Matt Cardona Says He Has 'So Much Respect' For This WWE Star

Matt Cardona and Cody Rhodes had the opportunity to find success elsewhere in the wrestling business after they weren't pleased with how their initial run in WWE ended. Rhodes helped launch AEW and become one of the company's top stars before returning to WWE at WrestleMania 38, whereas Cardona has spent the last four years wrestling on the indie scene, becoming one of the most accomplished stars in promotions such as GCW, TNA, and WSW. 

Speaking on Dr. Beau Hightower's YouTube channel, Cardona credited Rhodes for taking a chance on himself, leaving WWE, and continuing to grow a career outside of the company. But he questioned if "The American Nightmare's" initial run in WWE was bad.

"Cody talks about how bad he had it in WWE. I mean, did he really have it that bad?" asked Cardona. "He never missed a WrestleMania, like, maybe he wasn't where he wanted to be. Maybe the Stardust thing wasn't what he wanted, but trust me, I had it way worse. But I'm super proud of everything that he did to go out there, to take the chance, to bet on himself. He quit, you know, he walked out, he's, like, 'I know I can be better' and he says it all the time, the undesirable to undeniable, and he did it. So much respect for him for that."

Cardona was also asked how many titles he's held from different wrestling promotions since leaving WWE, with him claiming he doesn't even know which companies some of the championships belong to and that he's begged promoters to stop giving him titles.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Dr. Beau Hightower" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.