Matt Riddle’s WWE career was a roller coaster ride, full of highs and lows, that ultimately ended in a huge disappointment. The former United States Champion was one of the faces of the company during 2019-2023 in the WWE main roster. However, his wrestling career started facing downfall after his continuous involvement in controversy, both inside and outside the WWE ring.
Recently, in an interview, Riddle opened up about his tag team storyline with The Viper, Randy Orton, and shared his thoughts on the online media that went against him, spreading his allegations and controversies as a mainstream.
Matt Riddle’s honest admission of being “PR nightmare for WWE”
In a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet on his YouTube channel, Matt Riddle shared his thoughts on his unfinished storyline with Randy Orton and opened up about his controversies. Riddle said, “I wish I could’ve finished the story with Randy, but I messed up. There’s always a dumb article written about me, I’m getting porn stars pregnant, it’s whatever dude. I get it. For WWE, I’m a PR nightmare.”
Riddle agreed that WWE was not happy with his controversies, as he was constantly in the headlines for the wrong reasons. He also said that his tag team storyline with Randy Orton would also have been finished, if he was in a good state in the company.
Riddle had a history of controversy and also had issues with several wrestlers, such as Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, and Seth Rollins. However, the biggest issue that plagued Riddle was an accusation from a former independent wrestler named Candy Cartwright, who claimed she was sexually assaulted by Riddle in 2020.
Later in 2021, he admitted to cheating on his wife with multiple women, including a porn star who claimed he got her pregnant. The RK-Bro became an unexpected tag team in WWE, as the two had very contrasting personalities and styles. They also won the RAW Tag Team Championships at SummerSlam 2021 by defeating AJ Styles and Omos.
However, their reign was cut short when both Orton and Riddle suffered serious injuries in May 2022 after an attack from The Bloodline. Orton made a return to WWE in November 2023, but before a month Riddle was released from WWE, leaving their story unresolved.
Matt Riddle’s post-WWE ventures
Since his unexpected departure from WWE in 2023, Matt Riddle has been making waves in the independent scene, with his first appearance at MLW on January 6, 2024, where he faced the MLW World Heavyweight Champion, Jacob Fatu at the Kings of Colosseum event.
Just a day before his match with Fatu, he made a surprise appearance in the NJPW, at the New Year Dash event held on January 5. By appearing on the screen, he challenged the NJPW World Television Champion, Hiroshi Tanahash for a title match.
Riddle also made his debut for C1W on February 8, 2024, at the Winter Blast event, where he defeated Krule and Tommy Vendetta and became the C1W 1 World Champion.
His next big match will take place on February 23, where he is set to face Hiroshi Tanahashi, for the NJPW World Television Championship, at The New Beginning event in Sapporo.
