Matt Riddle says he is “in a completely different place” now, almost a year after leaving WWE.
Riddle was released from the company in September 2023. Since then, he has wrestled for NJPW, MLW, AAA, The Crash, REVOLVER and several other promotions.
Riddle was recently interviewed by the New York Post and said that his personal life had deteriorated during his time in WWE.
“Even though I was making a lot of money, my family life was deteriorating, I was going through a divorce and other things, and then there was also the fact that I couldn’t see the kids anymore and I had to take care of my obligations,” Riddle said. “When I’m flying to a different city every day or driving to a different city and wrestling and memorizing promos and all that stuff, a lot of other things take a back seat.”
Riddle said in an interview with MuscleManMalcolm earlier this summer that he still speaks with Randy Orton frequently. He says Orton asks him if he’s interested in returning to WWE, but Riddle says with a child on the way, it’s not the right time.
“I’m in a completely different place,” Riddle continued. “I feel a lot better. It’s hard to explain because most people think, ‘Oh, you’re here, it must be great.’ Professionally, my life was great. Personally, my life was a mess. You lose your family. You lose this, that, and you try to rebuild everything, but you don’t have time to do it.”
Riddle also mentioned that he had publicly stated that he could defeat Roman Reigns in a match, similar to what he had previously said about Goldberg.
“That’s not bragging, that’s the truth,” Riddle said. “If I didn’t think I could do it, I wouldn’t say it. You don’t hear me saying I can beat Bobby Lashley, you know, maybe on a good day. Or Brock Lesnar, maybe on a good day.”
However, Riddle says that everything is fine between him and Roman Reigns.
“I think when he saw how professional I am in the ring and I also explained why things were said and I wasn’t just trying to challenge you,” he continued. “I know my place in WWE, but if someone tells me to show you a promo, I’m going to do it. I think he got that. He still wasn’t happy about it, but he got it. Roman and I, we’re good.”
Next up for Riddle is a match against Matthew Justice at MLW Summer of the Beasts at the Melrose Ballroom in New York on Thursday.
MLW Summer of the Beasts lineup for Thursday, August 29, 2024 —
- Quarterfinals of the Opera Cup 2024: Mistico vs Atlantis Jr.
- Quarterfinals of the Opera Cup 2024: KENTA vs AKIRA
- Quarterfinals of the Opera Cup 2024: Tom Lawlor vs TJP
- Quarterfinals of the Opera Cup 2024: Alex Kane vs. Bad Dude Tito
- MLW World Tag Team Champions Satoshi Kojima and Okumura defend against Minoru Suzuki and Ikuro Kwon of the Contra Unit
- Miya Yamashita vs. Delmi Exo
- Matt Riddle vs Matthew Justice with Bill Alfonso
- MLW Featherweight Champion Janai Kai defends against HANAKO
- Bobby Fish vs Timothy Thatcher
- Brock Anderson and CW Anderson vs. Jay Lyon and Love, Doug
- Paul London vs Brett Ryan Gosselin
- Little Guido vs. LSG vs. Nolo Kitano vs. Jimmy Lloyd in a scramble match
