Matt Cardona has recalled the time he was barred from using a baseball slide on Main Event because of a Ronda Rousey match on RAW later that night!
During a recent AdFreeShows Q&A session, Inside The Ropes’ own Innes McVey spoke to the former Zack Ryder and asked how different the backstage atmosphere of AEW is compared to WWE. Cardona would detail how relaxed everyone was leading to much greater creative freedom, a rarity in the former company.
“WWE, it’s this huge thing and I think almost too micromanaged where AEW is just like letting things happen. You don’t even know, like, who’s running the show which is a good thing. There’s creative freedom in your matches as opposed to sometimes in WWE where it’s like ‘Oh, you can’t go to the floor tonight.'”
The former Intercontinental Champion elaborated by telling the story of how he wasn’t allowed to do a baseball slide on Main Event because Ronda Rousey was performing the same manoeuvre on RAW a few hours later!
“I was having a match before RAW so Main Event or Superstars or whatever it’s called. And my producer told me I couldn’t do a baseball slide to the floor because Ronda Rousey was doing it two hours later on RAW. I can understand if you’re saying I can’t put Mike Kanellis through the announce table on Main Event. OK I get it. But I can’t do a baseball slide?! We’re talking about a baseball slide here! Because Ronda Rousey is doing a baseball slide? You think anybody is thinking in the arena, ‘Oh, Zack Ryder did that baseball slide two hours ago’? Like, come on!”
The now-IMPACT Wrestling star went on to give his thoughts on the old school mentality of “build the car”, pointing out how this conflicts with WWE’s ideology that newer wrestlers should grab the ‘brass ring’!
“I mean you hear that mentality like ‘Build the card!’ and I think that’s the old school way. I’m not saying I disagree with it, but at the same time you can’t have that build the card attitude when you’re also telling guys, ‘Hey, stand out, grab the brass ring, go out there, bust your a**!’ Well, which one is it?”
During the same Q&A session, Cardona also discussed the influence of Edge on his career and how the 2021 Men’s Royal Rumble winner made him believe he could make it in wrestling!
Thanks to AdFreeShows for facilitating our chat with Matt Cardona! You can join their Q&A sessions yourself by heading over to their Patreon and pledging at the ‘Top Guy’ tier!