Matt Cardona made his return — debuting under his own name — on this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown as the mystery opponent for Kit Wilson.

Finally, Matt Cardona appears to have made a full return to WWE nearly six years after his initial release in 2020.

Explore the WWE Superstars most likely to make surprise returns on the Raw on Netflix anniversary episode. From Roman Reigns to fan favorites.

Randy Orton made a spectacular return to WWE programming on the January 2, 2026, episode of SmackDown this week.

Matt Cardona returned to WWE on the January 2nd episode of WWE SmackDown as the mystery opponent for Kit Wilson.

Following SmackDown, Cardona, who re-debuted with his Zack Ryder WWE gimmick, and he talked about the return on WWE’s social media. He seemed excited to finally be back in WWE five years after his release. Over the last five years, Ryder has worked the ...

Meanwhile, Cody Rhodes continues his strong year as the Undisputed WWE Champion, granting more Make-A-Wish requests than any Superstar in 2025. Additionally, WWE Hall of Famer Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler made headlines after hinting at a possible return to the ring.

The Celtic Warrior is undoubtedly a future WWE Hall of Famer as evidenced by his status as a four-time world champion, three-time United States champion, five-time tag team champion, one-time Royal Rumble winner, one-time Money in the Bank winner and one-time King of the Ring winner.