It’s no understatement that Matt Riddle has always had plenty to say for himself.
The charismatic but controversial former WWE wrestler and UFC fighter has an undeniable popularity, though hasn’t always made the best of choices.
WWERiddle held tag team and singles gold during his time with WWE[/caption]
He has his fans and supporters – WWE legend Randy Orton being one of them, The Viper telling talkSPORT recently that Riddle was one of his ‘favourite people’ thanks to the sheer physical punishment he was prepared to suffer in the wrestling ring to aid him.
Orton had been struggling with a major back injury that ended up robbing him of 18 months of his career, the set-back forcing the company to strip them of the tag team gold they’d been holding at the time.
But when Orton overcame the odds to make his WWE return last November, Riddle was gone, announcing on X that he was ‘no longer with’ the grappling giants.
During in interview with MMA Hour earlier this year, the 38-year-old revealed that a string of damning failed drugs test played a part in his exit from the company, and that, at least timing wise, WWE made the right call in letting him go.
“They didn’t make any of the offences public,” he commented, adding that WWE: “Wanted to keep it on the hush hush and they punished me by fining me.
“I went to the strip club and did some cocaine a couple of times, and I failed the drug test. Well, that was for all of them, it was cocaine each time.’
Of his exit, which came after another failed test and a request from WWE for him to enter rehab and shortly after the birth of one of his children, added: “I feel like getting fired by WWE happened at the right time.”
Arguably at the peak of his WWE stint, sexual assault allegations were levied at Riddle by a female wrestler Candy Cartwright, who alleged the performer ‘choked’ her and forced her into sexual acts – something Riddle vehemently denied.
Almost a year after his departure, the Pennsylvania native feels the chances of a return to WWE are ‘extremely high’, not least because he’s seen the path trodden by CM Punk who is now firmly immersed in the fold after previously being firmly at odds with the company.
It would, however, be on his terms. He explained to The Takedown: “The chances of me going back, I think they’re extremely high.
WWERiddle’s feuds included battles with Gunther, Seth Rollins and The Bloodline[/caption]
“If CM Punk, who filed a lawsuit against WWE, sued them for money and then raked them through the mud for a decade, then goes to the competition [AEW], I’ll tell you this: if he can do that… everything can be forgiven.
“I think the door is always open [and that] distance and time makes the heart grow fonder. I think the longer I’m away, the harder I work, and the more I do, the more likely I could come back.
“But I’ll also say this, if I never go back ever again, and they never talk to me again, I’ll be OK with that. I had a great time when I did and I don’t hold a grudge… and I hope they don’t hold a grudge against me.”
Away from the controversy, which the man himself said left him ‘his own worst enemy,’ Riddle has enjoyed quite the career to-date, and not just in the wrestling ring.
As an MMA fighter, he notably featured for UFC between 2008 and 2013, winning his debut match against Dante Rivera in the Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale.
Last fighting under the UFC banner against Che Mills in London in 2013, he boasted a total professional fight record of eight wins from 13 matches.
After wrestling on the independent scene, he joined WWE in 2018, starring on their developmental brand NXT before moving on to the ‘main’ roster where he went on to feud with top stars such as Seth Rollins and Sheamus.
