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Chelsea Green Would Love To Portray an Attitude Era-Style Couple With Matt Cardona In WWE

January 20, 2026 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
WWE NXT Chelsea Green 12-23-25 Image Credit: WWE

Chelsea Green loved seeing Matt Cardona return to WWE without the Zack Ryder name, and she says she’d love to be paired with him to bring a “nasty Attitude Era couple” dynamic. Cardona returned to WWE earlier this month on Smackdown, ditching the Zack Ryder name for his real name. The moment saw his Zack Ryder intro start but quickly switched to a new one, introducing him to fans who only knew him as the Long Island Iced Z.

Green spoke with Shak Wrestling for a new interview and spoke about her husband’s return. She noted that she loved seeing him come back as Cardona and said she’d like to play an Edge and Lita-style couple. You can see the highlights below:

On Cardona Returning Under His Real Name:

“We were definitely ready for him to come back as Zack Ryder. It was kind of one of those moments where like, ‘We’re washing our hands of whatever happens, and you’re going to go out there and you’re going to be who they tell you to be and that’s kind of the name of the game.’ And then when they told him that he was going to be back as Matt Cardona, it was really amazing. Because it felt like — you know, I can’t speak for Matt. But for me it felt like, ‘Oh, you did it. You changed the entire world’s perception on you. You shed this character that you had that was fun and goofy while it lasted but maybe not as serious, maybe maybe not a winner in people’s eyes. And you elevated yourself and now you are –‘ I mean, he looks like a star. He always has, but he looks like a star, he carries himself like a star. Matt Cardona is a star.

“And so that was really cool because it was everything in one. The fans got the reaction of Zack Ryder, and then the fans got the final reaction of like, ‘Oh, this is who he is now,’ right? So it was it was a perfect transition, and it also just — we were spoon feeding the audience, this is who he is now. And sometimes you need to do that.”

On Potentially Being Paired With Cardona In WWE:

“Oh my gosh. I mean, I struggle with that all the time. Because obviously I’m currently with Ethan and my Triple Ah-Ah-Ah Mixed Tag Team [Title]… So there’s always a like, ‘Are we in a big group?’ Or I don’t know, but I would love if Matt and I were together to really bring back the nasty Attitude Era couple. Like, just dirty and like, ‘Ew… They’re kind of cool, but why are they making out like that?’ You know what I mean? Just like, Lita and Edge stuff like that…”

“We love it. We’re still talking about it. Like, the nostalgia is run so deep in WWE. And one thing that fans love is a storyline that’s brought back to life. They love to feel like they’re in on it, and they already know what’s going to happen or they they can relate to it already. And so, I think like a good Attitude Era couple would be great.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit SHAK Wrestling with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.