Former WWE star Chelsea Green wants to return ‘more than anything’

Several years have passed since then Matt Cardona, aka Zack Ryder, was in VVE, but his wife, Chelsea Green, she wants to come back.

Speaking to The Wrestling Classic, Green was asked how much he wants to see Cardona returned to WWE. Her answer? “More than anything.”

“I want to see Matt in WWE, honestly, more than anything else; anything else I could want from my career,” Green said. “I feel guilty because, first of all, he supports me like no one else.” He’s so happy for me — he watches everything I do, he’s at the shows when I win championships, but I go home and I know it was his dream.

“He literally came out of the womb wanting to be a WWE Superstar.” So, I just want him so badly to come back and have that final closure, that ending that he so deserves. He was with VVE (a) for a very, very, very long time. And I think that’s what the fans want too,” she continued.

Will Matt Cardona return to WWE?

It seems inevitable that Chelsea Green’s husband, Matt Cardona, will return to WWE, but not as Zack Rider. The Royal Rumble is a great vessel for surprise returns, with the 2025 edition coming on February 1st.

In the interview, the host said that they want to see Cardona return as Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 36 or Drew McIntyre when he returns from the independent circuit. Both returned with the gimmicks and personas they built while away from WWE.

But as of today, Cardona is still enjoying his run at Indy. He wrestles in several independent promotions and also appears in TNA. Recently, TNA has been working with WWE, allowing certain wrestlers such as Jordinne Grace and Joe Hendry to appear in the company.

Green, meanwhile, is enjoying his first WWE singles championship run. She previously won the Women’s Tag Team Championship with Sonja Deville.

At Saturday Night’s Main Event in December 2024, Green became the first United States Women’s Champion. She outlasted several other contestants in the tournament to win the title.

Like Cardona, Green was also previously released from WWE. She then went on the independent circuit with Cardona and joined Impact Wrestling (now TNA) with him.

She was later returned to WWE in 2023 at the Women’s Royal Rumble. After being eliminated in seconds by Rhea Ripley, she began a new gimmick of being “Karen”.

Shortly after her return, Green won the Women’s Tag Team Championship with Deville. However, Deville was injured, causing Piper Niven to take her place on the team. They ended up losing the championship to Caden Carter and Katana Chance on an episode of Monday Night RAW.