According to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, some people backstage in WWE were hoping Matt Cardona would return to using his old Zack Ryder character after rejoining WWE.
The belief among those individuals was that Zack Ryder was already a well-known WWE personality with strong recognition among fans, making it a more familiar option than fully leaning into the Matt Cardona persona he developed and popularized during his time on the independent wrestling scene.
At this stage, there is no indication that WWE is planning to revert back to the Zack Ryder character. However, WrestleVotes noted that the situation is one to keep an eye on.

According to PWInsider, Gunther vs. Nick Aldis is 100% internally set for SummerSlam 2026. This will be Nick&#8217;s first match in WWE.
Gunther attacked Aldis on last week&#8217;s SmackDown. Due to this, RAW GM Adam Pearce will once again be the acting General Manager of the blue brand tonight.
As of this writing, WWE has officially announced the following matches for SummerSlam:
&#8211; World Heavyweight Championship Match: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Seth Rollins
&#8211; Undisputed WWE Championship Match: CM Punk (c) vs. Cody Rhodes
&#8211; Hell in a Cell Match: Brock Lesnar vs. &#8220;King of the Ring&#8221; Oba Femi
&#8211; Women&#8217;s World Championship Match: Liv Morgan (c) vs. &#8220;Queen of the Ring&#8221; IYO SKY
&#8211; Intercontinental Championship Match: Penta (c) vs. Chad Gable
&#8211; The Bloodline (Jacob Fatu, Jey Uso, and Jimmy Uso) vs. LA Knight, Solo Sikoa, and Royce Keys