WWE released Matt Riddle from his contract in September, and while that was a surprise, many fans are now wondering what could have been. RK-Bro won’t get another run, but there were apparently plans to end their team anyway.
The Rise of RK-Bro in WWE
Randy Orton and Matt Riddle formed an unconventional tag team in 2021. Although Orton tried, Riddle was persistent, and it created some television gold for WWE.
Originally slated to be a very short angle, RK-Bro caught fire. Soon, fans all over were cheering for the team as they carried on their weekly soap opera storyline.
Initially, The Viper and The Original Bro had a dysfunctional dynamic, but their chemistry evolved into a cohesive tag teams. After winning the RAW Tag Team Titles, they had a nice run as champions before losing a title unification match to The Usos, and then Orton took off for 18 months.
Original Plan For RK-Bro’s Breakup
During an appearance on Signed by Superstars, Matt Riddle was asked about WWE’s plans for him and Randy Orton before his release. While being cautious not to divulge too much information, given the possibility of a WWE return, the King of Bros did reveal that there were plans for a storyline involving a heel turn for one of the two members of the RK-Bro team.
”Plan was — well we were hoping it… I don’t wanna really say how, because if I do return and then we do the story — yeah, I would say eventually all teams eventually turn on each other. I don’t wanna give the spoiler of who was gonna turn on who.”
Riddle did not specify who would be turning heel in that scenario. Orton went out of action with a back injury, one that required back fusion surgery; and that injury for the Apex Predator ended the RK-Bro team. So, a heel turn was never needed.
Exclusive Insight into RK-Bro’s Reunion Plans
After Matt Riddle was released, I reached out to inquire about RK-Bro, because I was curious. I was told by members of the creative team that there was never any plan to reunite RK-Bro.
There was never any talk of getting Matt Riddle back together with Randy Orton after The Viper’s return. Of course, Riddle was fired in September, two months prior to Orton’s Survivor Series return, where he snapped that 18-month hiatus from in-ring competition.
