Matt Riddle has officially lost his first name. The former UFC star and NXT standout was bumped up to the Friday Night SmackDown roster back in June, then was drafted to Raw in early October. So far he’s 0-2 on the Red Brand by taking on AJ Styles and Sheamus, but according to Gary Cassidy of Inside The Ropes that latter match prompted Vince McMahon to shake up Riddle’s presentation. He will now simply go by Riddle and have a “more serious presentation” going forward.
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Riddle’s profile on WWE.com’s Superstar roster has already been changed to reflect the loss of his first name. He joins the likes of Big E, Cesaro and Murphy as wrestlers who have lost either their first or last name.
According to Cassidy, Riddle was very positive about the change.
Regarding Matt Riddle’s name change to ‘Riddle’ – I was just told a few details, but @FightfulWrestle have beaten me to it!
Corroboration is never bad though. The name change was Vince McMahon’s idea, Riddle loved it, and we’ll see a more serious presentation for Riddle.
— Gary Cassidy (@WrestlingGary) October 29, 2020
Vince loved Riddle’s match with Sheamus, and that apparently triggered the idea. Good chance we’ll be seeing much more of Riddle going forward on RAW.
— Gary Cassidy (@WrestlingGary) October 29, 2020
Riddle took to Twitter shortly after the news broke to address the fans.
People it’s okay I’ve been called Riddle most my life, I actually prefer it and it’s my real last name 🤙 #bro #stallion #RIDDLE
— matthew riddle (@SuperKingofBros) October 29, 2020
WWE’s next pay-per-view, Survivor Series, takes place on Nov. 22. Here’s the full card for the show (so far):
- WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns
- Raw Women’s Champion Asuka vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks
- Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits
- United States Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn
- Men’s Survivor Series Match: Team Raw (AJ Styles, Keith Lee, Sheamus, TBA, TBA) vs. Team SmackDown (TBA)
- Women’s Survivor Series Match: Team Raw (Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Dana Brooke, Mandy Rose and Lana) vs. Team SmackDown (TBA)
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