Matt Cardona, the self-proclaimed “Indy God,” recently re-signed with WWE, which has subsequently forced him to vacate multiple indie titles, including the ACW World Championship. This sparked fan criticism, with one fan mocking him on social media, saying he was “vacating the 4 belts he holds to fulfill his dream of losing to Tama Tonga every Friday.” However, his former valet, Steph De Lander, has defended him on X, pointing out that it was almost certainly WWE’s decision not to let him drop the belts, rather than his own reluctance to fulfill bookings.
When wrestlers sign full-time WWE contracts, exclusivity clauses typically prohibit them from working independent dates, forcing reigning indie champions to vacate their titles without proper defenses. This has led to several titles being relinquished in recent years, such as Ricky Saints vacating the DEFY World Champions shortly after winning it from KENTA due to his NXT debut, and Stephanie Vaquer vacating the CMLL Tag Team Championships she held with Zeuxis upon signing with WWE.
