Zack Ryder’s WWE SmackDown Return Came Together at the Last Minute

Zack Ryder’s surprise WWE return caught everyone off guard—and that’s exactly how he wanted it. But now he’s revealing just how chaotic and last-minute the entire situation really was.

Speaking on the Major Wrestling Figure podcast, Ryder admitted the whole thing came together in a flash. He barely had time to get his gear sorted, let alone plan for anything else.

“I had to get Zack Ryder gear made with only 24 hours’ notice because all the gear I already had wasn’t something I wanted to wear. Let’s just say there was a phone call that happened — it was a wild couple of days.”

To avoid being spotted by autograph hounds at the airport, Ryder didn’t even fly into Albany—the city where the show was being held. Instead, he flew into New York City and rode with Chelsea Green, who was already in town for a TV appearance.

“Literally on the day of, I flew into New York City because I didn’t want to fly into Albany. They didn’t want me landing there since all the fans wait for autographs. So I flew into New York City, and luckily Chelsea was already doing Good Day New York, so I went with her and we just drove up together.”

Once at the venue, Ryder stayed completely under wraps—literally. He had a private dressing room and kept himself fully covered until it was time to hit the ring.

“I was hidden the whole time… I had my own private room. I was covered head-to-toe in hoodies and a mask — it’ll be on Whatnot tonight. Private dressing room. It was a very, very stressful day because I didn’t want anybody to know about this. I didn’t tell Cody. I didn’t tell anybody.”

That secrecy even extended to his gear design. TTD, the team behind most of his merch, wasn’t able to make anything new due to the time crunch.

“It was so last minute that TTD couldn’t even design gear for me. That’s how last minute it was. The time zone, man — you know what I’m saying? That’s how last minute it was.”

Ryder’s return match saw him lose to LA Knight in the “Last Time Is Now” tournament, but the loss didn’t dampen the moment. Fans erupted when he walked out, proving there’s still demand for Zack Ryder—even if it was a one-night-only deal.

With merchandise flying off the shelves since his return, it might just be a matter of time before WWE calls again.

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