Ariel Helwani tweeted today that former UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier would be the special guest referee for the Fight Pit match at Extreme Rules between Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle.
Helwani: “This is legit”
The tweet was sudden, coming at 9:03 pm Eastern Time on a college football Saturday. Helwani posted an accompanying graphic and, seemingly to fend off accusations of a work, tweeted, “No, really. This is legit.”
The second tweet included a quote from Cormier (and tagged him), adding further legitimacy to Helwani’s breaking news.
Cormier, as a former two division champion and the second UFC fighter to hold two titles simultaneously (after Conor McGregor), serves as a credible guest referee for an MMA-inspired match.
Cormier is also a noted pro wrestling fan. He was there for Rollins’ “Heist of the Century” at WrestleMania 31, celebrating as Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. Cormier is smart to the business, and has discussed in the past his desire to have a role with WWE.
A heated rivalry ending in the Fight Pit
Rollins and Riddle have been embroiled in a feud that has turned personal. Riddle has attacked Rollins for his marriage to Becky Lynch while Rollins has ridiculed Riddle for Riddle’s divorce. The two have brawled over the past few weeks, including a parking lot brawl caught on a fan cam and of course, on Raw. The split-screen promo was an homage to the infamous Jon Jones-Daniel Cormier split-screen interview.
The fight pit is a match Riddle competed in during his stint in NXT against Timothy Thatcher where Kurt Angle was the guest referee. Riddle, like Cormier, also has legitimate MMA experience after competing in the UFC for years, matriculating his way from The Ultimate Fighter.
This may be Rollins’ first Fight Pit match, but he’s no stranger to these types of matches. He’s had multiple Hell in a Cell and cage matches, of which the Fight Pit partially blends the two.
Tune in to Extreme Rules on Saturday, October 8 on peacock and WWE Network outside of the United States.
