Zack Ryder (Matt Cardona) made his return to WWE on WWE SmackDown as the mystery opponent for LA Knight in the Last Time Is Now tournament.
Ryder has his familiar “Woo, Woo, Woo, You Know It” theme and utilized the WWE persona he was known for before his 2020 release and reinventing himself as Cardona on the independent scene. Corey Graves noted Ryder’s success on the independent scene and away from WWE.
This was Ryder’s first WWE main roster match since March 2020.
Unfortunately for Ryder, he fell victim to the BFT and lost to Knight.
NO WAY!!!
Zack Ryder is @RealLAKnight‘s mystery opponent 🤯 pic.twitter.com/orbLc9fxbh
— WWE (@WWE) November 15, 2025
Knight joins Jey Uso, Sheamus, and Rusev as the four men who have advanced in the tournament. Je’Von Evans vs Gunther and Solo Sikoa vs. a mystery opponent are the next two matches set for the tournament. The winner of the tournament will face John Cena in his last match on December 13th.
Fans can find results from WWE SmackDown here. Check out the post-show podcast for a full review here.
