Why Matt Cardona Calls His Limited AEW Run 'A Blessing'

After 14 years with WWE, Matt Cardona became a free agent in 2020. Since then, he's taken over the independent scene and hasn't looked back. During a recent appearance on "Notsam Wrestling," Cardona reflected on how the last few years have unfolded.

"I say this in interviews all the time that WWE was my developmental, and that's not a shot at WWE. I'm so grateful for my time there," Cardona said. "If it wasn't for my time there, I wouldn't be the Indie God, I wouldn't be sitting with you right now. Everything I learned in WWE, how to be a star, how to merchandise, how to promote yourself, that's what I'm doing now on the indies."

Cardona noted that this isn't his "Honky Tonk run" and that he's setting out to change the business while learning something new with each passing match. After all, his indie run may not even be possible had he been offered an AEW deal in 2020 after he worked two matches for the company that summer.

"When I left [WWE], I knew I needed a change," Cardona stated. "The AEW thing, the cup of coffee there didn't work out. At the time I was f****** bummed out, I'll admit a hundred percent, but now [it's] a blessing in disguise because I would have never been able to go to GCW and do the deathmatch, the match that changed my career, changed GCW, changed my life. You're right, that high, I knew it was going to create some buzz, but I could not anticipate what it what do... Listen, I made more money last year than I ever made in WWE."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Notsam Wrestling" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.