New York Wrestling Connection (2004-2006)Main article: Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
Cardona debuted with New York Wrestling Connection (NYWC) in 2004, using the name Brett Matthews. sa pamamagitan ng 2005 he began regularly teaming with Bryan Myers and the duo of Myers and Matthews went on to defeat the NYWC Tag Team Champions Dickie Rodz and Mason Raige sa pamamagitan ng disqualification, for which titles do not change hands.[6] At the susunod event on June 4 they won a rematch decisively to become Tag Team Champions.[7] Later that buwan they were attacked sa pamamagitan ng The Dead Presidents (Lo lincoln and Boog Washington) to set up a feud where they eventually Nawawala their titles against them in July.[6] on August 27.[7] On September 23 they were entered into a three way match with the champions but Team Tremendous (Dan Barry and Ken Scampi) ended up with the belts.[6] After continuing to win matches they re-earned a match against Team Tremendous and won the titles for the segundo time on January 25, 2006. They held the titles until they faced The B.S. Xpress (Tony Burma & Mike Spinelli), who defeated them for the ginto on March 26.[7]
On February 24, 2006, Matthew Cardona signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment.[3] In Deep South Wrestling in Georgia, he was renamed Brett Majors while Myers was renamed Bryan Majors. sa pamamagitan ng October they won the DSW Tag Team Championship from The Untouchables (Dice Domino and Deuce Shade) and held them until the end of November, losing them to Urban Assault (Eric Pérez and Sonny Siaki). After the titles were vacated in the following year, they became two-time champions defeating the new team of Siaki and Afa, Jr (The Samoan Swat Team) and The Blue Bloods (William Regal and Dave Taylor).[8] Later in 2007 they moved to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) and won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship once, reigning from June 15 to 29.[9]
The team was moved from the developmental league to the main roster in May 2007, changing their last names from Majors to Major. They worked on WWE's ECW brand, winning only their first match[10][11][12] until they were drafted to SmackDown! in June.[13] On November 9 they won a battle royal to receive a WWE Tag Team Championship match, but didn't win.[14]
At Armageddon, the duo dressed up like Edge and interfered in the World Heavyweight Championship match, replacing Edge at several points along the match to help him win the pamagat and thus turning heel for the first time in their WWE career.[15] On December 21, the Major Brothers were revealed as an acquaintance to Edge and his lover, SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero. The Major Brothers were repackaged and renamed, with Cardona being renamed Zack Ryder.[16] Occasionally referred as The Rated-R Entourage sa pamamagitan ng commentators Michael Cole and John "Bradshaw" Layfield, the group allied with Guerrero's nephew, Chavo Guerrero and his enforcer Bam Neely as the group La Familia which dominated SmackDown's storyline through 2008.
At The Great American Bash on July 20 Curt Hawkins (the former Bryan Major) and Ryder won the WWE Tag Team Championship from John Morrison and The Miz in a fatal four-way match which also featured Jesse and Festus and Finlay and Hornswoggle after Hawkins pinned Jesse.[17][18] Their victory meant that they were the youngest team to hold the championships.[19] sa pamamagitan ng SummerSlam, La Familia had begun to fracture and Ryder, with Hawkins, went back to appearing on their own. On the September 26 airing of SmackDown, Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder Nawawala the titles to The Colóns (Carlito and Primo Colón) in their first televised pamagat defense.[20] On April 15, 2009 Ryder was drafted back to the ECW brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft, separating the team.[21]
[edit] The Long Island Loudmouth (2009–present)Ryder made his return to ECW on May 5, 2009 in a backstage segment with General Manager Tiffany. He now sported short hair, tanned skin, sunglasses, a headband, half-trunks/half-tights, displaying something of an arrogant Long Island guido character and madami frequent uses of catchphrases "woo woo woo" and "you know it", that he had used sparingly in the tag team.[22][23] He Nawawala to Finlay on his first singles match, on May 7's Superstars[24] and would not gain victory until the May 19 episode of ECW on Sci Fi over a local competitor.[23] On September 15, Ryder won a 10-man battle royal to earn contendership to the ECW Championship but Nawawala to the champion, Christian, the following week.[25][26] On the November 3 edition of ECW, Ryder entered a pag-ibig angle with Rosa Mendes who became his valet.[27] He also feuded with Tommy Dreamer, culminating in a match on December 29 where Ryder won to force Dreamer to leave the company.[28]
When the ECW brand came to an end in February 2010, Ryder and Mendes moved to the Raw brand, making his debut on the February 25 edition of Superstars, defeating Primo. Ryder made his Raw debut on March 1, losing to Montel Vontavious Porter in a Money in the Bank qualifying match.[29] He participated in an untelevised 26-man battle royal at WrestleMania XXVI, being the last person eliminated sa pamamagitan ng the winning Yoshi Tatsu. Mendes was drafted to SmackDown as part of the 2010 Supplemental Draft without Ryder,[30] so Ryder sought a new valet, trying to impress Alicia soro and Gail Kim while they watched his matches at ringside. During a match with Evan Bourne on the May 10 edition of Raw, soro attempted to interfere on Ryder's behalf but was stopped sa pamamagitan ng Kim, leading to Bourne winning the match.[31] The two new pairings faced off in a mixed tag team match on the May 17 edition of Raw, which Ryder and soro lost.[32] Ryder had a return win over Bourne on May 27's Superstars.[33] The susunod week on Raw, soro attacked Ryder with a Scissor Kick after Raw guest host, Ashton Kutcher put a bounty on Ryder's head.[34] During the June 7 Viewers Choice Raw, Ryder was voted to team with The Miz, defeating John Morrison and R-Truth.[35] The susunod week, Ryder had a pamagat shot in a Fatal Four Way match for the WWE United States Championship but lost;[36] months later in August he was ibingiay a WWE Championship match against Sheamus which lasted 11 seconds, which was the second-shortest WWE Championship match in WWE history, in an attempt sa pamamagitan ng Sheamus to circumvent the company's 30 araw championship defence policy.[37]
During this time, Ryder became a mentor on the segundo season of WWE NXT to Titus O'Neil. They debuted in a losing effort against John Morrison and Eli Cottonwood;[38] O'Neil was the first rookie eliminated from the segundo season, on June 29.[39] On the July 27 episode of NXT, Ryder Nawawala against Percy Watson, making him the first mentor of season 2 to lose to a rookie in a singles match.[40] For the remainder of the taon and well into 2011, Ryder mostly became used on the non-branded Superstars show, occasionally teaming with Primo. Ryder won a 2010 Slammy Award for Most Annoying Catchphrase in December.[41]
[edit] In other mediaRyder began a YouTube web series called "Z!, True Long Island Story" in February 2011. The series includes Ryder talking about his week in and out the ring in a comedic fashion. Guests on the ipakita have included Ryder's father, Scott Stanford, bisiro Cabana, John Cena, Triple H, Primo Colón and the Big O. The ipakita has received positive reviews from many WWE Superstars and talent such as Stanford, WWE Champion The Miz, John Morrison, CM Punk, and John Cena
