He Has Arrived: Matt Riddle Makes WWE NXT Debut

The 'King of Bros' has officially arrived in WWE NXT.Matt Riddle, WWE's latest high profile [...]

By Ryan Droste

The "King of Bros" has officially arrived in WWE NXT.

Matt Riddle, WWE's latest high profile acquisition (and one of their biggest to date), made his in-ring debut for the company last night at an NXT house show in Sanford, Florida. He wrestled, and defeated, Fabian Aichner in the bout.

This was Riddle's first appearance in general for WWE since he was shown ringside at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV during SummerSlam weekend. Fans of Riddle on the indy scene will take note that his look in a WWE ring hasn't changed much. He still wrestled barefoot and still came out wearing flip flops, SPLX apparel, and flat billed hat.

Riddle still has one big independent wrestling match left, despite the NXT debut on Friday night. He will be wrestling Mark Haskins at the big PROGRESS Wrestling event at the Wembley Arena in London on September 30th.

WWE.com posted the following on Riddle's debut Friday night:

Matt Riddle makes NXT Live Event debut

The King of Bros has arrived.

NXT's newest blockbuster signee, former UFC fighter and independent wrestling champion Matt Riddle, made his in-ring debut tonight at a Live Event in Sanford, Fla., taking on Fabian Aichner.

Once a member of UFC's welterweight division, Riddle left mixed martial arts in 2014 to pursue a career in sports-entertainment. He turned into the breakout star of the independent ranks, capturing titles in North America and Europe, before signing with NXT this summer.

Introduced as NXT's newest Superstar at TakeOver: Brooklyn IV in August, Riddle tweeted Thursday night that he couldn't wait to make his NXT debut, writing that it had "been a while since I've heard the roar of a crowd."

Judging by the reaction of the NXT Universe in Sanford, Riddle's wait is over.

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How’d the #KingOfBros do in his debut? Just WATCH! #NXTSanford @riddlebro

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Riddle has drawn high praise for how quickly he has transitioned from a career in MMA to pro wrestling. In just a couple of years, he has become one of the most touted stars on the independent wrestling scene, and perhaps one of the best performers in the world. NXT will be a new stage for Riddle to excel upon and you can bet it won't be long until you find him at the top of the card, let alone on the WWE main roster.

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