Zack Ryder (Matt Cardona) issues first comments since making his return to WWE at SmackDown

As seen during the November 14th 2025 edition of WWE SmackDown, Zack Ryder made his return to WWE in a “Last Time is Now” tournament match against LA Knight. After a back and forth match, Knight picked up the victory with a BFT.

In a video published to WWE’s YouTube channel, Ryder stated the following…

“Five years. It’s been five years since I put on Zack Ryder boots. Every single morning, the first thing I do before I even open my damn eyes is to say, ‘How can I get back here? What do I have to do to get back here?’

I busted my ass for the past five years. Deathmatch King, Indy God, the Complete. All for this moment. This might be a one-time shot. I might get the call tomorrow. It doesn’t matter because I’m Zack Ryder. I’m always ready. I guess I could say this, woo, woo, woo, you know it.”

Knight then walked up to Ryder, shook his hand, and said: “I don’t know if this is a welcome back or if this is see you later. All I can say is, yeah! Good stuff.”