as good as they once could they head off to Asia, Australia and North America to get one or two more big final paydays before calling it a career. Sometimes they do awesome, sometimes they do shitty and sometimes they're simply solid. AEW is coming across as one of the leagues in Asia, Australia or North America where the big name European stars go when they're not good enough for the big leagues anymore.
> 
> You can call it a nitpick but for the casual wrestling fan if they saw All Elite Wrestling on their TV guide and watched it only to see all those guys they would assume that it's either another brand of WWE or the wrestling show where they finish up.


lol man that's just so wrong.
Yesterday's episode had 5 out of 22 wrestlers ex WWE (not counting Omega but counting Trent, which I shouldn't really) compete to wrestle, and sure add the 2 Matt's appearances and we're at 7 of 24. So a bit more than 25%.
Considering it's Moxley, Jericho, Cody make almost almost half those 25%, I'm ok with what I see from AEW.
It's mostly original.

It actually feels like a real wrestling company that respects its legends, and that's why you have many of them.
Those guys are pro wrestling. They aren't trying to be "sportz entertainers"/


----------



## Sex Ferguson (Feb 7, 2013)

Not a fan at all. He’s terrible, adds nothing to the roster. Another former wwe guy zzzzzzzz 
Only hired due to being Cody’s pal


----------



## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

The Definition of Technician said:


> All those are personalities who were probably getting paid too much in WWE, they're probably getting paid their value in AEW. Plus, Tully, Arn, and Schiavone, those 3 particularly, haven't been seen in years.
> 
> Plus, Cody is an EVP of the company, like he's more synonymous with AEW than WWE. Cody was nothing but a mid-card forgettable act in WWE.
> 
> ...


It doesn't matter what they were getting paid and what they're getting paid now. Again, it's the image it projects to the audience which is AEW is the wrestling league people go to when WWE doesn't want them anymore.

Cody might be more synonymous with AEW than WWE for you but to most wrestling fans they know Cody from WWE most likely as part of that group with Randy Orton or when he was running around with that mask on. Jericho, Cody and Mox should be main eventing most shows but are you telling me something like Jungle Boy Vs MJF couldn't main event Dynamite?

In regards to WWE guys on yesterdays show:

Announcers: 4 (JR, Taz, Schiavone, Justin Roberts)

Opening match: 4 (Jericho, Hager, Trent, interference by Matt Hardy)

Second match: 3 (Cody, Arn Anderson, Zack Ryder)

Backstage segment: 2 (FTR) (Arn Anderson was also involved)

Third match: 2 (Brodie Lee and Colt Cabana both involved in the segment but not the match)

Backstage segment 3: 2 (Cameron, Vickie Guerrero)

Main Event: 1 (Moxley)

Total: 18 former WWE contracted talents on the show and I'm being nice by not counting Brian Cage (2 years in development) or Dasha Gonzalez (Contracted to WWE for 5 years). I'm also not counting things like Arn Anderson or Chris Jericho appearing multiple times which would even further prove my point.

---

Do you see my point now? It sounds like WWE, it looks like WWE, they've got 18 former WWE guys/girls on a 2 hour show, both of their champions are former WWE stars etc etc.


----------



## CenaBoy4Life (Jul 31, 2013)

just awful stuff.You bring in this D list wwe jobber and pair him with someone completely unlikable like Cody that cant decide if hes face or heel. There goes any interest or fan support.

this reeks of tna bringing in orlando jordan and val venis.


----------



## JBLGOAT (Mar 24, 2014)

How many former WWE stars did WCW when they were winning the MNW?


----------



## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

JBLGOAT said:


> How many former WWE stars did WCW when they were winning the MNW?


Again, that's different. WCW took the biggest stars in the history of wrestling to bolster their roster up which I've said is smart business. If John Cena was willing and open to returning to wrestling full time with AEW I wouldn't say "Don't sign him because it makes you look like WWE lite". However, the likes of Ryder are talents that could easily be passed on.

Also, just for comparison sake:

Former WWF stars on Starrcade 1995 (WCW's first few months of Nitro): 3 (Luger, Savage and if you count him Flair. Easy to argue that Flair is an NWA/WCW star though as was Luger really but I'll be generous and say 3)

Former WWE stars on AEW Double Or Nothing (Their last actual PPV): 15 (Trent, Taz, Cabana, Cody, Arn, Archer, Jake, Dustin, Brandi, Spears, Moxley, Brodie, Jericho, Hager, Hardy)


----------



## Dizzie (Jun 22, 2019)

I think in terms of he whole debate of aew signing supposed ex wwe guys, each case should be judged on it's own merit.

I cant buy the idea of grouping arn, tully and schiavone as wwe, when you think of these guys you dont think wwe, you think nwa and wcw.

The issue with cardona is he has been a wwe lifer and treated like a jobber before they dumped him and its extremely hard to not see him as a flat out wwe jobber reject.

cases like ec3, ftr and miro are different imo, miro was running down his contract anyway and was always booked relatively strong in wwe and can still be brought as a star in another promotion.

Ec3 made a name for himself in tna and proved he could be presented as a star and was very clearly completely shafted by wwe but luckily he didnt stick around for too long to leave a long lasting negative impression. 

Everyone could see the talent ftr had and they weren't going to put up with wwe's booking and wanted to be released and came out of it with a strong image in tact and viewed as a valuable tag team for any promotion.


----------



## TheDraw (Jun 27, 2019)

Zack Ryder is meh talent overall. Just another Brodi Lee.


----------



## SZilla25 (Sep 1, 2016)

He wasn't my most sought after, that's for sure. From the recent WWE departures, I really would've preferred an EC3 or a Rusev (still no word on that one though), but to Cardona's credit, he was creative enough to get himself over despite the machine being fully against him and his jobbing out is really not his fault at all. Plus, he's clearly dedicated to wrestling. If he had left on his own merits once AEW was announced and not after being fired from WWE, I think it'd come off as a better get, as it wouldn't make it seem like he was happy "coasting."


----------



## Jokerface17 (Feb 22, 2016)

Chip Chipperson said:


> It doesn't matter what they were getting paid and what they're getting paid now. Again, it's the image it projects to the audience which is AEW is the wrestling league people go to when WWE doesn't want them anymore.
> 
> Cody might be more synonymous with AEW than WWE for you but to most wrestling fans they know Cody from WWE most likely as part of that group with Randy Orton or when he was running around with that mask on. Jericho, Cody and Mox should be main eventing most shows but are you telling me something like Jungle Boy Vs MJF couldn't main event Dynamite?
> 
> ...


Shiavone, Arn, and Tully haven’t been prominent on Wwe since the late 80’s/early 90’s so I don’t think that should really count.

I remember growing up watching Jericho, Benoit, Guerrero, Rock, Bret Hart, Austin, HHH, HBK, Orton, Cena, Jeff Hardy, CM Punk, etc. wrestling on the secondary shows, for low card titles, and against legit jobbers. You don’t make a star by throwing them in the main event and saying “here’s the torch pal, you have to carry it!” No, they had to work their way up and grow their character and prove their worth and build their fan base. It’s absolute stupid to say jungle boy and MJF should main event over Cody/Mox/Jericho. Those guys can be in the main event with a stronger wrestler opposite them but they can’t carry the AEW brand on their own bar maybe MJF. 

That’s what separates AEW from being an Indy. They aren’t stupid although they do make mistakes but they’re making the right moves with their signings for the most part. It doesn’t matter if you’re a former WWE guy or not. Look at marvel or DC, their writers/artists jump back in forth between the two and it’s just smart business moves. Hire who will add to your product and release those who won’t. It’s that simple. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Purple Haze (Sep 30, 2019)

He looks great, but needs a gimmick change.


----------



## JonLeduc (May 5, 2016)

rbl85 said:


> It's not the WWE here.....
> 
> It's not because you weren't a main eventer in WWE that you can't be a main eventer in AEW.
> 
> ...



One of the rare intelligent comment we see on here.

I never liked Zack Ryder in the WWE. But i'll give him his chance in AEW for sure !
Maybe it's just me... But i smell a turn on Cody. Just my feeling.



optikk sucks said:


> Why do people resort to talking down to others when their opinions don’t match?


No self-esteem, no confidence, insecurities ?

Or just because they are complete morons.


----------



## AthleticGirth (Jul 25, 2020)

I'm ambivalent towards the guy, which is a good place to be, a clean slate so to speak. It's up to him as a performer and AEW as a promotion to make me care about him. 

There's room on the card for a face with his look and size to do well. Adam Page should be working that spot, but AEW went in a different direction.


----------



## BGreen (Sep 25, 2017)

I like the signing. Dude looks jacked. Let's see how he does!


----------



## Not Lying (Sep 9, 2013)

Chip Chipperson said:


> It doesn't matter what they were getting paid and what they're getting paid now. Again, it's the image it projects to the audience which is AEW is the wrestling league people go to when WWE doesn't want them anymore.
> 
> Cody might be more synonymous with AEW than WWE for you but to most wrestling fans they know Cody from WWE most likely as part of that group with Randy Orton or when he was running around with that mask on. Jericho, Cody and Mox should be main eventing most shows but are you telling me something like Jungle Boy Vs MJF couldn't main event Dynamite?
> 
> ...


You're complaining about competent people with experiences doing their job. It's absolutely ridiculous how you justify this crap. You're being nice by not including Cage?  He wasn't on fucking TV lmao. He owes nothing to WWE.

All the focus should be on the wrestling roster, which the majority wasn't on WWE. They have their top 2 stars in Mox and Y2J, and they should use them to make money, and with that money get MORE NEWS guys, that's how it works, and then the other star is Cody BUT NO THANKS TO WWE. Nobody who is watching Cody in 2020 gives a fuck or knows his shit from Legacy, he's known for conquering the indys and being EVP of AEW.

There's good former WWE employees integrating the show, but nobody sees them dominating the show. IT'S YOU WHO SEES IT that way because you are looking for some new reason to criticise the company now.

"no 2 originals main evented a show together". 
Nobody gives a fuck what Trent did in WWE 10 years ago, he's known for the Best Friends group in AEW where he's actually featured instead of a jobber who never appeared on the show. Yesterday you had 3 out of the 4 not in WWE prior. FFS. 

And Arn? Tully? Tony? these guys gives you WWE "feels"? really lol


----------



## the_hound (Jun 14, 2016)

cunt looks juiced to the gills


----------



## RiverFenix (Dec 10, 2011)

Chip Chipperson said:


> It doesn't matter what they were getting paid and what they're getting paid now. Again, it's the image it projects to the audience which is AEW is the wrestling league people go to when WWE doesn't want them anymore.
> 
> Cody might be more synonymous with AEW than WWE for you but to most wrestling fans they know Cody from WWE most likely as part of that group with Randy Orton or when he was running around with that mask on. Jericho, Cody and Mox should be main eventing most shows but are you telling me something like Jungle Boy Vs MJF couldn't main event Dynamite?
> 
> ...


Weren't you all gaga about the Impact signings of EC3, Heath, Good Brothers, Eric Young or am I thinking of somebody else who decided to wax poetic about Impact upon their debuts? 

Nobody sees Schiavone, Colt, Trent or Arn Anderson as "wwe guys". 

Moxley, Jericho and FTR are amongst the best in the world at what they do. They chose AEW over WWE. As did Brodie Lee for that matter. 

WWE hires the best wrestlers in the world - they have underutilized talent that AEW respects. Was Stunning Steve Austin, Mean Mark Callous, Vinnie Vegas, Diamond Stud and Terra Ryzin all WCW cast-offs that WWE should never have hired?


----------



## Ger (Jul 20, 2018)

IronMan8 said:


> He’s a 10-year jobber for WWE, so if he wins matches in AEW, then that means AEW is the minor league.
> 
> They should push their own guys above WWE guys whenever practical.


If AEW keeps hiring the fired jobbers from WWE, they are the minor league by definition. Doesn`t matter how good their stats are in AEW.


----------



## AthleticGirth (Jul 25, 2020)

Chip Chipperson said:


> Former WWE stars on AEW Double Or Nothing (Their last actual PPV): 15 (Trent, Taz, Cabana, Cody, Arn, Archer, Jake, Dustin, Brandi, Spears, Moxley, Brodie, Jericho, Hager, Hardy)


AWE are a new promotion, of course experienced talent they hire will have had spells with the biggest company in the world. WWE have been the only show in town for over two decades.

Besides which, in terms of sensibilities I think of Tazz as ECW, Colt as ROH, Double A as WCW and Mox as CZW.


----------



## Ger (Jul 20, 2018)

DetroitRiverPhx said:


> Moxley, Jericho and FTR are amongst the best in the world at what they do. They chose AEW over WWE.


Exactly, they choosed! But Zack was just fired and cried about WWE asking for the pool.


----------



## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

The Definition of Technician said:


> You're complaining about competent people with experiences doing their job. It's absolutely ridiculous how you justify this crap. You're being nice by not including Cage?  He wasn't on fucking TV lmao. He owes nothing to WWE.
> 
> All the focus should be on the wrestling roster, which the majority wasn't on WWE. They have their top 2 stars in Mox and Y2J, and they should use them to make money, and with that money get MORE NEWS guys, that's how it works, and then the other star is Cody BUT NO THANKS TO WWE. Nobody who is watching Cody in 2020 gives a fuck or knows his shit from Legacy, he's known for conquering the indys and being EVP of AEW.
> 
> ...


Again, you are missing my point. I can only explain it so many times before giving up and I'm close. Read closely.

- I'm not complaining about anyone competent doing their job or what they bring to the table I am simply pointing out that the overuse of WWE people (Which is where we're at now) could hinder AEW. Remember, they are meant to be an alternative to WWE not alternative WWE.

It's why I gave the other sports examples. A Rugby team here in Australia named the Newcastle Knights "raided" a premiership winning team named the Sydney Roosters a few years back taking their star playmaker, a centre, another young playmaker, one of their representative players and if I recall another young player went with them. They took a total of five players from the Sydney side and were being mocked for it being called the "Newcastle Roosters". Imagine what the average person thinks when they tune into Dynamite and see EIGHTEEN former WWE talents getting around on TV.

- Again, nobody is arguing that Mox and Y2J shouldn't be involved the issue is with the guys who could be mixed with younger talent who would do just as good of a job. For example, Jake Hager is the bodyguard for Chris Jericho imagine how much a young 6'6 jacked 24 year old dude could learn from working with Jericho week to week. Brodie Lee is allegedly taking high six figures to play around in the midcard with Colt, Matt Hardy isn't doing anything a guy half his age couldn't be doing, Dustin's broken down, Spears has been buried. All those guys are 40 or getting close to 40 when really AEW could've taken their money and signed 5 guys in their twenties or early thirties who could be stars for them for the next 10 years.

While I'm at it AEW doesn't need to sound like the WWE either. If they're this big 18-49 promotion why not get a young handsome 35 year old dude in there who knows his shit about wrestling but is actually relatable to AEW's audience? Give him a young witty colour commentator who also knows his shit but can crack a joke about something modern. Hell, even all their agents are ex WWE agents or wrestlers so the guys are going out working WWE style matches (Assuming they're actually listening to them)

- This isn't new with me either, I brought this up when some news reporter whilst reporting the Jericho/Tyson segment called AEW "WWE". I said I could easily see why he thought that because it's JR, Jericho and Tyson in a WWE type building. Looked like WWE, sounded like WWE, acted like WWE and it was called WWE.

- Please do not attempt to come at my knowledge of wrestling. I'm well aware Arn, Tony and Tully had careers in the NWA first but they did have stints in WWE as well hence why I'm counting them. I'm not really arguing who is more recognised as a WWE guy and who isn't just that there are too many. Also, Arn was backstage in the WWE for close to 20 years so whilst never a WWE guy on screen he definitely played a big part in their shows from a staff perspective.



DetroitRiverPhx said:


> Weren't you all gaga about the Impact signings of EC3, Heath, Good Brothers, Eric Young or am I thinking of somebody else who decided to wax poetic about Impact upon their debuts?
> 
> Nobody sees Schiavone, Colt, Trent or Arn Anderson as "wwe guys".
> 
> ...


- I was! If you look at TNA's history though EC3 and Eric Young both became national stars at Impact so it was really a return rather than them just signing WWE guys. Good Brothers and Heath were good pick ups for Impact as well just based on Impact really needing an injection of star power. Got to keep in mind that Impact had just 8 WWE stars on their roster at the time (Even now it's still under 15) and they've actually put some thought into their recruitment as well whilst picking up Good Brothers.

- Nobody is denying that Moxley, Jericho and FTR were good pick ups for AEW I've already said that. You guys must really struggle with reading comprehension or just argue without reading.

- Again, you're not reading what I'm saying. I've already said earlier that underutilised talents from WWE are fine to pick up. 

Please read my posts because I'm getting irritated by having to continue to repeat myself.



AthleticGirth said:


> AWE are a new promotion, of course experienced talent they hire will have had spells with the biggest company in the world. WWE have been the only show in town for over two decades.
> 
> Besides which, in terms of sensibilities I think of Tazz as ECW, Colt as ROH, Double A as WCW and Mox as CZW.


Not true, there are still plenty of great talents out there who have never had stints in WWE who would be fine additions to the AEW midcard. I'm happy to list them if you'd like.

You're right in that all of those guys came from those promotions but all (Except Arn) were first exposed to a big time national audience in the WWE. That's what they're known for by the average fan.


----------



## Not Lying (Sep 9, 2013)

Chip Chipperson said:


> Again, you are missing my point. I can only explain it so many times before giving up and I'm close. Read closely.
> 
> - I'm not complaining about anyone competent doing their job or what they bring to the table I am simply pointing out that the overuse of WWE people (Which is where we're at now) could hinder AEW. Remember, they are meant to be an alternative to WWE not alternative WWE.
> 
> ...



- You have no proof to back up your claim of competent people doing their job will hinder AEW. It's preposterous to think that with what they are doing but go on.

- All those guys you mentioned have name value or can offer something to product. How rarely does Dustin appear? or Spears even? Even Hardy...

- Well you are certainly not happy with Y2J and Mox not main eventing, or else you wouldn't make claims like "they need to have 1 on 1 AEW originals main event to highlight how different they are", no they don't NEED to do that, the stars should main event and you put others with them to get exposure. What they are doing is right.

- now you are complaining about who their agents are? I thought this was about who are on air personalities. lmao

- which brings me to my last point, I know you know where Arn Tully and Tony are known for. So if you know that you know they don't count as WWE.

If you want to be objective, which of course you don't, you would realize not fucking everyone who passed by the WWE Umbrella in some way or another is worth the complaints you are doing. Like seriously.. Trent is not a WWE guy. If anyone is currently more known for their work outside of WWE instead of what they did there x years, they're not WWE guys. If they were in catering, they're not WWE guys. This isn't TNA/WCW main event mafia crap.


----------



## AthleticGirth (Jul 25, 2020)

Chip Chipperson said:


> Not true, there are still plenty of great talents out there who have never had stints in WWE who would be fine additions to the AEW midcard. I'm happy to list them if you'd like.
> 
> You're right in that all of those guys came from those promotions but all (Except Arn) were first exposed to a big time national audience in the WWE. That's what they're known for by the average fan.


There's not much worth in you or I playing fantasy promoter by listing names as we don't know the availability, suitability or adaptability of our suggestions. WWE vets know how to work TV, are well trained, have name recognition and are generally very professional - fully understandable why they'd get hired.

AEW can't win. Hire ex WWE talent and they're 'copying, stale, TNA Mark II', hire talent from the indies and lesser known promotions and they're 'amateur outlaw mudshow carnies'. You've gotta laugh.


----------



## DOTL (Jan 3, 2012)

Guy can get himself over. Like to see what he can do when he’s allowed to.


----------



## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

AthleticGirth said:


> There's not much worth in you or I playing fantasy promoter by listing names as we don't know the availability, suitability or adaptability of our suggestions. WWE vets know how to work TV, are well trained, have name recognition and are generally very professional - fully understandable why they'd get hired.
> 
> AEW can't win. Hire ex WWE talent and they're 'copying, stale, TNA Mark II', hire talent from the indies and lesser known promotions and they're 'amateur outlaw mudshow carnies'. You've gotta laugh.


I don't think anyone has ever insulted them for signing indy guys though unless they are shitty outlaw talents like Nutella and Marko. I recall them being praised heavily for signing Ricky Starks.

All I want is a nice even mix. Take the best of the WWE castoffs and the best of the indies. Make a go of it with that and cut the dead weight.


----------



## Blade Runner (Jan 24, 2012)

He's more legit and a bigger star than over half their roster. I don't see how signing him is considered a bad thing.


----------



## Piers (Sep 1, 2015)

He looks like a very nice guy in real life and he's passionate, but I just can't take him seriously after all the ways WWE buried him. And I hate them for this.


----------



## AthleticGirth (Jul 25, 2020)

Chip Chipperson said:


> I don't think anyone has ever insulted them for signing indy guys though unless they are shitty outlaw talents like Nutella and Marko. I recall them being praised heavily for signing Ricky Starks.
> 
> All I want is a nice even mix. Take the best of the WWE castoffs and the best of the indies. Make a go of it with that and cut the dead weight.


Well we're in agreement on that. Offering a blend of styles, experience levels, ethoses, personalities is what creates the conflicts, the dynamics, the drama - the lifeblood of wrestling. Just like the Kingston / Cody bit last week which most people enjoyed.

Fat will eventually get trimmed, it isn't financially viable for it not to be. Cardona needs to step up and earn his spot, because there are young hungry guys like Starks and Pillman Jr. who'll be gunning for it.


----------



## The XL 2 (Sep 13, 2016)

He looked fantastic physcially. We already know he can get over, he was arguably the most over guy in wrestling in 2011 besides Cena and maybe Punk. Steve Austin got squashed by Jim Duggan in seconds and went on to go to the WWF and become arguably the biggest star in the history of the business. I wouldn't write him off just yet.


----------



## M1M2M3M4M5M6M7M8 (Dec 15, 2004)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## somerandomfan (Dec 13, 2013)

It's amazing in 2020 people still can't grasp the concept of being a "WWE jobber" doesn't mean not being talented, especially when these same people can turn around and complain about people being buried in WWE. 

I'm perfectly fine with this signing, I hope he has a new gimmick but he's talented and has already proven he can get himself over. (And quite infamously got buried in WWE for doing so)


----------



## Rankles75 (May 29, 2011)

Never was a fan of his in WWE, and I doubt him being on the ‘roids will do anything to change that.


----------



## yeahright2 (Feb 11, 2011)

They Call Him Y2J said:


> He looks like a very nice guy in real life and he's passionate, but I just can't take him seriously after all the ways WWE buried him. And I hate them for this.


I think he is a nice guy. I´ve never heard ANYONE say something bad about Ryder.. Sorry, Cardona. -Well, except Tommy Dreamer because he´s jealous about Cardona having enough money to invest $40K in wrestling figures.


----------



## Cult03 (Oct 31, 2016)

Honestly I knew this was coming and I was still disappointed. The guy got over on the internet by riding the Jersey Shore wave poorly. Everything he does seems forced and unnatural. I wanted to like him a decade ago but there's just something missing. I found him corny


----------



## $Dolladrew$ (Jun 15, 2020)

Having not watched wrestling since the attitude Era I'm completely unaware of who this dude is but he looks jacked.Im interested to see how he does in AEW.


----------



## Lorromire (Jun 17, 2014)

rbl85 said:


> It's not the WWE here.....
> 
> It's not because you weren't a main eventer in WWE that you can't be a main eventer in AEW.
> 
> ...


This. Wasn't HHH a mid carder for a very long time? or Austin? Not saying Ryder is on that level, but character/company changes make a huge difference.


----------



## bcbud3 (Aug 17, 2010)

$Dolladrew$ said:


> Having not watched wrestling since the attitude Era I'm completely unaware of who this dude is but he looks jacked.Im interested to see how he does in AEW.


You are easier to understand when you speak proper English..


----------



## $Dolladrew$ (Jun 15, 2020)

bcbud3 said:


> You are easier to understand when you speak proper English..


Elaborate.....I have no idea what you're talking about.


----------



## NXT Only (Apr 3, 2016)

He's a talent who shouldn't be disregarded because he was in WWE, Give him a chance, see what happens.


----------



## Wridacule (Aug 23, 2018)

Matt seems like a great guy and I hate that I hate this, but I fucking hate this.. 

As much as I criticized the dark order, they're giving off the impression that any wwe scrub can come over and run through people. This needs to stop


----------



## rexmundi (Apr 1, 2012)

He looks great and I'd like to see him do well but jobbing for years on end cannot have helped the audiences' perception of him.


----------



## Randy Lahey (Apr 14, 2014)

His YouTube show Long Island Iced Z was more entertaining than anything Raw related. This guy can get over and I hope AEW let’s him get over. 

WWE destroyed his heat bc they hate when acts get over on their own. I think AEW could make him a legit player.


----------



## shandcraig (Mar 23, 2008)

Another guy that wont stand out and is just there


----------



## CtrlAltDel (Aug 9, 2016)

Before Stone Cold, UnderTaker, ManKind, Diesel became stars in WWE, they were in WCW midcard. What WWE did with them was push them during their first year or two... and the rest is history. Not every midcard talent becomes stars: Johnny B Badd to Marc Mero. Dustin Rhodes to Goldust. That’s why you need to push them right away. If they sink, move on. If they swim, see how far they will go. Just don’t give them a title short right away. Give them months and months of build up. Maybe in six months or a year when you can try that title shot option.


----------



## imthegame19 (Oct 12, 2008)

Cardona got look of a star and very good talker and solid in the ring and only 35. I have no problem with AEW giving him a shot. Because he's perfect example of undervalued WWE who could be a lot better given an opportunity. 


That said the WWE really did a lot of damage to him. Unlike say Shawn Spears who was known for popular run in NXT and when he got called up to main roster. Well he wasn't even used on tv to be buried. So when he showed up in AEW and had Tully with him. Well fans could buy into Spears.


The issue with Ryder despite some pushes for IC, US and Tag Titles in WWE. He spent a lot of years jobbing out. So if AEW wants him to be anything more then midcard guy. Well then he needs something fresh to his character and some time to build him up W/L wise. Cardona shouldn't get pinned or beat for a while. The slowly build him up and see how he does. If he's already jobbing to Cody at All Out. Well then he's gonna be mid card act/jobber in AEW too.

They should have him beat jobbers for a while. Then maybe go into a feud with Spears or Dustin Rhodes and win that to start. While he needs have new finisher or move set to tell audience why he's different guy. 


Just like Jericho created new finisher in AEW. Which tells the story why he's able to be a top guy again. After WWE used him in midcard during his last run. 

Or why Jon Moxley is dominant in AEW and Dean Ambrose was just good main event level guy in WWE. Since he had new and improved finisher and added submissions to beat guys. While he outsmarts opponents instead of Dean getting outsmarted all the time. The combo makes Moxley much tougher to beat then Dean Ambrose. 


So Matt can be big signing. But AEW needs to build him up and tell audience why this guy is different then the guy who we saw get beat in WWE all the time.



IronMan8 said:


> He’s a 10-year jobber for WWE, so if he wins matches in AEW, then that means AEW is the minor league.
> 
> They should push their own guys above WWE guys whenever practical.


Well only if he's same guy with same finishers etc. You build him up and tell story why he's different. Well then that can work.


Look at Jericho he lost a ton in 2016 and let's not forget he jobbed Fandango at Mania I think in 2013. So by time he was in AEW in 2019 it's been what 9 years or so since he was treated like a top guy. So what he do? Well in recent years in WWE guys would kick out of his finisher and he couldn't put guys away and would lose. So he added a new finisher that nobody has kicked out of. Moxley has told same story with inverted finisher and adding submissions to beat guys. Making him much more lethal in AEW then Dean Ambrose was.


So you give Cardona bit more serious character with new cool finisher. Have him squash jobbers for a while and it's possible for him to recover from damage WWE did to him. But you gotta give your audience a reason to wanna believe why a guy is better. It can easily be done if audience is invested in him and AEW wants to build him up and push him. Let's not forget I believe Hornswoogle pinned Drew McIntyre and he was jobber for years. Now he's top guy in WWE.


----------



## Krin (Apr 8, 2018)

Zack deserved a better debut imo. He looked incredible but too many people involved.


----------



## Wolf Mark (Jun 5, 2020)

Chip Chipperson said:


> I know many people will get shitty at me for bringing this stat up but AEW has not had a non WWE guy in their main event for 5 months now. They are coming off as the place that the WWE castaways go off to for a final payday similar to how football/soccer players head off to countries like Australia, China, India, South Korea, United States etc when their European careers are over. However, even the football teams know that you only want a couple of the ageing veterans to work with your youngsters as opposed to filling your squad with Euro castaways.
> 
> People compare it to TNA (Including in this very thread) but at least when TNA was signing up the WWE guys they were generally filling spots that needed to be filled. For example, one story line they needed a big bodyguard type so they brought Test from WWE in for a couple months and the other team I believe got Rikishi on their side to even the odds. Rikishi lasted even less than Test if I recall correctly.
> 
> TNA also had a great midcard whilst AEW does really not. It really makes AEW look like another brand of the WWE and unfortunately it's become All Friends Wrestling.


Cardone looked pretty damn good but I think AEW tend to sign a lot of guys they don't know what to do with. I think their whole idea is basically to send guys in the ring and wrestle. They don't have much storylines other than "hey look FTR are friends with Adam Page!". It is basically the most wasted roster in history since WCW 1998.


----------



## Brodus Clay (Jan 6, 2012)

Never a fan of him, this and Cameron are bad choices for AEW imo, at least he got big and seems to have another character, still I doubt it gonna be good.


----------



## CM Buck (Sep 2, 2012)

I'm willing to give him a chance now his out of a restrictive environment. As long as it isn't that stupid gimmick from WWE it would be an improvement


----------



## Rated-R-Peepz (Aug 4, 2010)

I'm completely fine with the signing. I liked Zack going back to his Youtube show which I loved (shout out to the missing Trent Beretta story). He's proven himself to be creative and got himself over despite Vince and co. trying their damndest to stop it. I don't see why he can't do the same in a far more creative environment in AEW.


----------



## HBK Styles Ospreay (Jan 15, 2020)

Top bins said:


> Hate the signing. For AEW. Never a big star looks like going after all of WWE's trash. Hasn't been over since like 2010. Awful.


 How much tv time has he actually had since Cena screwed him over?


----------



## Cult03 (Oct 31, 2016)

Ryder is benefiting from the Cheerleader Effect in AEW. He probably is exactly the same size as he was in WWE but looks bigger compared to the rest of the roster


----------



## Seafort (Jun 5, 2014)

Lheurch said:


> Dude looked like Brock next to the Dark Order geeks.


It shows how much the average size of wrestlers have declined. When Ryder first shows up 12 years ago I would have placed him in the mid range of the weight/height spectrum. Now he’s a towering juggernaut....probably the fourth largest guy on the roster after Archer, Hager, and Luchasaurus.


----------



## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

The Definition of Technician said:


> - You have no proof to back up your claim of competent people doing their job will hinder AEW. It's preposterous to think that with what they are doing but go on.
> 
> - All those guys you mentioned have name value or can offer something to product. How rarely does Dustin appear? or Spears even? Even Hardy...
> 
> ...


I think what @Chip Chipperson is talking about is perception and quality of signings. There's a reason "what is (insert WWE talent with new but similar name) doing in the Impact Zone" was such a meme in hardcore circles at one point. It was because TNA/Impact had the perception of signing any and every ex WWE/WCW talent they could get. On top of that they had the track record of pushong ex WWE/WCW stars above their homegrown talent. 

While AEW should get credible people when they can, perception has to be considered. The majority of their announcers are ex WWE/WCW guys, the ring announcer is an ex WWE guy, a lot of their current male singles upper midcard and main eventers are ex WWE guys. It's even more in focus when a lot of these ex-WWE talents aren't doing jobs for the homegrown stars. 

Instead of having Brodie Lee come in go on a streak then be vanquished by Mox, what if that win was given to Darby who could really use a signature win. Instead of Matt coming in and joining in on The Elite vs Inner Circle why not give his spot to Dustin (which makes more sense history wise) and let MJF get a win over Matt to further build him after the Cody win. It's the best of both worlds in those situations. You get the visibility that comes with having an ex-WWE guy in a prominent storyline, but you make the point of "this guy we have you just met is on par with WWE talent".



imthegame19 said:


> Cardona got look of a star and very good talker and solid in the ring and only 35. I have no problem with AEW giving him a shot. Because he's perfect example of undervalued WWE who could be a lot better given an opportunity.
> 
> 
> That said the WWE really did a lot of damage to him. Unlike say Shawn Spears who was known for popular run in NXT and when he got called up to main roster. Well he wasn't even used on tv to be buried. So when he showed up in AEW and had Tully with him. Well fans could buy into Spears.
> ...


I don't have an issue with the signing as he probably will just be a midcard out the way guy. But the fact he still needs major building despite spending over a decade on the WWE main roster gives a lot of a merit to folk who aren't into the signing. The way you describe it, it makes it seemed like they signed a veteran prospect player lol


----------



## MoxAsylum (Jan 9, 2020)

Chan Hung said:


> What are your thoughts on him signing with AEW? What program do you think he will be in? Etc...?


Another WWE castoff geek, yawn


----------



## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

RapShepard said:


> I think what @Chip Chipperson is talking about is perception and quality of signings. There's a reason "what is (insert WWE talent with new but similar name) doing in the Impact Zone" was such a meme in hardcore circles at one point. It was because TNA/Impact had the perception of signing any and every ex WWE/WCW talent they could get. On top of that they had the track record of pushong ex WWE/WCW stars above their homegrown talent.


Yup. You get it.

Nobody was ever against TNA signing the likes of Kurt Angle, Christian, Rhino, Sting, Booker T or even Hogan, Flair, Foley etc because they were all big names that were going to get more eyes on TNA. What people did shit on was the likes of Shannon Moore coming in and beating AJ Styles or Val Venis debuting and instantly beating Christopher Daniels.

AEW is doing the same. Hardy beats Sammy, Moxley over Cage, Hardy over Santana, Cody over Starks, Cody over Jungle Boy etc


----------



## TKO Wrestling (Jun 26, 2018)

Chip Chipperson said:


> Again, that's different. WCW took the biggest stars in the history of wrestling to bolster their roster up which I've said is smart business. If John Cena was willing and open to returning to wrestling full time with AEW I wouldn't say "Don't sign him because it makes you look like WWE lite". However, the likes of Ryder are talents that could easily be passed on.
> 
> Also, just for comparison sake:
> 
> ...


Former WCW stars on Wrestlemania 14 (their breakout show): 10 out of the 26 on screen talents were from WCW.

What exactly is your point? The biggest match at Wrestlemania this year was headlined by a TNA wrestler v WCW wrestler.


----------



## shandcraig (Mar 23, 2008)

JBLGOAT said:


> How many former WWE stars did WCW when they were winning the MNW?



All those stars were former AWA stars before wwf and in fact most of the guys that went to wcw were in wcw first before going to wwf and returning to wcw.

Talent is talent but I dont think most of these wwe guys they hired are stars


----------



## imthegame19 (Oct 12, 2008)

Sounds like it's 5 appearance try out right now for Cardona. Usually that had lead to long term contracts tho. But for now it seems like Tony Khan wants Cardona to impressive them first.


----------



## Prosper (Mar 25, 2015)

imthegame19 said:


> Sounds like it's 5 appearance try out right now for Cardona. Usually that had lead to long term contracts tho. But for now it seems like Tony Khan wants Cardona to impressive them first.


Yep short term, 5 appearance deal. He's not signed full time yet but most likely will be.

Exclusive News On Matt Cardona's AEW Deal - Wrestling Inc.


----------



## Top bins (Jul 8, 2019)

HBK Styles Ospreay said:


> How much tv time has he actually had since Cena screwed him over?


I have no idea but that's the big problem. It's not going to move any needles signing this guy at all. They may as well sign no way Jose, while they are at it. The fact that he has been signed to a short term deal, says it all. 

Cody has been quoted saying Ryder had a track record of 'drawing ratings' what has he been smoking?


----------



## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

TKO Wrestling said:


> Former WCW stars on Wrestlemania 14 (their breakout show): 10 out of the 26 on screen talents were from WCW.
> 
> What exactly is your point? The biggest match at Wrestlemania this year was headlined by a TNA wrestler v WCW wrestler.


WrestleMania 14 if you want to get super technical then yes, it had 10 WCW people on it but can we realistically count Goldust, Stone Cold, Triple H and Undertaker who were completely different characters? WWF signed those guys and instead of relying on whatever star power they had as WCW guys they reinvented them. AEW is bringing in WWE guys and doing a minor tweak to their characters or even having them do the same character.

Brodie Lee for example goes from cult follower to cult leader, Matt Hardy kept on doing broken Matt, I've read Moxley is fairly similar to what he was in WWE, Jericho is the same (Just goofier), Hager is the same etc etc. At least in the case of Dustin Rhodes, Trent etc they're doing something different to what they were doing in WWE.

For what it's worth the ones I'd count for WrestleMania 10 who were doing the same thing they were doing in WCW or had a minor tweak are Road Warriors, Cornette, Cactus Jack, Terry Funk and Mero.

In regards to Mania this year you're right in that AJ Styles is a TNA guy but to try and argue Taker is a WCW guy is just absolutely ridiculous and just something you're doing to try and make an argument. If you wanted to be silly enough to view Taker as a WCW guy though you can take a look at the guys and girls who made their names in WWE and compare (Spoiler: Majority of the wrestlers on WrestleMania this year became the stars they are today in WWE because WWE knows how to make stars)


----------



## Darren Criss (Jul 23, 2015)

He looked big


----------



## Blade Runner (Jan 24, 2012)

imthegame19 said:


> Sounds like it's 5 appearance try out right now for Cardona. Usually that had lead to long term contracts tho. But for now it seems like Tony Khan wants Cardona to impressive them first.


He signed Joey Janela and Marko Stunt. Tony Khan doesn't require any impressive attributes to sign people up apparently..


----------



## rbl85 (Nov 21, 2017)

His first AEW shirt broke the record


----------



## imthegame19 (Oct 12, 2008)

KYRA BATARA said:


> He signed Joey Janela and Marko Stunt. Tony Khan doesn't require any impressive attributes to sign people up apparently..


Janela was signed because he has popular indie following. At the time the signing made sense based on guys available. While Marko Stunt more signed for kids/manager etc. Remember you got tv show with different type people.


----------



## RiverFenix (Dec 10, 2011)

It's a try out for both parties. See if he fits their culture and lockerroom and if he feels like it's right for him. It's a good deal for both parties.


----------



## bdon (Nov 12, 2019)

DetroitRiverPhx said:


> It's a try out for both parties. See if he fits their culture and lockerroom and if he feels like it's right for him. It's a good deal for both parties.


It’s only good if he is there to put over younger stars and not get slapped immediately into the main event scene and acting as the key protagonist in major storylines when AEW homegrown talent could just as easily do the job.


----------



## reyfan (May 23, 2011)

So how many weeks until he turns on Cody and then gets buried?


----------



## rbl85 (Nov 21, 2017)

The guy is already showing that he's selling merchs better than anybody else


----------



## phatbob426 (Feb 6, 2010)

I thought that Cody was going to defend the TNT Championship every week. So is Cody going to be in a tag match with Matt Cardona and also defend his TNT Championship both in the same show?


----------



## Kopros_The_Great (Jun 26, 2014)

bdon said:


> when AEW homegrown talent could just as easily do the job.


The company is like one and a half years old. They have no such thing as "homegrown talent". All their talent is imported. Hell, the company has been *co-founded by Ex-WWE, respectively NJPW-wrestlers.*
People on here need to stop tossing around hollow phrases they have picked up in other threads around the forum and try to actually say something instead.


----------



## Mercian (Jun 26, 2020)

Its Matt Cardona! Ring Tone of the week


----------



## 3venflow (Feb 3, 2019)

AEW's official account on Twitter has 1/4 the followers that Cardona does. I see absolutely no problem with this acquisition and I'm sick of the whole 'former WWE' thing. Hello? They've near enough monopolised the industry for the last 20 years - almost everyone has passed through their doors. AEW has done well to grab some good non-WWE talents like Page, MJF, Jungle Boy and Sammy. WWE recently had ex-TNA guys at the top of their card. It doesn't matter. Wrestling is scripted entertainment and it's all about how you package and promote the wrestler today. Look at Cody now vs. 'Dashing' Cody Rhodes. Completely different presentations and feels.

While I think their roster is getting a bit big for 2 hours of real TV time, Cardona and Rusev (if he joins) are two I think are good for the product. In Cardona's case:

Hugely popular, just look at his merchandise sales.
Visually impressive, he looked big league and in better shape than ever. AEW needs more big leaguers and less guys with the indie aura (like that Warhorse who faced Cody).
He was one of the most over wrestlers in WWE for a long time despite constantly having the rug pulled from under him.


----------



## Phil_Mc_90 (Mar 3, 2008)

They've picked up a 35 year old with a great look, good promo ability and the first wrestler to utilise YouTube to get himself over. 

Criminally underused in WWE. It's a great pick up imo

Looking forward to seeing what Matt can do with freedom and the brakes taken off


----------



## Dizzie (Jun 22, 2019)

With their bulging roster at this point I would like to see one wrestler being pushed out that ain't amounting to anything when they bring a new one in that is of better quality.

For me cardona would be respectable low card guy replacing cabana as he has been boring in aew but I do think he should be given a spot as an announcer instead for jr who is way too inconsistent.

I think cardona should be used to give archer a decent looking opponent to feud with/beat and with cardona's links with cody it makes some sense as a storyline, unfortunately they wont go down that route and book cardona stronger than they really should be booking him at the expense of guys that are in need of wins instead of more losses.


----------



## Ger (Jul 20, 2018)

KYRA BATARA said:


> He's more legit and a bigger star than over half their roster. I don't see how signing him is considered a bad thing.


That doesn`t make the AEW look good, if it were true.



somerandomfan said:


> It's amazing in 2020 people still can't grasp the concept of being a "WWE jobber" doesn't mean not being talented, especially when these same people can turn around and complain about people being buried in WWE.





NXT Only said:


> He's a talent who shouldn't be disregarded because he was in WWE, Give him a chance, see what happens.


But it also doesn`t mean automatically someone is talented. 




imthegame19 said:


> Cardona got look of a star and very good talker and solid in the ring and only 35. I have no problem with AEW giving him a shot. Because he's perfect example of undervalued WWE who could be a lot better given an opportunity.





Wridacule said:


> Matt seems like a great guy and I hate that I hate this, but I fucking hate this..
> 
> As much as I criticized the dark order, they're giving off the impression that any wwe scrub can come over and run through people. This needs to stop


I agree on Wridcule here. Not again this "we hire people being fired from WWE and not used there for years, because we want to proof a point" approach again, please. 
Everytime they do that, they just show the casual audience, that guys not being good enough for WWE, can turn AEW roster upside down. In my opinion a very bad strategy!! Casual viewers also see another thing: WWE builds their own talent in NXT and NXT UK, while AEW just uses Vince`s broken toys. This is not exactly true, but it looks like that.



Brodus Clay said:


> Never a fan of him, this and Cameron are bad choices for AEW imo, at least he got big and seems to have another character, still I doubt it gonna be good.


Now we come to the real problem: if that would happen just once and twice, I wouldn`t care. But this seems to be a mission for AEW meanwhile.
Check the scene with Cameron's debut: the AEW first minute "star" Nyla Rose stands in the background, EX-WWE manager Vickie (looks old btw) has half of the screen and plays relevant, Cameron/Adriane storms into the scene and is the big tag team partner surprise. So 2/3 of the talent people on the screen are *sorted out* people from WWE. WWE would not hire Vickie or Cameron again for bigger parts of their show, why does AEW?
And plz don`t even start with Cameron is the Moxley of the women division. She is not!


----------



## Ham and Egger (Dec 13, 2005)

Let's be for real here. AEW is giving a guy a chance who peaked in 2011. Maybe he can surprise all of us now that's he not tied down from the WWE system but I'm withholding judgment until I see what he brings to the table even though I'm feeling very skeptical.


----------



## The Raw Smackdown (Jan 8, 2017)

I personally don't mind it. Always thought he was a decent talent so I'm interested to see what he brings to AEW.


----------



## bdon (Nov 12, 2019)

Kopros_The_Great said:


> The company is like one and a half years old. They have no such thing as "homegrown talent". All their talent is imported. Hell, the company has been *co-founded by Ex-WWE, respectively NJPW-wrestlers.*
> People on here need to stop tossing around hollow phrases they have picked up in other threads around the forum and try to actually say something instead.


NJPW talent is not well known in the states. AEW is the first time that Page, MJF, Omega, etc have been seen on the national level in the states.

Jungle Boy vs MJF could easily kill a main event.


----------



## mazzah20 (Oct 10, 2019)

Don't know if someone else has said it (this thread is at 9 pages and I'm not gonna go through it). But his finisher looks incredibly silly against dorksize opponents. Especially with his added mass.


----------



## Kopros_The_Great (Jun 26, 2014)

bdon said:


> NJPW talent is not well known in the states. AEW is the first time that Page, MJF, Omega, etc have been seen on the national level in the states.


While this is true, calling them "homegrown" is still silly. They've grown elsewhere and then made a new home for themselves in which they can now start "growing younger guys".


----------



## thorn123 (Oct 10, 2019)

I never paid much attention to him in WWE (or much else tbh) but he looks good and looks like he could make an impact (no pun intended)


----------



## Not Lying (Sep 9, 2013)

RapShepard said:


> I think what @Chip Chipperson is talking about is perception and quality of signings. There's a reason "what is (insert WWE talent with new but similar name) doing in the Impact Zone" was such a meme in hardcore circles at one point. It was because TNA/Impact had the perception of signing any and every ex WWE/WCW talent they could get. On top of that they had the track record of pushong ex WWE/WCW stars above their homegrown talent.
> 
> While AEW should get credible people when they can, perception has to be considered. The majority of their announcers are ex WWE/WCW guys, the ring announcer is an ex WWE guy, a lot of their current male singles upper midcard and main eventers are ex WWE guys. It's even more in focus when a lot of these ex-WWE talents aren't doing jobs for the homegrown stars.
> 
> Instead of having Brodie Lee come in go on a streak then be vanquished by Mox, what if that win was given to Darby who could really use a signature win. Instead of Matt coming in and joining in on The Elite vs Inner Circle why not give his spot to Dustin (which makes more sense history wise) and let MJF get a win over Matt to further build him after the Cody win. It's the best of both worlds in those situations. You get the visibility that comes with having an ex-WWE guy in a prominent storyline, but you make the point of "this guy we have you just met is on par with WWE talent".


- TNA yes, AEW not yet.

- I don't see the problem with the rest of the crew being experienced professionals, I want to focus on wrestlers, not the announcers or commentators whose job should be to highlight. and showcase the talent, and put the talent over and not themselves. I just want good commentary that doesn't turn me off, which JBL/Booker/Cole/Lawler did for years.

- I'm not gonna blame them for throwing things on the wall during the start of the pandemic, as it fucked up a lot of their plans (like Brodie thing).
But still, Matt Hardy started with the Elite to branch out vs Sammy and put him over, the story would have been over by now.
Brodie comes in and they put him with DO to help and save them.
MJF was gone for a while during those march tapings.
It's not a WWE like environment at all.

Then we go into the subject, what are they known for?

When I see a nitpicking criticism such as "no original AEW stars have main evented since February", the guy loses all credibility at valid complaints when he then goes on to say "bcz this person was in WWE development 10 years ago so he is also WWE guy'.


----------



## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

The Definition of Technician said:


> When I see a nitpicking criticism such as "no original AEW stars have main evented since February", the guy loses all credibility at valid complaints when he then goes on to say "bcz this person was in WWE development 10 years ago so he is also WWE guy'.


Except I've openly said that I don't count development as WWE guys (Unless NXT because it's televised). I did argue with you or someone else in this thread that if you wanted to get technical it's actually more former WWE CONTRACTED talent than we all think but I don't actively count them in that stat.

A guy formerly of the WWE main roster has been in every main event AEW has hosted since late February. They've never had one PPV without a WWE guy headlining it and as a matter of fact both PPV's they've hosted this year has been WWE guy Vs WWE guy in some capacity.

For comparison sake, TNA which had a huge reputation for being the home of ex WWE guys had 2/7 of their first actual PPV's featuring just TNA homegrown guys. AEW is 0/7


----------



## Not Lying (Sep 9, 2013)

Chip Chipperson said:


> Except I've openly said that I don't count development as WWE guys (Unless NXT because it's televised). I did argue with you or someone else in this thread that if you wanted to get technical it's actually more former WWE CONTRACTED talent than we all think but I don't actively count them in that stat.
> 
> A guy formerly of the WWE main roster has been in every main event AEW has hosted since late February. They've never had one PPV without a WWE guy headlining it and as a matter of fact both PPV's they've hosted this year has been WWE guy Vs WWE guy in some capacity.
> 
> For comparison sake, TNA which had a huge reputation for being the home of ex WWE guys had 2/7 of their first actual PPV's featuring just TNA homegrown guys. AEW is 0/7


Best Friends = AEW creation
Omega and Page = AEW creation

They fight in the main event. The fact try to pain this as "not good enough" because Trent was a nobody jobber in WWE, even if he appeared on TV a few times, is quite ridiculous. That's why I say your criticism here doesn't have any credibility. It's stupid. Nobody sees Best Friends and the entire shtick and has their mind go to WWE because Trent was there a decade ago. It's a footnote in his career, WWE for Trent is like if he worked any minor league pre AEW because he did nothing there.



Ok, and what happened in 2006?


Sting and Christian Cage vs. Jeff Jarrett and Monty BrownFebruary 12Against All OddsImpact ZoneOrlando, FloridaJeff Jarrett vs. Christian CageMarch 12Destination XImpact ZoneOrlando, FloridaChristian Cage vs. Monty BrownApril 23LockdownImpact ZoneOrlando, FloridaSting's Warriors (Sting, A.J. Styles, Ron Killings and Rhino) vs. Jarrett's Army (Jeff Jarrett, Scott Steiner and America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm))May 14SacrificeImpact ZoneOrlando, FloridaChristian Cage vs. AbyssJune 18SlammiversaryImpact ZoneOrlando, FloridaChristian Cage vs. Abyss vs. Sting vs. Jeff Jarrett vs. Ron KillingsJuly 16Victory RoadImpact ZoneOrlando, FloridaSting vs. Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe vs. Scott SteinerAugust 13Hard JusticeImpact ZoneOrlando, FloridaJeff Jarrett vs. StingSeptember 24No SurrenderImpact ZoneOrlando, FloridaJeff Jarrett vs. Samoa JoeOctober 22Bound for GloryCompuware Sports ArenaPlymouth Township, MichiganJeff Jarrett vs. StingNovember 19GenesisImpact ZoneOrlando, FloridaKurt Angle vs. Samoa JoeDecember 10Turning PointImpact ZoneOrlando, FloridaKurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe


Each match featured a former WWE guy or WCW guy. No homegrown talent.
In 2010, the same thing, only 1 PPV didn't feature WWE talent (AJ/Abyss), and that was after 8 YEARS.
If AEW doesn't have more original stars in a few years then you can complain more about this ridiculousness.


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## bdon (Nov 12, 2019)

I refuse to count Trent, so they do have that one match since February as a main event under their belt. One. ONE FUCKING MAIN EVENT MATCH IN 20 DYNAMITES AND A PPV!!


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## M1M2M3M4M5M6M7M8 (Dec 15, 2004)

I don’t know if anyone posted this and if so I apologize. I don’t feel like reading everyone’s post(I am too lazy right now) but he has not signed with AEW. He is working on a 5 appearance type deal









Exclusive News On Matt Cardona's AEW Deal


Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Matt Cardona, f.k.a. Zack Ryder, made his AEW debut on Dynamite this past Wednesday night.Wrestling Inc. has learned that Cardona is…




www.wrestlinginc.com






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Dizzie (Jun 22, 2019)

I wonder if he will change up his wrestling style, considering he was on of the bigger guys in aew surely it would be logical by aew to present him as an explosive power house, it would also help distance himself from his wwe persona.

It's interesting to see tht on aew twitter page they have asked fans whether they give a thumbs up or thumbs down on cardona joining aew.


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## CM Buck (Sep 2, 2012)

Does anyone want to hear his new theme?


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

The Definition of Technician said:


> Best Friends = AEW creation
> Omega and Page = AEW creation
> 
> They fight in the main event. The fact try to pain this as "not good enough" because Trent was a nobody jobber in WWE, even if he appeared on TV a few times, is quite ridiculous. That's why I say your criticism here doesn't have any credibility. It's stupid. Nobody sees Best Friends and the entire shtick and has their mind go to WWE because Trent was there a decade ago. It's a footnote in his career, WWE for Trent is like if he worked any minor league pre AEW because he did nothing there.
> ...


Bro, you are hung up on Trent. Forget Trent he's not the point. I'll give you Trent, lets pretend he was never in the WWE.

2019: 15/18 main events featured guys from the WWE including PPV's.

2020: 26/33 main events featured guys from the WWE including PPV's so far.

Total: 41/51 main events hosted by AEW have featured guys from WWE. Not including Trent, not including developmental guys.

---

Also, it's a good point with TNA but pointing and saying "Look! Them as well!" probably isn't the best thing to do when people shit on TNA for many years for being THE place to go for ageing WWE stars who wanted a payoff.


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## zkorejo (Jul 2, 2010)

AEW is full of former WWE and WWE is full of former TNA wrestlers. Its a weird mindset... No one is married to their promotion/company.


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## Not Lying (Sep 9, 2013)

Chip Chipperson said:


> Bro, you are hung up on Trent. Forget Trent he's not the point. I'll give you Trent, lets pretend he was never in the WWE.
> 
> 2019: 15/18 main events featured guys from the WWE including PPV's.
> 
> ...


Good.

And I've said now that they're in the beginning Cody, Y2J, Mox should be main eventing. If you got a new AEW champ like MJF or Cage or Archer, I wouldn't be surprised to see more non-WWE guys in the main event with Page, Omega..etc


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## patpat (Feb 17, 2019)

Cawdy Rhhhodes filling the show with his friends....surprise


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

Just heard what Cornette had to say on this angle. He asks why the announcers couldn't have said "That's Matt Cordona formerly Zack Ryder in the WWE!". Apparently it's legal to do that which begs the question of why they didn't do that.


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## CM Buck (Sep 2, 2012)

Chip Chipperson said:


> Just heard what Cornette had to say on this angle. He asks why the announcers couldn't have said "That's Matt Cordona formerly Zack Ryder in the WWE!". Apparently it's legal to do that which begs the question of why they didn't do that.


That's actually a good point. Non WWE companies don't exploit that loophole. Care to explain the details of that loophole though?


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## nailz1 (Sep 12, 2012)

I Actually quit like Matt and think he's a lot better in the ring then some people give him credit for. I also think he is one of the better signings AEW has made over the last year or so. and if Cody and AEW are planning on doing there own version of the Four Horseman, Which has been teased recently. Then Matt would be a better fit for the Group then Shawn Spears in my opinion.


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## Hephaesteus (Aug 20, 2018)

Chip Chipperson said:


> Just heard what Cornette had to say on this angle. He asks why the announcers couldn't have said "That's Matt Cordona formerly Zack Ryder in the WWE!". Apparently it's legal to do that which begs the question of why they didn't do that.


If I know who zach ryder is then I know who Matt cordona is. If not by name, then definitely by site. You do not want to start him off in this new promotion by connecting him to a failed gimmick


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## Metalhead1 (Jan 21, 2019)

He actually looked really athletic during the run in. And without having to read from scripted speech, many of these guys do look a lot more interesting. I wonder what his persona/gimmick will be in AEW.

However, AEW is getting a rep for signing guys right when they get released from WWE.


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## Wolf Mark (Jun 5, 2020)

Poor debut. They should have had him wrestle Cody instead of little Warrior.


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## ET_Paul (Jul 2, 2018)

Decided to post after listening to Rusev’s (Miro) YouTube clip about meeting Vince McMahon for the first time.

In it, he explains meeting Vince on his first loop. Leading up to this point he mentioned how Zach Ryder was the gate keeper for NXT talent.

He stated everybody coming up in the NXT system had to face Ryder as a test of whether they were main roster material or not. Which leads me to believe that Ryder is a really good worker when he’s not being jobbed out (i’ve already watched a few of his matches so I know this to be true).

So, I look forward to people tonight stating things like...

*“ I didn’t think I’d like Ryder (Cardona) in AEW but after tonight, I wouldn’t mind seeing him again.”

“Man, Cardona looked great out there tonight!”

“ I thought he was going to suck, but he didn’t! Good showing I hope AEW signs him.”*

I really wish people would stop this tired old trope about WWE cast offs.

The WWE is the biggest wrestling company in the world. They have three brands and sign elite athletes to their performance center. And up until recently they’ve hoarded talent and had them sit in catering. A lot of these men and women haven’t/won’t get the opportunity to show their skills.

I mean, look at Apollo Crews. If the WWE released him before giving him this push and he signed with the WWE many of you would say it was a terrible signing after jobbing numerous years. Now he is the current U.S. champion.

I’m anxious to see Cardona with the cuffs off.


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## TD Stinger (May 9, 2012)

The Definition of Technician said:


> Best Friends = AEW creation
> Omega and Page = AEW creation


Not to be that asshole but Best Friends were teaming together in ROH & NJPW before coming to AEW. I wouldn't really call them a "AEW" creation.


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