Matt Cardona Shares Unique Tie To Vince McMahon's World Bodybuilding Federation

Matt Cardona goes way back with WWE. Before spending nearly 15 years with WWE as Zack Ryder until he was released in 2020, Cardona was a fan of the promotion throughout his childhood. It turns out the former NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion has ties to WWE, or at least to former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, that go even deeper.

Early Wednesday evening, Cardona took to Twitter to post a clip featuring his father, Bob Cardona, appearing at the inaugural event of McMahon's short-lived World Bodybuilding Federation.

"My dad as a judge at the first WBF competition!" Cardona tweeted. "(Thanks @maskedwrestlers for the clip)."

In the clip, Bob Cardona, a former bodybuilder himself, was introduced as a judge by co-host Regis Philbin. The show, which aired on PPV in June 1991, took place at the Trump Taj Mahal in New Jersey and saw Bob Cardona and his fellow judges choose Gary Strydom as the first WBF Champion.

As notable as this was for Matt Cardona, who was 6 at the time, and his father, the two arguably shared an even bigger moment together years later, this time in WWE. Cardona famously celebrated with his father in the ring at WrestleMania 32 right after he won the WWE Intercontinental Championship in a multi-man ladder match. Unfortunately for Matt Cardona, he lost the title to The Miz the following night on "Monday Night Raw."