In an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show (via Wrestling Inc), Matt Cardona revealed that WWE offered him a new contract before his release, but he chose to decline. Since then, Cardona has reinvented himself on the independent circuit, recently working shows for ROH, TNA, and GCW.
Matt Cardona said:
“I knew I was going to get fired because we got a little message from Vince McMahon like a general, like, video, the pandemic just started, April 15, 2020, best day of my life … a year prior AEW was starting up, and WWE, I don’t know if it was because of this, I think it was, they offered everyone brand new deals with a lot more money and I didn’t sign it because I didn’t know if I wanted to stay or go. Ultimately the decision was made for me a year later, when I got fired.”
