The 11/14 edition of WWE SmackDown saw the return of a former WWE star and champion for the Last Time Is Now Tournament, looking to punch his ticket to Saturday Night’s Main Event for John Cena’s final match.
The tournament announcement teased faces that “maybe didn’t even work” for the company, leading to buzz about the possibilities…and one such mystery was solved with the return of Zack Ryder.
The former United States and Intercontinental Champion, who recently appeared on NXT under his given name Matt Cardona, faced LA Knight for the chance to move on to the next round of the sixteen-man tournament.
This marked Ryder’s first appearance on the main roster in over five years, when he faced Bobby Lashley on the March 9, 2020 edition of WWE Raw.
As recapped by Roy Nemer in his live coverage of the show, however, Ryder’s return to SmackDown ended with a BFT from Knight, who picked up the win to advance.
There is one more mystery entrant to be revealed in the tournament, set to face Solo Sikoa on the 11/17 edition of Raw from Madison Square Garden in New York City.