Despite being the outspoken star he is, Matt Riddle says he still have a good relationship with Vince McMahon and receives regular compliments from him.
The one half of the current Raw tag team champions recently appeared on the Fox Sports Out of Character podcast. He discussed things such as his heat with Goldberg, whether the two have buried the hatchet and more.
When asked if he has a good relationship with the Chairman of the Board, Riddle claimed Mr. McMahon sees him at least once every week.
“We do and we don’t, if I’m being 100% honest, I’ve been on TV a lot, I work a lot,” said Riddle “Vince sees me every week at least once, so he sees me and I’ve gotten a lot of handshakes. ‘Good job, I love your stuff.’ A lot of compliments.”
Riddle Just Wants a Hug
Matt Riddle gets a hug from Randy Orton
Riddle went on to explain he just wants approval from Mr. McMahon in the form of a physical embrace.
“I’ve yet to receive a Vince McMahon hug. I was hoping I’d get one after SummerSlam, but not so much. I don’t want to force – don’t force it. He’ll hug me when he’s ready.”
Matt also talked about his outspoken nature admitting that he has overstepped his boundaries a couple of times. Though he then explained that he feels like trash-talking is part of the world of professional wrestling.
Vince’s Relationship with Talent
Vince McMahon has served as a father figure to many WWE Superstars throughout the years. He has a reputation for being a tough, but fair boss. Many have craved his attention and approval throughout the years.
Over the past several months, several wrestlers have spoken publicly about their relationship with McMahon:
Ruby Soho spent a few years in WWE as Ruby Riott. She also explained her relationship with Vince as lukewarm, but professional. During an appearance on Renee Paqette’s Oral Sessions podcast, she said, “We didn’t speak very often… We didn’t really talk, he was always so busy. He was so busy. I think I spoke to him in his office probably in four years, twice?”
Seth Rollins has a stronger relationship with the boss. He felt comfortable enough to vent his anger to Vince after his controversial match with The Fiend at Hell in a Cell 2019.
Matt Riddle recently confirmed that there has been a little heat on him backstage in WWE for comments he made recently about Roman Reigns. Riddle was being interviewed by the Bleacher Report and said that Reigns “doesn’t move the needle” and this reportedly rubbed some the wrong way backstage in the company.
During a recent interview with the International Business Times, Riddle confirmed that his comments were met with a negative reaction in WWE.
“I’m not trying to rub anybody the wrong way or say anything [wrong], but I made some comments [and] I’ll say this: I think they were all factual, just so you know. Kind of like I said, [I am] kind of telling the truth here. But I think, maybe, even if they were factual, they weren’t the most professional things to say, especially with me being on the Raw brand and him being on SmackDown,” Riddle said.
“I think maybe I got a little too big for my britches, you know what I mean? Maybe I got a little backstage heat. Maybe a tiny bit.”
Matt Riddle Comments On Backstage Heat For Roman Reigns Comments
Riddle has made headlines for comments he’s made about top WWE Superstars in the past as well. He made several statements regarding wanting to retire Brock Lesnar that led to the two having a backstage altercation at the Royal Rumble in 2020. Riddle has also made several statements regarding Bill Goldberg, referring to him as unsafe.
“Unfortunately, I said some things that some people may not have liked and I’m not going to mention names, but they didn’t like it. I won’t say it again. I get it,” Riddle continued.
“Right now, all hail the Tribal Chief. Good for Roman [Reigns]. Acknowledge him. Everybody, acknowledge him, okay? That’s all I’m saying.”
Riddle and his RK-Bro teammate Randy Orton are the current RAW tag team champions. They defeated AJ Styles and Omos for the belts at SummerSlam. It is the second title Riddle has won on the main roster. He is also a former United States champion. He won that title at Elimination Chamber in February but then lost it to Sheamus at WrestleMania.
Matt Riddle has long wanted a match against Brock Lesnar. When the two met backstage at the Royal Rumble in 2020, however, it is believed that Lesnar told Riddle that a match between the two was not going to happen. According to comments Riddle made recently to BT Sport, however, he believes if he can keep raising his stock in WWE, the match will eventually make sense for all parties.
“When we had our little back and forth backstage at the Royal Rumble – I think about two years ago at this point now – he did not like me,” Riddle said about Lesnar (transcriptions via 411Mania). “Ever since I was a kid, people either hated me or loved me and I think I just rubbed them the wrong way just like I rubbed Bill [Goldberg] the wrong way.”
Every time I do an interview I watch you all scramble to either to tell me how much you hate me or how much you love me and I just love how easy it is to get you all worked up. Also don’t get worked into a shoot especially with a former UFC fighter bro 😂 pic.twitter.com/mfeYwakn2s
Riddle feels like at the time he spoke with Lesnar at the Royal Rumble, he wasn’t seen as valuable enough to Brock. He says that both Lesnar and Goldberg have seen him rise up the ranks in WWE recently, however.
“I made it a point to make myself valuable and I felt like at that point when I talked to Brock, I wasn’t valuable enough to him. Same thing to Goldberg when I was talking some trash. But now, they’re starting to see my stock rise.”
Riddle and Goldberg are said to have met backstage this summer in WWE. Things were much more respectful between the two and Goldberg even congratulated Riddle on his success on the main roster.
“I think as long as I keep working, I keep upping my value and upping my stock, eventually, it’s gonna be the right choice for them,” Riddle concluded.
Riddle recently made some comments about Roman Reigns in an interview with Sports Illustrated. Perhaps this is a case of the RK-Bro member targetting Reigns in the same way he has with Lesnar and Goldberg.
“No disrespect to Roman, he seems like a swell fella, but at the same time, it’s like when people say they’re a good parent. You know what? If you were a good parent, your kids would be telling you you’re a good parent. When he’s saying ‘Acknowledge me’ or ‘I move the needle,’ no, you don’t. You’re related to The Rock. Shut up. Like, I’m not impressed, I can beat you up in a real fight. So, shut your mouth,” Riddle said.
AJ Styles and Omos put the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships on the line in a match against Randy Orton and Matt Riddle at the SummerSlam pay-per-view event
The match opened the show. The finish saw Styles get out of a roll up and Orton hit the RKO for the win. Thus, we have new champions.
Orton had been off TV for several weeks before making his return on the August 9th edition of WWE Raw. It was reported that the reason he had been off TV was due to him being placed on the disabled/inactive list, but there were no issues between Orton and the company.
Before his hiatus, the future WWE Hall of Famer was last seen in action on the June 21st episode of Raw where he lost to John Morrison in a Money in the Bank qualifying match. He was later advertised for the last chance qualifying match, but Riddle ended up replacing him in the match.
It was said that WWE did have creative plans for Orton and Riddle through SummerSlam, but “the unforeseen circumstances of Orton’s absence required an audible be called.” Once Orton returned, he was put into the feud with Styles and Omos.
What are your thoughts on Randy Orton and Matt Riddle winning the Raw Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Matt Riddle says he and John Cena are “bros” but at first they didn’t quite see eye to eye. Riddle spoke to Sportskeeda recently and talked about his “bro-off” segment with Cena as well as Randy Orton’s reaction to it.
“John Cena is pretty cool. Originally, when we first met, we didn’t see eye to eye. He didn’t really understand what a bro was, but now he gets it. We’re bros. After John did that little promo with me on the mic, we bro’d off to each other, Randy (Orton) hit me up, and he goes, ‘I don’t know if you know this kid, but John Cena just gave you the rub.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I know what the rub is Randy,’” Riddle said (transcriptions via Wrestling Inc.).
Riddle continued to say that sometimes Orton speaks to him as if he hasn’t been wrestling long. He says he has to explain to Orton that he’s been around for awhile and recognizes what Cena did for him during that segment.
“Randy talks to me like I don’t know what wrestling is sometimes, and I have to be like, ‘Randy, I’ve wrestled on the indies. I’ve been in WWE a couple of years, not at your level, for sure, but I know what I’m doing. I know what the rub is. I know what Cena did. We’re cool. I got this,’ but I was very excited about that. John doesn’t have to and didn’t have to do that, and he went out of his way to make it part of the show and we did it. So made me happy and then we even tagged together later that night on the darker part of the show, where it was off-camera. It was a lot of fun.”
It was a big episode of WWE RAW this week for Riddle and Orton. Most of the episode centered around Orton telling Riddle they were no longer a team. Orton would face AJ Styles in the main event, however, and Riddle came out to prevent Omos from getting involved. At the end of the night, after Riddle had come to Orton’s aide, Orton gave Riddle an RKO. It’s still not clear if they will continue teaming together.
Matt Riddle has made a successful transition from MMA to the world of wrestling. He has found himself a place on the WWE roster but the former UFC star believes Conor McGregor will have trouble doing the same because of the PG code.
The talk of the former UFC champion possibly trying his hands at pro wrestling has been heard many times. His recent losses have only fuelled the discussion about him potentially joining the WWE roster.
Riddle was asked about the same during his recent interview with SportsKeeda. Replying to it, he said that he doesn’t know if McGregor would pass the PG code:
“He’s Conor McGregor. The guy puts bu**s in seats. The guy has a mouth on him. I don’t know if he would pass the PG WWE code. But I guess he could do his best.
At the end of the day, it’s like Jake Paul or any of them…I don’t know how they’re doing it,” said Matt Riddle, “but they get people talking, they’re controversial, they make money with fights and drama.”
The former NXT star continued by saying that Conor would only fit in WWE if he is willing to put in the work, similar to Ronda Rousey or himself:
“Do I think he’d be a good fit for WWE? If he’s willing to do the work and work hard and put his time in, yeah.” said Riddle, “Just like Ronda was good. Just like I’m good.”
Matt Riddle was part of the UFC roster from 2008 to 2013. He was released from the promotion in February 2013 for failing his second drug test within a year after testing positive for marijuana.
WWE Superstar Matt Riddle recently spoke to Sony Sports India. The ‘Original Bro’ discussed several topics during the interview, including his ongoing beef with WCW legend Goldberg.
The two Superstars have gone back and forth over the years, with Riddle questioning Goldberg’s work rate as a performer. Riddle did however reveal that he spoke to the former WCW Champion recently.
“I’ll say this. I had my interaction with Goldberg, bumped into each other, he’s not my bro, I get it, you’re not my bro” Riddle began. “I kept calling him bro and he didn’t like that whatever, you know me, I’m not the best listener.”
“Then I talked to him after the match, we had a disagreement, you know, I think he has the belief… and it worked for him… all he needs is a couple of moves in wrestling to be one of the best, and he has the Spear and the Jackhammer” Matt Riddle continued.
“My philosophy is you gotta be good at everything, you gotta talk, you gotta be able to walk, you gotta be able to grapple, you gotta be able to suplex, you gotta be able to do it all, so we disagree on that.”
MATT RIDDLE ON GOLDBERG
“I saw Bill the other day before he challenged Bobby Lashley and he was walking to the Gorilla Position and I was standing there and I was with Damian Priest at the time and he says hi to everybody” Riddle added.
“And then Goldberg comes up to me gives me a look. He was making a face and then he goes, ‘Hey, congratulations kid….’ and I was like, ‘Oh man, Goldberg is kind of nice’, so I gave him a little handshake and he went out and challenged Bobby and then he was coming out, through Gorilla again and I was like, ‘Hey Goldberg, good stuff’ and as he gave me a fist bump he says, ‘I only need two moves’ so I was like, ‘Oh man, the guy’s still got it'” the Original Bro concluded.
Samantha Tavel, better known as Candy Cartwright, has decided to drop her sexual assault lawsuit against Matt Riddle.
TMZ reported today that they’ve obtained court documents that show Tavel filed for a dismissal on Monday, but it’s unclear if the two sides reached a monetary settlement.
Tavel’s attorney, John Chwarzynski, did issue a statement to TMZ by stating, “The parties have put this in their past and are focused on the future.” As of this writing, Riddle’s attorney has not issued a comment.
Tavel first filed the lawsuit last October against Riddle, WWE, EVOLVE Wrestling, and Gabe Sapolsky where she was looking to get 10 million dollars from each defendant.
This past March, WWE, and Sapolsky were dismissed from the lawsuit while Riddle’s attempt to dismiss was denied. Tavel alleged that Riddle began sexually assaulting her in April 2017 while they were in the parking lot after an EVOLVE event. She also alleged Riddle bragged about this to former EVOLVE owner Gabe Sapolsky.
Although Riddle denied the allegations, he did confirm an affair with Cartwright. Throughout the legal process, WWE never took Riddle off TV. He will take part in the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match on Sunday at WWE Money in the Bank.
The pairing of Matt Riddle and Randy Orton was one nobody saw coming in WWE, and yet, it works. R-K-Bro as they are affectionately known are a mismatch that we love to watch. So when Riddles attempts to make friends between Orton and the New Day backfired, there was only one thing for Riddle to do.
After Kofi Kingston picked up a win over Orton, Riddle and Woods came to blows. Woods was very vocal, as always, during the match. A quick shove in the middle of the ring on Raw last week was all it took for the match to be made.
Matt Riddle and Xavier Woods will be going one on one this Monday on RAW.
The unlikely partnership between Riddle and Orton began after Riddle lost his US championship to Sheamus. While both men admitted in interviews to not getting on with each other when they first met, times change. Orton was the one asking to work an angle with Matt Riddle.
Orton is a sure-fire Hall of Famer, and the partnership could be very rewarding to Riddle, as he looks to establish himself as a credible performer on the flagship brand.
The question is whether we will see a character change from Riddle, who is a bonafide face right now. Face/heel teams can work, but ultimately, something will give. There is no doubt about Riddle’s in-ring skills, or his ability to fight. Could a Matt Riddle heel turn be what he needs to elevate himself?
WWE Superstar Randy Orton recently appeared on The Kurt Angle Show podcast via AdFreeShows. Orton discussed a number of topics with the Olympic Gold Medallist, including his ‘RK-BRO’ tag team partner Matt Riddle.
Orton revealed that he was not a fan of the ‘laid back’ Riddle, saying that he felt disrespected the first time that he met him. Randy would however get to finally enjoy the company of the former UFC fighter.
“My olive branch was basically me just looking at Matt and I go ‘Oh, there he is, there he is,’ just kind of ice breaker, expecting a ‘Oh hey Randy, my name is Matt, nice to meet you’” Randy Orton revealed of Riddle and their initial meeting.
“But instead, Matt just kind of, with the bloodshot eyes, glanced over at me and just kept walking” Orton continued. “I remember thinking ‘That motherf***er.’ For quite a while I didn’t like Riddle and it was because of that little scenario.”
Randy Orton on ‘That Motherf*cker’ Riddle
“I love the guy now,” Orton continued, not confirming what the bloodshot eyes referred to… “I’ve been in the locker room with the guy for probably a year, I was there when a couple weeks ago he forgot his verbiage live on RAW and scooted off on the scooter with Asuka in the back and everyone thought it was brilliant.”
“That was some of the best s–t I’ve ever seen” Orton added of the seemingly messed up segment a few weeks ago. “His backstage character, the ‘everything’s cool,’ and rambling nature of his promos, that works because in the ring, he goes. He reminds me of [Kurt Angle].”
“That dude, he can do it all and he busts his ass in the ring” Randy Orton stated. “Some of the matches he’s had with Sheamus, not my style of match I like to do have, but the Riddle – Sheamus matches I’ve seen as of late have been amazing. I think he’s going to do quite well, he’s going to do well” Orton concluded.
How far do you think Matt Riddle can go for WWE? Let us know in the comments
Matt Riddle and Randy Orton have formed an unlikely team on RAW as of late. It does not appear as though this is a short-term angle for R-K-Bro either.
According to a report from PW Insider, Riddle and Orton are expected to receive a sizeable push as a team on RAW. There are no plans to break them up and RK-Bro merchandise is expected to be produced and marketed shortly.
Randy Orton Speaks On His Impression of Matt Riddle
Orton was on the Kurt Angle podcast recently and spoke about having been impressed with Riddle thus far.
“Matt Riddle, yeah. I think he is going to do fantastic, I think he has already kind of outshined most of his little class of NXT that have kind of come up over the last year. I mean, you have a lot of those guys doing well,” Orton said about Riddle (transcriptions via Sportskeeda).
Orton also spoke about his first time meeting Riddle during the interview.
“I walk by Matt Riddle, and my olive branch was basically me all looking at Matt, and I just said, I go, ‘Oh, there he is, there he is!’ Just kind of icebreaker, expecting maybe a, ‘Oh, hey Randy. My name is Matt; nice to meet you.’ But instead, Matt just kind of barely, you know, with the bloodshot eyes glanced over at me, he is just like, and he just kept walking. I remember thinking, ‘that motherf****r’.”
He’s a prick and needs a good ass whoopin…. but also impressed me tonight. Fuck. He beat me. Ok ‘bro’ let’s do this….. Also happy #420AllDayhttps://t.co/3gVR68TZUG
Sheamus defeated Matt Riddle for the United States Championship on Night 2 of WrestleMania 37. According to recent comments on Wrestling Observer Radio, Riddle had never been planned to win the title. It was something WWE felt they had to do after Keith Lee was pulled from shows.
“Riddle was never supposed to be champion,” said Dave Meltzer. “They had to do it because Keith Lee was supposed to win it but then Keith Lee for whatever the reason, whatever the reason is, was pulled. They had to get the belt of Bobby Lashley because they were giving the WWE title to Bobby Lashley.”
Riddle won the US title from Bobby Lashley at Elimination Chamber in a triple threat match that also involved John Morrison.
“So, Riddle got the belt because there was no other choice and this rectifies it. It’s too bad because Riddle had a great match and Riddle can be a star but he’s just going to be R-Truth and that’s all there is.”
Sheamus’ win at WrestleMania 37 was the 171st time the United States Championship has changed hands since its inception in 1975. Lex Luger holds the record for most combined days spent with the title with 950 days spent across 5 title reigns.
Matt Riddle vs. Sheamus put on a hard-hitting style of a match with the WWE United States Title on the line on the second night of the WWE WrestleMania 37 pay-per-view event.
The match that was held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida saw a back and forth spot fest. Riddle hit some dives off the top rope and a spot on the outside. Sheamus got a close nearfall with the brogue kick. The finish saw Sheamus hit the brogue kick when Riddle was going for a moonsault off the middle rope.
WWE set up this match on the March 29th edition of Raw when Sheamus defeated Riddle in a non-title match. Before it started, Sheamus sent Riddle into a production crate while backstage.
The end of that contest saw Sheamus pin Riddle after hitting a knee strike. After the match, Riddle got some payback when he knocked Sheamus, who was celebrating, out of the ring. Before that, Sheamus did a segment where he was interrupted by Riddle, who asked multiple questions. When Sheamus acted like he was interested in riding Riddle’s scooter, Riddle was about to give it to him, but Sheamus instead attacked him with it.
WWE United States Champion Matt Riddle recently spoke to ViBe & Wrestling. The ‘Original Bro’ discussed a number of topics during the interview, including some dream matches that he wants in WWE.
“Edge is one of my dream matches” Riddle mentioned on the show. “I mentioned him already on my dream scenario for a tag match. He is so good, and brings the presence.”
“It is the same with Randy Orton” Matt Riddle continued. “Randy is so good, so big, so athletic and such a household name. He is a dream match.”
Matt Riddle on Dream Matches
Matt Riddle finished by naming another of WWE’s veteran performers. “AJ Styles, especially with this new giant, he is a dream match. So if you can be in a program with them or get in a rivalry with them certainly is career making.”
Matt Riddle’s WrestleMania 37 match has not yet been confirmed publicly. There were unsubstantiated reports that WWE were planning a Goldberg vs Riddle match at the Show of Shows; but again these have not been confirmed with any verifiable sources.
Edge and Randy Orton are already set for WrestleMania programs with Roman Reigns and The Fiend respectively. A potential United States Championship match between Riddle and AJ Styles is however a possibility.
Bobby Lashley walked in, but not out of the WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event in St. Petersburg, Florida at Tropicana Field as the United States Champion.
WWE had advertised Lashley defending the strap against Matt Riddle and Keith Lee in a Triple Threat Match at this show. Lee’s status for the show was reported to be up in the air earlier this week by Dave Meltzer. Lee wasn’t on Monday’s episode of Raw.
With so little was announced for the show in advance and Lee’s status, there were a lot of unknowns about this show. There was even speculation that WWE could turn this advertised three-way match into a singles match between Riddle and Lashley.
WWE announced earlier today that Lee was pulled from the match due to injury. John Morrison vs. Ali vs. Ricochet vs. Elias took place on the pre-show with Morrison winning. As a result, he replaced Lee in the title match.
The Triple Threat Match saw the finish where Riddle hit Lashley in the back with MVP’s crutch to take care of him so he could hit his finisher to Morrison to win the title.
The Undertaker went on the Joe Rogan Podcast recently and ruffled a few feathers when he referred to today’s roster as “soft.” Matt Riddle recently responded to the Undertaker’s comments in an interview with Vibe & Wrestling.
“I would say to the Undertaker and everyone, times have changed, the human race and everyone is changing and yes we don’t carry knives and weapons to work because we have metal detectors to keep us safe so people don’t.”
“We have a wellness policy where we are all tested regularly so that we are safe and in our right frame of mind,” Riddle continued.
In terms of today’s roster being soft, Riddle knows that’s not the case.
“I’m a professional UFC veteran who broke people’s jaws on a steel cage, something that wasn’t there when he was young.”
“He shouldn’t be saying some things about the upcoming roster because we’re real wild, not pretentious, so he should be careful,” Riddle continued.
Riddle said he still respects the Undertaker, however.
“I don’t think he wanted to be mean, I just think he thought his time was harder and I would say this, when he was working, times weren’t harder, they weren’t smart either and they were dumb. They abused certain things, they abused their bodies and they all pay the price.”
Riddle’s comments can be heard in the player below:
The Raw Superstar has been campaigning for a match against Brock Lesnar for the past several years. He’s called out Lesnar in countless interviews and vowed to retire the former WWE Champion. The two even had a backstage altercation last year at the Royal Rumble. Brock Lesnar no longer under contract with WWE, which makes the match even less likely.
Riddle is now turning his attention to Parker Boudreaux, whom some have dubbed “Baby Brock” due to his uncanny resemblance to the Beast Incarnate. Boudreaux was a standout college football player at the Universal of Central Florida prior to signing with WWE.
Riddle expressed interest in working with Parker Boudreaux on Friday. In tweet sent out to his 200,00+ followers, Riddle couldn’t help taking a dig at Brock Lesnar in the process. He wrote, “He looks just like Brock Lesnar but younger and doesn’t hate me enough to refuse a match with me yet, Awesome!”
Boudreaux responded with a playful emoji, an indication that he might be open to sharing a ring with the former UFC fighter.
WWE Superstar Matt Riddle recently reacted to Goldberg’s comments about WWE’s modern roster being too ‘soft.’ Goldberg recently appeared on the After The Bell podcast and discussed the hot button topic. Goldberg’s comments on AFB were in response to what The Undertaker said on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
The Undertaker’s recent comments from Joe Rogan’s podcast sparked this ongoing ‘feud’ between older talent and those who sit in the WWE locker room today. Undertaker stated during the podcast that he finds it “difficult” to enjoy modern WWE and that the talents are “too soft.”
Speaking on After The Bell, Goldberg said that “times are quite different than they were back in the day, but people are soft. People take offence to things way too quickly, I mean you know, grow a little thicker skin, boys and girls, that’s all I can say.”
Matt Riddle on Goldberg
The Original Bro Matt Riddle did not take too kindly to these words, with the former UFC fighter and Goldberg having had an ongoing real life beef over the past few years.
Riddle took to Twitter to release a video firing back at the former WCW Champion. “Let’s talk about some thick and thin skin, shall we?” Riddle began. “Bro. Really? Really? Okay. You have very, very, very thin skin — it’s like sheepskin thin. It’s ultra thin. It’s extra sensitive thin. That’s how thin your skin is. Let’s be real, I’m not going to go down the chart of reasons why, but you know why your skin is thin, bro. We all know it. And you know what? You really need to stop crying about it. It’s embarrassing, stop being a baby. And good luck tomorrow, bro, you’ll need it.”
credit to WrestlingINC for the transcription
There is a chance that we see Goldberg and Matt Riddle against each other in the Royal Rumble match tonight. Would you like to see the two square off? Let us know in the comments
Last night on WWE RAW, Gillberg made an appearance on John Morrison and the Miz’s “Dirt Sheet” interview segment. Since debuting as the character in 1998, Gillberg has been WWE’s satirical gimmick of Bill Goldberg.
Matt Riddle has publicly called out Goldberg on numerous occasions. After RAW last night, however, he posted a photo of him with Gillberg. According to Riddle’s comments, Gillberg is 10x the man that “Willy G” is.
Riddle’s MMA career was derailed due to multiple failed drug tests for cannabis. He recently reacted to the news that cannabis is no longer a prohibited substance in the UFC.
I got the greatest birthday gift of all today, maybe 9 years late but still an amazing gift and one more thing my record is 10-3 bro pic.twitter.com/8WBMOH7fpt
“I’m all about the quality of the work. So, hey, if we could make quality work and you’d would be willing to listen to what I have to say, I’ll listen to what you have to say. I will. But I think it could be magical, and I think the fans would eat it up.”
Riddle has been feuding with the Hurt Business as of late on RAW. He dropped a United States championship match to Bobby Lashley two weeks ago. The Hurt Business defeated Riddle and the Lucha House Party on last night’s show.
There have been rumors about past backstage heat between Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle since November 2019.
The rumors about their issues go back to when Riddle’s wife made body shaming comments directed towards Becky Lynch, who is the fiance and mother of Rollins’ child, in a now-deleted Instagram post.
Rollins made an appearance on the Friday Night SmackDown Watch Along special that aired in October. During it, he made it clear that he had no desire to work with Riddle.
Fightful now reports that those within the company suggested the two stars have moved past the issues between them. The two stars did work the Men’s Elimination Tag Team Match at the Survivor Series pay-per-view event in November and fans picked up on how Rollins didn’t look at Riddle during the contest.
However, people backstage at the show noted that they talked about their differences at the show. Now, they’re said to be open to working with each other in the future.
It was added by sources that Riddle apologized to Rollins for his wife’s comments toward Lynch.
Matt Riddle will be a WWE Superstar for several more years.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently reported that Matt Riddle’s WWE contract was set to expire in August 2021. WWE has been courting Riddle in hopes of locking him in longterm. Dave Meltzer, wrote, “It’s said he’s pretty much agreed to terms for a three-year deal at $400,000 per year guaranteed plus $50,000 for every show in Saudi Arabia.”
Fightful Select has provided an update on Matt Riddle’s negotiations. Riddle reportedly turned down the original offer, despite the guaranteed salary. WWE made a counter offer, which Riddle agreed to. The contract was signed last week.
Matt Riddle in WWE
Riddle joined WWE during the summer of 2018. His first on-screen appearance took place at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV. He was shown at ringside during the event in the same manner WWE has shown off other high-profile talent acquisitions. He wrestled on the NXT brand from October 2018 through May 2020.
He joined WWE’s SmackDown brand for a few months before getting moved to Raw during October’s Superstar Draft. Riddle currently teams with Jeff Hardy. WWE recently filed to trademark the name, Hardy Bros, which indicates they have plans for this team to remained paired together for the foreseeable future.
Matt Riddle and Jeff Hardy
WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan recently praised Matt Riddle. During an intro with Metro UK, Hogan said of Riddle, “I’ve been watching him and he’s really got good instincts. He’s really got a good aptitude for understanding what needs to be done, you know. It’s all about instincts and timing.”
Hogan added that Matt Riddle’s timing is off a little bit, but he’s getting better and Matt Riddle is the next Superstar he would ‘put his money on.’
There was speculation about a United States Championship match between the current champion Bobby Lashley and Matt Riddle taking place at the TLC PPV but this bout has not been announced.
Now the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter has provided some update on the plans for the title and it claims that this bout is scheduled for the Royal Rumble PPV.
There is also speculation about Jeff Hardy possibly being added to the bout as it was teased a few weeks back but so far there is no confirmation of the same.
As of now, WWE has not announced the date for the Royal Rumble PPV either but the show is expected to take place in late January as usual.
The event will be taking place from The ThunderDome at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. WWE officials are trying to bring in live audience for the show but there hasn’t been a confirmation of the same so far.
Bobby Lashley defeated Apollo Crews to win the United States championship at the Payback PPV in August this year. This is his second run with the US title.
Lashley, Riddle or Jeff Hardy have not been booked for any match at Sunday’s TLC PPV though there is still chance that the company will include them into the show as a last minute edition.
Former WWE Superstar Ryback recently discussed Matt Riddle and his new ‘name’ in WWE. It was recently confirmed that the former UFC star will now just be going under the name ‘Riddle.’
This move was reportedly made as Vince McMahon was concerned about Riddle’s past allegations of sexual abuse coming to light, especially on the likes of a Google search. Ryback would state how certain talents with just one name, himself included, actually benefited from the move in WWE.
“I mean the the names you just named (co-host Raj Giri named Goldberg, Rusev, Elias, Cesaro et al) they all had have had nice careers in WWE” Ryback began on the show.
Ryback on ‘Riddle’
Ryback elaborated further, saying “[or] now they are being used consistently. It would make sense that if they’re doing that [for Riddle]? There’s a reason WHY they’re doing it. Typically they wouldn’t just do that to someone they’re leaving catering every week, if that makes sense.”
The Big Guy would actually agree with WWE’s reasoning for the move. Typically, name changes in WWE (like Ali losing the Mustafa part of his moniker) aren’t universally welcomed. “I understand that from a business standpoint. And from the Googling standpoint? That makes as much sense as anything I’ve heard in a long time from them [WWE].”
Ryback would finish by pointing out one flaw with WWE’s perceived plan, in that if Riddle were to become popular enough the search results would still contain a litany of reports of the legal issues. “With that kind of stuff? If he becomes popular enough? Even if you just Google ‘Riddle?’ The first thing that’s gonna pop up is everything MATT Riddle.”
Do you agree with Ryback? Do you think that this could be another sign that WWE are looking to strap the rocket to Matt Riddle? Let us know in the comments
Matt Riddle was recently called up to the main roster after a successful run in NXT that included a tag title reign with Timothy Thatcher.
Riddle has a reputation for being a polarizing figure behind the scenes in WWE. He rubs some people the wrong way. Brock Lesnar and Goldberg did not appreciate Riddle calling them out. Riddle was accused of sexual assault, resulting in a (still pending) lawsuits against Riddle and WWE.
Seth Rollins is the latest big name to take issue with the Original Bro. After speaking highly about Riddle in recent years, Rollins recently stated on WWE programming interview that he has no plans on working with Riddle in WWE. Rollins stated in mid-October, “I’ve got no interest in facing Matt Riddle at any point in my career so he can go to RAW as far as I’m concerned.”
The heat between Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle might stem from Riddle’s wife body shaming Rollins’ wife, Becky Lynch, on social media. Seemingly out of the blue, Riddle’s wife Riddle’s wife Lisa posted a photo of Becky Lynch’s backside, calling her “skinny, jiggly fat” and suggest she needs to squat in relation to pretty much nothing
During a recent interview with Sportskeeda, Matt Riddle revealed he spoke to WWE boss Vince McMahon a few weeks ago about the Rollins situation.
“To answer your question, yes, some people I have heat with,” said Riddle. “But most of it’s just high school, catty, ‘He said this’, people who just can’t take a joke or a work.”
At the end of the day, Vince McMahon signs the checks in WWE and Matt Riddle will do his best to be a good independent contractor.
“I was in Vince McMahon’s office just three weeks ago, before this thing broke out,” Riddle said. “I was in headquarters talking to him – and, yeah, we mentioned the heat I have with certain people but, at the end of the day, he signs the checks, he makes it happen for me and they’re in control, not the talent.”
He continued by saying that if Vince is happy and he can help WWE make money, then he’s pulling his weight and he doesn’t see a problem.
Matt Riddle has responded to Booker T’s comments stating how “The Original Bro” shouldn’t be wrestling in his bare feet. During a recent episode of Booker T’s podcast, The Hall of Fame, he suggested how Riddle is doing himself a disservice by not wearing wrestling boots.
According to Booker T, the lack of footwear was one of the first things he noticed about Riddle. It didn’t leave a positive impression, as he stressed how “that’s not the look of a world heavyweight champion.”
The Hall of Famer argued how “There is a protocol there” in what makes a Superstar World Heavyweight Champion material. “How many World Heavyweight Champions were bare feet [while wrestling]? How many of them were greater than Superfly Jimmy Snuka?”
Booker T continued, “I’m just saying if you’re trying to get to the World Heavyweight Championship or Universal championship, there has always been a certain look that you must have. When I’m talking Matt Riddle, I’m thinking from a promoter’s perspective. That’s all I’m thinking about.”
Word of Booker T’s comments clearly made its way to Riddle. The Raw Superstar took to Twitter to share a photo of himself alongside a caption reading, “My face whenever Booker T speaks, also my face when I’m not on the raw survivor series team, congratulations to Sheamus #stallion #wwe #raw #bro.”
Matt Riddle recently lost to Sheamus on Monday Night Raw. Sheamus’ victory means he gets to represent Team Raw at WWE’s upcoming Survivor Series pay-per-view.
