Former WWE manager Dutch Mantel recently spoke about Zack Ryder's return to the company. The wrestling sensation made a surprise appearance on last week's episode of SmackDown.Ryder was the surprise entrant in the Last Time is Now tournament. He showed up to face LA Knight in a first-round matchup on the blue brand. Despite making a name for himself in the independent circuit as Matt Cardona, he showed up under his old WWE ring name of Zack Ryder.During this week's Story Time with Dutch Mantell podcast, the wrestling veteran mentioned that Ryder had a very different look from his time with the company. He recalled that when the star was part of the roster, he rarely made any TV appearances. Dutch pointed out that WWE barely used the star, and he always put over other stars."So when he came out, a very different look from when he was there last time. Zack Ryder was there, but you never saw him. I know he went through a year or two never being on TV, which is unheard of in the wrestling business because if you're gonna pay a guy, are you just gonna pay him to make your live events? I mean, he's great in the ring. You couldn't even call him an enhancement talent because he barely made the talent list, because you never saw him. When you did see him, he was always getting beat."Zack Ryder shared a message for his fansAfter the match, Ryder shared a short clip on social media. He mentioned that it had been five long years since he last performed in the WWE.The "Indy God" noted that he had been working hard all these years, trying to figure out a way back to the company. He also shared that his SmackDown appearance was a one-time shot, but he was open to options about rejoining the company.He also shared a moment of mutual respect with his opponent, LA Knight.While using quotes from this piece, please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and add an H/T to Sportskeeda for the transcript.