A former WWE star is open for a return.
Released last year by WWE, former United States Champion and UFC star Matt Riddle now finds himself a part of the Indies. Following an incident at the airport and his addiction issues, Riddle was terminated by the Stamford-based promotion.
Recently amid his independent appearances, Matt Riddle also appeared on Turning Point 2024 during a six-man tag team match involving Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Ace Austin against Kushida, and Zachary Wentz. Now competed in multiple promotions since his release, Riddle has expressed his desire to go back to WWE.
During a recent interview with Developmentally Speaking, the former champion claimed he would go back if the promotion accepted him.
Yeah, for sure, if they would ever have me back, I would definitely go back. You know, I think for me, the amount of time I was working there—and the long length of time I worked there—I was just a little overwhelmed. Then, having me go to rehab for a couple of months… I don’t know if you know anything about rehab, but it’s not a vacation. It’s brutal.
If anything, I don’t want to sound bad, but I think it made things worse. Going straight from there back to TV, the travel, the stress, having another kid on the way, and trying to handle everything else I do… it was just too much for me. I got overwhelmed.”
Realizing his errors and mistakes, Riddle further claimed,
It took one comment from one person—regardless of whether I was drunk off my ass or not, and I admit I was in the wrong in that sense—but I’m usually a pretty cool guy. If somebody crosses the line or mentions certain things about me, I’m going to go off. I paid the price and I’m still paying the price.”
H/t Wrestlezone
Matt Riddle Details WWE Squash Match Against Bobby Lashley
On the same Developmentally Speaking podcast, Matt Riddle opened up on what went behind the scenes before his April 12th match against Bobby Lashley on Raw. Losing within 10 minutes to The Almighty One, Riddle revealed that the producers wanted Bobby Lashley to squash Riddle for the entirety of their bout.
After I lost the US title [to Sheamus at WrestleMania 37], Bobby Lashley squashed me for 10 minutes,” Riddle said. “I even asked the [producer], I’m like, ‘Do I get any offense?’ and they go, ‘No offense.’ They go, ‘You throw kicks and then he’ll no-sell them and then just beat you.’”
In other news: A former AEW star is intrigued to watch Toni Storm’s current character arc.