Matthew Cardona was recently hand-selected from thousands of applicants to receive a tryout for a WWE developmental contract. Cardona, as well as his best friend and tag team partner Brian Myers, went to Nassau Coliseum with dreams of becoming a WWE Superstar. After an impressive performance, they were offered developmental contracts, and they're now one step closer to achieving their dreams. WWE.com recently caught up with Cardona and got his thoughts on the tryout, his new contract and much more:

WWE.com: Tell us about the tryout.
Cardona: When I got the call for the tryout, I was psyched. It's all I've wanted to do my whole life. I was there with my tag-team partner. It was difficult, but it was fair. I guess I impressed the right people. I wasn't really impressed with myself; I'm always hard on myself. But I'm glad that I'm going to get the opportunity to improve, and hopefully become a WWE Superstar.

WWE.com: What was difficult about the tryout?
Cardona: We had to do basic in-ring work. We had matches in front of Dean Malenko and Tommy Dreamer. We had to do cardio, which consisted of push-ups and squats. We had to talk in front of the camera. So, with all my nerves, it made it a little more difficult.

WWE.com: What kind of feedback did you receive afterward?
Cardona: Well, I got the call that I got the developmental contract. I wasn't really expecting that call, but I'm so glad that I did. I remember I was pumping gas at a gas station and I'll never forget that moment. Right there at that gas station, that was probably the best moment of my life, so far.

WWE.com: Where do you go from here?
Cardona: I'm being sent down to Atlanta (to Deep South) in a few months to continue my training, and I just can't wait. I know I have a long, hard road in front of me and I just can't wait to improve and prove to the right people that this is all that I want to do — and that they should not regret that they picked me.

WWE.com: How do you think you can distinguished yourself from the others?
Cardona: Well, I know that I definitely need to put on some muscle mass. More importantly, I need to improve on my all-around skills. I need to keep focused, try my hardest and push myself to the absolute limit. I'm never going to give up and I'm never going to quit, and I hope everyone can realize that they picked the right guy.

WWE.com: Describe your professional wrestling background.
Cardona: About three years ago, I began training in Hicksville, N.Y., and that school closed down, and now I've been training under Mikey Whipwreck, the ECW Triple-Crown Champion. He's helped me so much and given me so much guidance and advice. I've been doing independents for about two years now, teaming with Bryan Myers, (who was also given a developmental contract), and it's just a dream come true to have a chance to become a WWE Superstar. But now I have to prove myself. It's going to be a hard road. I'm not there yet, but I will not quit until I get there.

WWE.com: Are there any WWE Superstars that you pattern yourself after or that have inspired you?
Cardona: My dad took me to my first show when I was seven months old. I don't remember that show, but I've been a diehard fan ever since; this is all I've ever wanted to do with my life. Hulk Hogan definitely caught my eye when I was a young kid just like many other people, but it was really Shawn Michaels in about 1992. He was the first bad guy I ever enjoyed watching. That totally changed my life around. That made me realize that I could do this, too. He isn't the biggest guy, but he has a lot of charisma, a lot of energy, and he is such a great in-ring performer. That really made me believe that I could be a WWE Superstar one day. 

WWE.com: How would you describe your in-ring style?
Cardona: I try to be very well-rounded. But I need to work on so many things. Hopefully, my training will prepare me for WWE.

WWE.com: What are your goals now that you have a developmental contract?
Cardona: My short-term goals are to impress and improve while I'm down there (in Deep South). Because, this is just a developmental contract. I need to earn my spot and prove to everybody why I was picked and why I deserve to be down there. And it's going to be very hard. It's probably going to be even harder than I'm expecting right now, but I know that I'm going to do it and push myself to the absolute limit. My goal is to impress the right people while I'm down there training. Long term, my goal is to be a WWE Superstar.

Click here for tag team partner Brian Myers' interview.