Matt Cardona on Chelsea Green's Smackdown Promo, Gunther, & More | Notsam Wrestling

In this episode of Not Sam Wrestling, host Sam Roberts interviews Matt Cardona about the previous week's SmackDown episode. The discussion centers on several key segments: Chelsea Green's championship retention promo, Gunther's disrespect toward her, Cardona's impromptu match with Gunther in street clothes, and subsequent storyline developments.

Regarding Chelsea Green's promo, both Roberts and Cardona praise it as a breakthrough moment for her character. Cardona notes that the promo was enabled by her injury (broken orbital bone), which allowed her emotional vulnerability to shine through. Roberts compares this to Stone Cold Steve Austin's career trajectory, where an injury led to organic character development rather than immediate main event status. The key line of the promo—about being viewed as "the perfect opponent"—particularly resonates as an acknowledgment of her previous career position before breaking through as a legitimate title holder.

Cardona explains that he wasn't scheduled to wrestle Gunther; he was backstage watching Chelsea cut the promo when Gunther's disrespect prompted his impromptu challenge. Though he took a severe beating (belly-to-back suplex on the guardrail, power bombs on table and apron, multiple in-ring power bombs, and a Boston crab submission), Cardona frames the loss as a positive turning point. He notes he "needed that ass kicking to wake me up" and didn't actually quit despite tapping out to injury—a distinction he emphasizes.

Roberts and Cardona discuss the SmackDown structure, noting that the entire show was built around Chelsea's opening promo, which created narrative momentum throughout. They analyze how the impromptu nature of Cardona's appearance made it feel unpredictable and real, enhanced by both wrestlers being in casual clothing rather than full gear.

The conversation touches on character development, with both noting parallels to how Cardona evolved through Zack Ryder (over-the-top Long Island character) into his indie Matt Cardona persona, and how Chelsea went from mishandled initial WWE run to finding her "hot mess" character that resonates with audiences.

Cardona also discusses The Miz and Kit Wilson segment, expressing sympathy for Kit as a hungry performer while suggesting The Miz is leeching off others' momentum, and jokes about potentially being on an action figure as his street clothes version.

Finally, they discuss upcoming content, including the possibility of a Chelsea Green and Matt Cardona spinoff show given the momentum and their newly established on-screen pairing, and Cardona's focus on actively pursuing matches rather than collecting paychecks.