WWE veteran wants to see former champion return at Royal Rumble (Exclusive)

WWE Royal Rumble has given fans some huge returns and surprising moments for as long as it's been around. Fans are expecting some big shockers to go down this Saturday in Indianapolis.

During a recent episode of BroDown on Backstage Pass, Vince Russo was asked to share his pick for which superstar (past or present) he'd like to see appear at the Royal Rumble.

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"I'm going to talk about personal reasons, Mac, not television reasons. The one guy I'd love to see in the in that Royal Rumble is Matt Cardona. To see that, personally, I would love to see him in the Royal Rumble." [From 17:08 onwards]

Elsewhere on the podcast, Russo elaborated on the pros and cons if the erstwhile Zack Ryder ended up returning to WWE full-time. The former WCW Champion noted that Cardona won't have the creative freedom in the TKO-owned company should he decide to return.

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"Mac, I think it would be very, very tough for him because he was in that system. So he knows what that system's like now. He went out on his own and was very successful. So now it's his rules, it's his decisions. He gets involved in the booking. I bet you he's in a tough spot because he's got absolute freedom right now on the indie circuit and he's making good money."

He continued:

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"Yes, he knows if he goes back to the system, he is not going to have the same say but on the other side of the coin, his wife is there. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? So like there's pluses and minuses because he knows what it's like working there. And this is one of the guys that, without the WWE, has achieved great, great success." [From 17:53 onwards]

Cardona isn't oblivious to social media fantasy booking him in the WWE Royal Rumble 2025. The former United States Champion told Ariel Helwani he'd earned the opportunity to go back.

His wife Chelsea Green is set to compete in the women's Rumble this Saturday. Fans will have to wait to see if the couple reunites in the same company, even if it's for a brief moment.

Get the full episode of BroDown on Backstage Pass. You can also unlock our exclusive content via YouTube membership.

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