Matt Cardona has been on a tear since leaving WWE in the spring of 2020. He’s appeared in AEW, become a major player in Impact Wrestling, and in 2021 became an unlikely deathmatch participant, defeating Nick Gage in a deathmatch on July 24th, at GCW Homecoming in Atlantic City, NJ. His reign was short, at only about a month-and-a-half before losing to Jon Moxley in early September, but since his release, Cardona has proven he’s a major player that can do anything he sets his mind to–even deathmatches.
In late September, as he continued to antagonize the GCW audience, Cardona announced his retirement from deathmatch wrestling. However, in a recent interview with Barstool Sports, on the Rasslin podcast Cardona intimated that his deathmatch career might not be over just yet.
F*ck Mick Foley. That’s all I have to say. This guy, you’d think he’d be so proud of me. Fellow Long Islander, fellow death match king, but he’s turned his back on me. I don’t know what his deal is. I don’t know if it’s that I beat up his son-in-law Frank the Clown. I don’t know if he’s hot about that. I think he just needs to stop running his mouth.
Right before I got released from WWE, my personal writer was Dewey Foley, Mick’s son. So, if Mick doesn’t shut the f*ck up, I’m going to have Dewey Foley book me vs. Mick Foley in a death match, and of course I’m going to win.
Matt Cardona on Rasslin Podcast
Foley appeared at GCW Fight Club in October, and in response to Cardona’s statement earlier in the night of “F*ck Mick Foley. I’m the Hardcore Legend,” Foley said he was using his one F-word of the night to say “F*ck Matt Cardona.”
Foley also made a surprise appearance at the NWA Hard Times 2 on December 4, leaning somewhat into his Santa Mick persona, Foley said taht if anyone crosses the naughty line, this may not be the last we see of him. Later in the night, Cardona made a surprise appearance, laying out NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Trevor Murdoch–definitely a naughty move if ever there was one.
Foley’s deathmatch history is well-documented with stints in Tri-State Wrestling, ECW, IWA Japan and more in the mid-1990’s, leaving a litany of chairshots, barbed wire, and spent explosives in their wake.
While it may be unlikely that we ever see Foley compete in a live match ever again–as far back as 2013, Foley confirmed publicly that neurologists told him he was not to ever compete again–he has left the door open to a cinematic match, which could be done more safely.
Currently, Cardona is scheduled to face W. Morrissey and champion Moose for the Impact World Title at the company’s “Hard To Kill” pay-per-view event on Saturday, January 8.
H/T Wrestling Inc. for transcription.
Follow Kyle Sparks on Twitter at @kyleksparks.
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