Since leaving WWE behind in 2020, Matt Cardona has gone on to find success with IMPACT and on the independent scene.
However, he is also known as an avid collector of wrestling toys, something he showcases on the ‘Major Wrestling Figure Podcast’ which is co-hosted by his longtime tag partner Brian Myers.
Cardona has recently revealed how his collection almost got him in a fight with WWE Hall of Famer, Greg ‘The Hammer’ Valentine.
Matt Cardona thought Greg Valentine wanted to fight him
During an appearance on ‘Busted Open’, Cardona explained how one of his prized possessions is a prototype of the ‘Rhythm & Blues’ Greg Valentine action figure that never saw the light of day.
The figure is a curiosity for collectors because it was already advertised as part of the 1991 line of Hasbro WWF toys when it was unexpectedly cancelled.
Cardona has been open in the past about how he paid several thousand dollars for the toy because of its collectible status, and not because he was a fan of Valentine.
At the WrestleCon in Los Angeles during WrestleMania weekend, he discovered that Valentine had been paying attention to his comments when the veteran approached him waving his fists.
“He came up to me, he’s waving his f**king fist at me with his [WWE] Hall of Fame ring. Like ‘I HEARD YOU’RE NOT A FAN OF ME!’ … So I couldn’t backpedal because I said it on multiple occasions that I’m not a fan of his.
“Not that I dislike Greg Valentine, I just didn’t grow up wanting to be the third member of Rhythm and Blues [with Valentine and the Honky Tonk Man], you know what I’m saying?”
While the two quickly smoothed things over, Cardona admits he was sure The Hammer was going to “swing at him”.
“We smoothed it over, we took a picture, but … yeah.
“At one point, I thought for sure he was gonna swing at me, and even Brian Myers came over like ‘What’s going on here?’ and kind of backpedaled when he saw how serious it was.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the above transcription.