Matt Riddle, a renowned name in the wrestling industry, spent several years in WWE. Yet, his journey to WWE prominence could have started much earlier in his career.
In a conversation with Buff Bagwell at the prestigious WrestleCon, Riddle reminisced about an early WWE tryout that was quite impressive. However, a failed drug test brought an abrupt halt to the company’s growing interest in him.
In his recollection, Riddle shared,
“So I just wrestled the Indies, and I just said, ‘I’ll just become undeniable, so you don’t have a choice.’ And then eventually, I just kept wrestling. New Japan offered me something. The same thing. Hey, your UFC thing. And I was like, ‘Well, you know, a lot of people would give up now, but I’m going to keep going and grinding.”
In 2018, Riddle’s unyielding spirit led him to WWE, and by 2021, he was promoted to the main roster. However, due to a string of controversies in September 2023, he was released from WWE amidst the first round of cuts that followed the debut of TKO.
Post-WWE, Riddle has been active in various promotions. Notably, he’s a regular feature in MLW and recently celebrated consecutive victories in the Battle Riot for two years in a row.
[Watch the full interview below for more of Matt Riddle’s journey from UFC to WWE with Marcus Buff Bagwell.] [Embedded video]