From the Ring to Retail: The Reinvention of Matt Cardona
Photography courtesy of Major Pod Network, WWE, and Justin Walsh
Introduction: Who is Matt Cardona?
Before he was “The Deathmatch King,” Matt Cardona was just a kid from Long Island chasing a dream. He broke into the WWE in 2006 under the name Zack Ryder. A spiky-haired underdog who made fans laugh and chant “Woo Woo Woo!” and believe that hustle could outshine politics. What made him different wasn’t just his character; it was his grind. In 2011, while most wrestlers waited for TV time, Cardona took to YouTube, launching Z! True Long Island Story, a homemade web show that turned him into an internet phenomenon and earned him the unofficial title of Internet Champion. Fans loved him. The company didn't quite know what to do with him.
After years of stop-and-start pushes, Cardona was released from WWE in 2020, but instead of disappearing, he reinvented himself. He started from scratch, wrestling independently all over the world and building a business empire along the way. Through The Major Wrestling Figure Podcast and his own collectibles lines, Major Bendies and Big Rubber Guys, he transformed his lifelong love of wrestling merch into a multimillion-dollar brand.
Now, Cardona runs his own show- literally and creatively. From his early days as Zack Ryder to his rise as one of wrestling’s most successful independent stars, his story is about taking control, betting on yourself, and proving that success doesn’t need anyone’s permission.
Back in his Zack Ryder days, Cardona was all about catchphrases, confidence, and charisma, laying out the foundation for a larger-than-life personality that would later power his self-made empire.
Fired One Day, Building a Brand the Next
When Matt Cardona started a YouTube web show in 2011, he wasn’t trying to make history; he wanted people to care about him and to create a fanbase. “Back then, you weren’t supposed to mix your real life with your wrestling character,” Cardona says. “Now everyone does it, but I was one of the first to try.” And it worked. That web show didn’t just make him popular; it planted the seed for everything he’d build later. “It showed me that if you connect with people directly, you can do anything,” he says.
When WWE released him in 2020 due to the pandemic, Cardona didn’t take it as a loss. He took it as an opportunity. “I gave myself five minutes to be sad,” he says, “Then I opened my laptop and got to work.”
By the time he was fired, his YouTube success had already taught him two invaluable lessons. One, he didn’t need a big company to stay relevant, and two, he already had an audience that followed him, not the brand. The world was in lockdown, fans were home, craving entertainment, and Cardona and Brian Myers saw a hot opportunity. It started as just two friends talking about toys, but turned into something bigger - The Major Wrestling Figure Podcast, co-hosted with his longtime friend Myers and “Smart” Mark Sterling. “Our podcast exploded,” he recalls. “People were home buying collectibles... the popularity spawned our toy lines.”
Major Moves: Turning Passion into a Product Line
Cardona’s obsession with collectibles turned into two complete toy lines: Major Bendies and Big Rubber Guys. “If you told 10-year-old me I’d be making my own wrestling figures, I’d have laughed,” he says. “Now we’re shipping thousands every year. It’s insane.”
He personally signs off on every design, from head sculpts to box layouts. “If something’s off, we fix it,” he insists. “My name's on the box, so it has to be right.”
Cardona calls himself “creative, not artistic,” but you can see his eye on everything: the gear, the logos, and the packaging. He works closely with designer Ryan Winchombe (TTD Wrestling), who translates his ideas into real products. “I’ll sketch something terrible on a napkin or the back of an 8x10,” Cardona laughs, “and Ryan just gets it.”
“It’s that ‘80s toy-store vibe with attitude,” he explains. “I want my stuff to make people smile and then make them hit ‘add to cart.’” For Cardona, it's the fans who drive the business. He doesn’t just sell to them; he builds with them. “Our fans aren’t customers,” he says. “They’re part of the process. We read the comments, run polls, take suggestions, and actually make them happen.” The Major Pod live shows blur the line between performer and audience. “You meet people who say, ‘Your videos got me through high school’, or ‘Collecting toys with my kid brought us closer,’” Cardona says. “That stuff means everything.” And that fan-first mentality doesn’t just shape his content; it also helps him generate ideas and create products.
In 2021, Cardona wrestled a brutal death match that left him covered in blood. Most people would have tried to forget it. But the fans couldn’t get enough. He turned it into merch. “I made twenty grand off a ten-dollar shirt,” he says, grinning. “It’s gross, but it’s genius.” That story sums up Cardona perfectly: bold, creative, and business-minded. “You can’t plan everything,” he says. “Sometimes you just have to be ready to run with it.”
Even chaos becomes opportunity; Cardona’s infamous death match inspired one of his fastest-selling merch drops ever.
Redefining Success Beyond the Spotlight
These days, success for Cardona looks different. “My Matt Cardona run is more successful than my Zack Ryder run,” he says. “Back then, I had exposure. Now I have freedom.” That freedom means calling his own shots: what shows to wrestle on, what products to make, and who to collaborate with. “I don't work for anyone but myself,” he says. “And that’s priceless.”
After building an empire out of passion projects, Cardona shows no signs of slowing down. His next big move? Expanding the Major Wrestling Figure Podcast brand beyond wrestling. “One huge goal is to end my career back in WWE,” he says. “But I also want our toy line to go bigger, Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Ninja Turtles. We just got Major League Baseball and Sylvester Stallone for Rambo, so anything’s possible.” He’s already thinking like a global brand owner, not just a performer. From pitching partnerships at Comic-Con to developing mascot figures for MLB teams like the Phillies, Cardona’s vision keeps growing.
“We’ve made mistakes and learned from everyone,” he says. “That’s how you evolve. I don’t work for anyone but myself, and that’s pretty damn cool.” From wrestling to retail, Cardona’s next chapter proves that the “Deathmatch King” mindset isn’t just about the ring; it’s about building your own universe.
When I asked Cardona what advice he’d give to people trying to build their own thing, he didn’t hesitate. “Stop waiting for the perfect time,” he says. “It doesn’t exist. Start now. Learn as you go. Make mistakes. Just don’t quit.” For anyone chasing a dream, whether it’s fashion, design, or wrestling, Matt Cardona’s story is proof that the most significant win comes from betting on yourself.
From fan to franchise, Matt Cardona built the career he used to dream about, and he’s not done yet.