Matt Cardona's 'Zack Ryder' Trademark Battle Comes To An End

Last month, Matt Cardona filed applications to trademark both his former WWE ring name Zack Ryder, as well as his known Ryder catchphrase "Woo woo woo. You know it." Until now, he hadn't commented on such filings at all, but on Tuesday morning, that changed. Nick Wayne referring to Cardona on Twitter as Zack Ryder in his reaction to their GCW match announcement for next weekend prompted a response. "Nah," tweeted Cardona. "I tried getting that trademark. Got denied. You're fighting The Indy God ... The Deathmatch King ... The King of the Sea ... MATT CARDONA!!!"

On its face, it was not entirely clear how much of Cardona's statement should be taken as kayfabe as opposed to legitimate. After all, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) does not currently reflect Cardona having been denied the "Zack Ryder" trademark. But it does contain the record of Cardona and his attorney Mike Dockins filing the application on January 14. WWE's trademark on the name had just expired on January 11 as a result of not maintaining requirements. As for the catchphrase trademark, WWE's claim to that one has been abandoned since 2013 with no official updates for it since Cardona's application in January.

However, when contacted by Wrestling Inc., Dockins confirmed Cardona's trademark account. He explained that WWE reached out via their outside counsel at K&L Gates, asserting that though they let the "Zack Ryder" trademark lapse — and trademark law requires continued use to assert rights — the terms of Cardona's past contracts and release are clear that the Zack Ryder name belongs to WWE. As a result, WWE claimed they would contest Cardona's attempted registration unless he let the issue drop.