I don't have a Cardinal but I do have a similar vintage trailer & monster heavy tube type TV that the DW won't let me trash.
Mine has a retaining decorative strip across the front at the base. Remove that & the TV needs to slide forward because it is held down in the back by a slot that the base fits into. The hole in the cabinetry is a tight fit too. First time I took mine out there was much wiggling & cursing to get it out.
Builders don't think very much about the day something will need to be replaced. All they care about is that they won't have to deal with it.
Good luck with it. The TV should have gone in after the cabinetry was built but you never know, they might have built the cabinetry around the TV.