LA Knight was given a surprise opponent on WWE SmackDown that fans are very familiar with.
On the November 14 show, Knight’s opponent was revealed to be Zack Ryder, who has since competed on the independents under his real name of Matt Cardona. The former Intercontinental Champion came out to a remix of his old theme, and got a great reception from the live fans. However, Ryder was unable to advance past the first round, as he was pinned by Knight after The Megastar hit the MFT on the former WWE star.
Cardona was released by WWE back in 2020, and went on to make a name for himself on the independents, which also included having a handful of matches in AEW. Despite stating in multiple interviews that he wanted to sign with a major promotion to finish up his in-ring career, Cardona has not committed to a promotion full-time in the 5 years since his exit. While there is now new Zack Ryder merchandise available on WWE Shop, there has been no update regarding a new deal being signed.
Cardona had previously made appearances on NXT as part of the ongoing partnership between TNA and WWE, which has seen stars from each respective promotion appear on the opposing brand. Cardona is also married to SmackDown star and Women’s United States Champion, Chelsea Green.
Knight was announced ahead of time to face a mystery competitor as part of The Last Time is Now Tournament, where the winner will face John Cena on December 13 in what will be Cena’s final match. As part of the hype for the tournament, Cena stated that some names who don’t work for the company would be making surprise appearances.
LA Knight Advances On SmackDown
Knight was the 4th name to advance in The Last Time Is Now Tournament. Earlier in the night, Jey Uso defeated The Miz to advance to the next round, while Sheamus and Rusev each won their respective first round matches on the November 10 Raw.
Another mystery opponent will be in action on the November 17 Raw against Solo Sikoa.
Featured image: WWE
