Matt Cardona's In-Ring Return Announced

By Liam Crowley

Alwayz Ready is almost ready. Former National Wrestling Alliance Worlds Heavyweight Champion Matt Cardona is set to make his in-ring return at NWA 74 against an opponent of his choosing. Cardona has been out of action since May with a torn bicep, which he suffered at GCW Downward Spiral in a match against Blake Christian. The self-proclaimed Death Match King was expected to be on the shelf for upwards of six months, but was personally hoping to be ready in three. As long as this NWA 74 return goes as planned, Cardona will meet that goal, as he is scheduled for Night 1 of that event, which takes place on August 27th.

There's no word on who Cardona will select for his opponent, but the NWA itself is teasing that he could set his sights on current NWA Worlds Champion Trevor Murdoch.

Cardona had previously emphasized that despite his ambitious return timetable, he would only get back in the squared circle if he was feeling perfect.

"I will not get back in the ring unless I'm 100%. Right now, if there was something going down with Ric Flair's last match and they said, 'Hey Matt, the card got shuffled, we need you to wrestle Ric Flair.' Alright, I'd boot those boots on," Cardona said in an earlier interview. "I'd put that baby oil on and wrestle, but I'm not risking it for anything less than that until I'm 100%. We're getting there, I'm almost 100%, but I'm not there yet."

The former WWE United States Champion's injury forced him to miss his self-branded NWA pay-per-view, NWA Alwayz Ready. At that event, Cardona officially vacated his NWA Worlds Title. Murdoch would become champion later that night, defeating Nick Aldis, Thom Latimer, and Sam Shaw in a four-way bout.

As evident by his appearance at Alwayz Ready as well as Ric Flair's Last Match and GCW Cage of Survival, Cardona has made it his mission to still fulfill his independent dates.

"I'm not going to be stuck at home injured. I won't be in the ring, but this isn't a three-month vacation," Cardona emphasized shortly after getting injured. "I'm just as busy as I was, even with a torn bicep."

Once he returns at NWA 74, Cardona's in-ring schedule picks right back up. The former GCW World Champion previously zoned in on The Wrestling Showcase for his wrestling return, a September 3rd tournament that includes John Morrison, Killer Kross, Rich Swann, Jacob Fatu, and others.

"The timing is perfect," Cardona said regarding The Wrestling Showcase's scheduled date. "I'm training to be back in time. It fits perfectly in that three-month window, and I want my first match back to be against Tatanka. He can still go. Watching him wrestle makes you think it's still 1993. And how cool would it be to beat someone whose action figure I had?"

Until then, Cardona's next match is set for NWA 74 Night 1, which goes down on August 27th.

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