John Cena has reacted following a massive WWE return after 2045 days. The promotion’s partnership with TNA has allowed for a lot of talents to cross over into NXT, and a star recently made his in-ring return on WWE TV.
A few weeks ago, Matt Cardona (fka Zack Ryder) appeared on NXT during TNA’s invasion of the show. While he was left out of the card for ShowDown, he competed on NXT this week. The former United States Champion took on Josh Briggs on the October 14 show. This marked Cardona’s first match in WWE since March 9, 2020, when he faced Bobby Lashley on an episode of RAW.
While the return wasn’t fruitful, with Briggs emerging victorious, this was still a big moment for Cardona. His return also drew a reaction from John Cena. On his Instagram account, Cena posted a photo of Cardona from his appearance on NXT.
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Cena and Cardona were part of a storyline in WWE between 2011 and 2012. The duo teamed up several times, with the 17-time World Champion also helping out Cardona in his singles career.
The former Zack Ryder was released by the promotion in April 2020 as part of pandemic-related budget cuts. Since then, he has made his name in the independent circuit and is currently signed with TNA.
John Cena paid tribute to his former rivals at Crown Jewel
Since turning babyface at SummerSlam, John Cena has been relishing the final leg of his WWE Farewell Tour.
At Crown Jewel, he faced AJ Styles in a one-on-one match and paid tributes to his rivals from the past. He pulled off The Miz’s Skull Crushing Finale and even put Styles in The Accolade, a move associated with Rusev.
He also paid a moving tribute to Bray Wyatt after hitting The Phenomenal One with a Sister Abigail. The finish of the match also saw Cena deliver The Undertaker’s Tombstone Piledriver, followed by an Attitude Adjustment for the win.
