WWE star touts pro wrestlers tearing it up on independent circuit

Matt Cardona knows a happening oregon 2 astir the autarkic pro wrestling scene.

After his merchandise from WWE successful April 2020, Cardona rebranded himself arsenic the "Indy God" aft spending years arsenic Zack Ryder. He spent years cultivating his caller look done respective autarkic promotions and apical companies successful the U.S. whose names aren’t WWE oregon AEW.

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Matt Cardona enters the arena earlier competing against Trick Williams (not pictured) during SmackDown astatine SAP Center connected April 10, 2026 successful San Jose, California. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

There are respective pro wrestlers connected the indies presently who are uncovering occurrence with their ain branding and selling arsenic well. Cardona named a fewer successful a caller interrogation with Fox News Digital erstwhile asked who helium thought was the caller "Indy God."

"Who’s the ‘Indy God?’ Oh, I don’t cognize if anyone’s the ‘Indy God.’ But determination are radical who decidedly person stepped up. For instance, Shotzi, who was successful WWE astatine 1 time. When she left, I deliberation she copied the Matt Cardona look and bully connected her and we had immoderate unthinkable matches together. She’s idiosyncratic who cares. I deliberation effort is very, precise important not conscionable successful autarkic wrestling but nonrecreational wrestling successful general. If you aren’t doing immoderate you tin to succeed, like, if you don’t dainty yourself similar a large deal, I don’t deliberation anyone other will. I would decidedly enactment Shotzi connected that list.

"Two others to look retired for connected the independents – Richard Holliday. He’s different 1 who is ever connected societal media. He’s ever trying to unit himself down your pharynx conscionable similar I did erstwhile I was gone. When you’re not successful WWE, you can’t instrumentality a time disconnected of being connected your phone. Like, Chelsea (Green), would ever outcry astatine maine for ever being connected my phone, ‘You’re posting excessively overmuch connected societal media.’ I said, babe, if you don’t privation to beryllium connected your phone, WWE volition station astir you, WWE Shop volition station astir you, USA Network volition station astir you, ESPN, Netflix. If I don’t station astir myself, nary 1 is going to station astir me. So, Richard Holliday, he’s taking that to heart.

Ben Bishop hypes up Richard Holliday astatine Awesome Championship Wrestling. (Jay Vogel)

Ben Bishop offers enactment to Richard Holliday astatine Awesome Championship Wrestling. (Jay Vogel)

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"Also, Ben Bishop, different guy. So, I would say, Shotzi, Ben Bishop and Richard Holliday, the 3 to look retired for."

Right now, Shotzi is the Major League Wrestling women’s satellite champion and has appeared successful respective antithetic promotions astir the world.

Holliday and Bishop person besides built up monolithic followings connected societal media, helping rise their profiles successful the sport.

Major League Wrestling prima Shotzi wears her conflict chapeau to the ring. (MLW)

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Cardona shared immoderate proposal to those who were trying to travel his path.

"It’s comic due to the fact that guys and girls successful the independents, they’d ever inquire maine for advice. The reply was elemental – don’t quit," helium said. "Everyone has a antithetic path. Everybody has a antithetic travel but if you don’t discontinue … here’s what I would say, if you don’t quit, you mightiness marque it. If you quit, you decidedly won’t. It’s arsenic elemental arsenic that."