Matt Cardona Clarifies Status Of Zack Ryder Trademark

In January, Matt Cardona filed to trademark his former WWE ring name Zack Ryder, as well as his former catchphrase "Woo, woo, woo, you know it." However, earlier this week, Cardona took to Twitter to reveal that he was denied the trademark. The self-proclaimed "Deathmatch King" recently appeared on the "Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast" and explained what happened.

"[WWE] did let [the Zack Ryder trademark] lapse," Cardona said. "I applied for it knowing there was a chance they could fight it, and they have, so that's it. I'm letting it go." He explained that he wanted to own the Ryder trademark to do a cinematic match, but he's not going to go to court over it. Cardona added, "Zack Ryder is dead, in my opinion. It's all Matt Cardona, but I did want, for instance, to do that Matt Cardona vs. Zack Ryder cinematic match." He also clarified that beyond the cinematic match, he did not want to wrestle under the Ryder name, but would have utilized the trademark for merchandising purposes.

The 37-year-old is currently a featured talent in several promotions including the National Wrestling Alliance, Impact Wrestling, and GCW. Cardona recently challenged for the Impact World Tag Team Championship alongside Brian Myers at Impact's Hard to Kill event last month, and now he's gearing up to headline NWA Nuff Said when he challenges Tyrus for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Cardona's wife Chelsea Green recently returned to WWE, but Cardona seems focused on his indie schedule as a free agent.