Matt Riddle is done being the “goof” he saw himself having to portray in WWE.
The former MMA star, who is a little less than a year removed from being released from WWE last September, is making the most of his new home in Major League Wrestling while finding success working with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, AAA and numerous independent companies.
Riddle, who now has more ownership of his presentation, said there are some similarities to the aloof, forgetful and “childish” persona fans saw in WWE, but now his career and accolades in the UFC and jujitsu are taken more seriously.
Matt Riddle celebrates a win in MLW. MLW“If somebody says, ‘watch your back,’ I’m not gonna spin around in circles trying to look at my back,” Riddle said. “Those are the kinds of things I would do in WWE. And fortunately, the people I work with now think I have more brains than that and I’m allowed to know what things mean when people say them… I want to be taken more seriously. I want to show people that combat sports background.”
His next chance to do that will be when he faces a risk-taking high flyer in Matt Justice during MLW’s Summer of the Beast show (7 p.m., YouTube) at Queens’ Melrose Ballroom on Thursday.
Riddle describes Justice as a “wild man” on the rise that he can “tear the house down” with.
“The guy can go,” the 38-year-old Riddle said. “He’s not a pushover. He’s one of those guys if you saw him in a dark alley, you probably wouldn’t want him trying to take your wallet because he’d probably get it.”
Riddle, the current AAA World Cruiserweight champion, also holds MLW’s version of the Money in the Bank contract, a “golden ticket” for winning the Battle Riot VI in January, which he can redeem for a World Heavyweight championship match anytime, anyplace.
It’s a title Riddle failed to win during his brief stint with the company in 2018, falling in his one opportunity against current AEW star Swerve Strickland.
“It’s not something I have to do. It’s something I’m going out of my way to do,” Riddle said. “For Matthew Riddle, for the King of Bros, the MLW heavyweight championship is what I want. It’s what I need and it’s what I’m going after and I’m gonna get it one way or the other.”
Riddle believes MLW is in a good position, even in a crowded wrestling space, and praised the professionalism of Court Bauer’s company. He called its combat-sports-centric presentation a “breath of fresh air,” and praised its relationship with other promotions.
“I don’t think they bit...
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