WWE superstar Zack Ryder is half of a tag team with Curt Hawkins.  The two have been known as the Major Brothers but currently wrestle on WWE Smackdown under their own names.  In the past, Zack has gone by the name Brett Major, while Hawkins used the name Brian Major.  Ryder was born on May 14, 1985, and his real name is not Zack Ryder but Matthew Cardona.

In 2006, Ryder was offered a WWE developmental contract, and he began wrestling as Brett Major.  While wrestling at various development promotions, he and Hawkins won the Deep South tag team title twice.  In 2007, they began performing in dark matches on both Smackdown and Raw while training at Ohio Valley Wrestling.  There, they won the OVW Southern tag title, although they would later lose it to KC James and Cassidy James.

On May 1, 2007, the Major Brothers debuted on ECW on Sci-Fi.  They won the first tag team match they participated in, which would be their only win on ECW.  They lost several matches until they were drafted to Smackdown in June.  Their first Smackdown match was on July 6, where they defeated Mike Foxx and Jeremy Young.  They won and lost several matches, and in November, they were offered a shot at the tag team title.  However, MVP and Matt Hardy successfully defended the title.

In Armageddon 2007, the Major Brothers came to Edge’s defense and began dressing like him.  They continued to help him win matches illegally, marking their first storyline as heels.  In December of 2007, they dropped the Major Brothers name and started wrestling as Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins.  Ryder also occasionally paired up with Edge and Chavo Guerrero and the stable named La Familia.

Ryder and Hawkins claimed the WWE tag title in July of 2008 at the Great American Bash event.  After Edge was defeated by the Undertaker, Ryder and Hawkins left the group and went on their but in September, he and Hawkins lost the tag title and they regained the titles.

Ryder was drafted to ECW as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft in April breaking up the Ryder/Hawkins tag team. He redebuted in May 2009 with a new look that featured a short haircut, new tights and catchphrases. After a few months, Ryder became the number one contender to the ECW Championship after winning a 10-man battle royal but lost his championship match to Christian in September.