Matt Riddle Opens Up About WWE Release

Riddle was fired in September 2023.

By Liam Crowley

Matt Riddle's professional wrestling future lies in the Far East. The King of Bros made his New Japan Pro Wrestling debut at NJPW New Year Dash, appearing in a vignette to call out new NJPW WORLD Television Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi. This was Riddle's first televised pro wrestling appearance since he was released by WWE in September 2023. Riddle's WWE exit came at a time when his former employer was executing company-wide layoffs following its merger with UFC. Beyond that, he had just been involved in a controversial situation at an airport that some viewed as Riddle's last straw within WWE considering the timing of his release shortly after.

Matt Riddle Opens Up About WWE Release

MATT-RIDDLE-WWE-RELEASE
(Photo: WWE)

There are no hard feelings between Matt Riddle and WWE.

"For me, at the WWE, not at all. I have no hard feelings," Riddle told Fox News. "I loved every second of it. I was a multiple-time tag-team champion with Randy [Orton]. I was an NXT Tag Team Champion. I won the Dusty Cup Classic. I beat Bobby Lashley for the United States Championship. I wrestled at multiple WrestleManias, Royal Rumbles."

Riddle spent five years in WWE, first joining the company in 2018. He found success in NXT, having top-billed matches against stars like Adam Cole and Undisputed Era. Riddle joined the main roster in Fall 2020 and worked his way up the card, competing in a singles match at WWE WrestleMania 37 just months after his call up.

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That said, Riddle's run did not come without controversy. A sexual assault allegation from 2018 surfaced in Summer 2020, leading to a lawsuit later that fall. The lawsuit would ultimately be dropped in July 2021. In December 2022, Riddle was sent to rehab after failing a drug test. His rehab last for the first quarter of 2023, as Riddle made his way back to WWE TV this past April and was involved in storylines until his September release.

"I would just say, with WWE, they run a ship, they run it a certain way, and when you work for WWE, everything you do is under a magnifying glass. It doesn't matter if you did anything wrong, if you did something right, if it was in between, it's perception," Riddle continued. "Unfortunately, if a situation happens, and they don't like the perception, they make their decision. I'm not going to argue with them. That's their company. I don't run it. I just worked there. I'm thankful that they gave me the time that they did and that's all I can say. I have zero hard feelings. I don't know if I can say that for them. They might have some hard feelings, but I feel like they're pretty professional."

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