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Matt Cardona has broken his silence after Randy Orton’s attack on WWE Friday Night SmackDown.
One week on from Randy Orton’s stunning heel turn and brutal attack on long-time friend Cody Rhodes, “The Viper” looked to address his actions on last night’s March 20 episode of WWE SmackDown.
Solidifying his heel turn, Orton said that the love and support of the fans has brought a smile to his face, but it’s an “empty” smile, and what he truly cares about is how many world championships he’s won by the time his career is over.
After vowing to defeat Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 42 and win world championship number 15, Orton was confronted by Matt Cardona backstage who questioned his actions the previous week.
Despite Cardona being a close friend of Cody Rhodes and someone who’s known Orton for two decades, “The Viper” struck the former United States Champion backstage.
That wasn’t the only interaction between the pair on WWE SmackDown however, as after a conversation with Jelly Roll, Orton invited Cardona to the ring to apologize for his actions, before striking Matt again.
After hitting a low blow and RKO on Cardona, Orton dragged the former Intercontinental Champion to the outside to continue his assault, but would eventually be interrupted by WWE security and officials.
Despite seemingly coming to his senses and calming down, Orton hit his kill shot on Cardona by stomping on his arm, which was wrapped up in a steel chair.
Matt Cardona’s Reaction To Randy Orton’s Attack
WWE SmackDown’s closing shot saw Matt Cardona in agony inside the ring and clutching his left arm, but what did he have to say following the show?
In his first social media post since SmackDown, Cardona took to Instagram and shared a picture of his shirt which was ripped off him by Orton during the attack.
Along with the picture, Cardona wrote:
About last night…
Matt Cardona’s Doubtful Status Ahead Of WrestleMania 42 Return
With Cody Rhodes absent from last night’s SmackDown, it’s unclear whether Cardona will also be set to miss some time in order to sell Orton’s assault.
Cardona is back on the WWE roster heading into WrestleMania season for the first time in six years, but he currently looks unlikely to make it onto the card for “The Showcase of the Immortals.”
While Orton taking him out will give him an excuse to be off of WrestleMania and potentially set him up for a revenge quest after the two-night event, Cardona’s recent booking already made it difficulty to foresee him making it onto the card.
The former Zack Ryder has only won twice since returning to WWE in January – that being his first match back against Kit Wilson and his most recent tag team bout alongside Apollo Crews against Fraxiom on WWE Main Event.
Damian Priest and R-Truth’s WWE Tag Team Championship win on last night’s SmackDown could open up the division and potentially allow for teams such as Cardona and Crews to challenge at WrestleMania 42, but there will likely be other teams ahead of them in the pecking order.
