Matt Cardona says he’s in his Hollywood Hogan era.
Matt Cardona has completely reinvented himself since being released by WWE in 2020 and making a run on the independent circuit. During a recent appearance on Swerve Strickland’s Swerve City podcast, Cardona, while not ignoring his time in WWE, admitted that he is far more focused on the work he’s doing today.
It’s easy for him to get appearances based on his history, everything he’s doing on the independent circuit now is fresh, and he is not in his “Honky Tonk Man” era.
“When you come to my gimmick table, this isn’t my Honky Tonk Man run. You don’t see all these 8x10s of my career in WWE. All the merchandise on selling now is based on what I’m doing now. Whether it be Deathmatch King Burger King crowns, or Indy God hats, or my own toys. I will have one Zack Ryder at WrestleMania 8×10, guilty as charged. Other than that, this is not my Honky Tonk Man run, going and doing the sunglasses, headband, take no bumps. I’ve been busting my ass every single night because I have something to prove. This is not my ‘go back and make some quick money’ [run].”
I’m Not On The Indies To Pass The Torch. I’m Lighting A New One For Myself
Continuing on, Cardona stated that he believes he is in his Hollywood Hogan era where he has completely reinvented himself and changed what people can expect to see from him.
“I’m not going to the indies to pass the torch. I’m here to light it for myself, a new torch. This is my nut-up time. I’m not trying to prove anybody wrong. If I do that in the process, so be it. I’m trying to prove myself right. I like to call this my Hollywood Hogan run. This is the second coming of me,” he said. “I’m busting my ass with whoever I’m in the ring with. And you know what? I’m also going to sell as much merch as possible.
“My goal every single show, and it doesn’t happen, of course, I want to walk out of there with more merch money than I do getting paid [for the booking]. That’s my goal because I’m shooting for the stars. This is not wrestling friendship is the wrestling business. You have to make money. So when I see these guys and girls going over their high spots, and listen, I understand that you need that. I’m not saying don’t have a great match, have a great match, but you need to make money. Don’t complain, ‘So-and-so’s not paying me enough.’ Then, guess what? Go sell some merch. Go sell some 8x10s. Don’t take a photo for free. I’m not saying charge as much as me but charge something. Five bucks, ten bucks, twenty bucks, something. Crumbs make crumb cake.”
Matt Cardona has talked ad nauseam since his WWE departure about what it would take for him to go back to WWE. It comes down to two things: Cash and creative.
SEE MORE: Matt Cardona Takes All The Blame, Holds Himself Accountable For His WWE Run
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