I am the type that of fan that is a fan of the athletes, not necessarily the promotion. Guys like Cardona, I am a fan of. Rather than bitching about his position, he went out and made the company acknowledge him. Rather than letting getting fired keep him down, he gets immortalized in a game.
I would love to see him do the indie scene a bit too - get some of those dream matches out of the way for instance. I would love to see him chase the 10 pounds of gold too at some point - I think he would be a great addition to the NWA considering how he got over with fans (Internet Champion, his YouTube channel, etc) and how they make their shows available. It just seems like a great fit.
He is going to be alright, I think. I would not mind seeing him go on a "belt collecting" journey like many do once they leave WWE. Dude certainly earned the right to have more championships on his wall than he has.
You have a very different perspective than another friend of mine. Personally I'm in the middle of that debate. I think both the athlete and the promotion matter equally. The athlete providing the character and talent while the promotion provides a legacy and stage.
Also can't argue there. There's something magical about the indies and the way it breeds all sorts of cool and wacky creative ideas. I don't doubt that Cardona won't kill it wherever he goes.