Matt Riddle teases shocking career change after WWE controversies

Former WWE star Matt Riddle has teased a shocking career change. The controversial star left WWE in 2023 ending his five-year stint with the company.

Despite finding success in the Stamford-based promotion with U.S. Title and Tag Team Championship wins, his time was marred with substance abuse and later allegations of s*xual assault.

While a return to WWE seems unlikely right now, Matt Riddle might be eyeing a surprise move. In an interview with TMZ's Inside The Ring, the Original Bro talked politics and teased how he could run for governor of Florida.

"I think it’s about time for a change. I think I’m very relatable. I feel like right now the country is so separated in two. We need to meet in the middle. Not drastically, I feel like the majority of us are very much in this gray area. I'm very much in the gray area," he said.

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When asked whether he was serious about running for governor of Florida, the King of Bros said there needs to be balance, as Florida is more politically diverse than it seems.

"I think I can relate to a lot of people from Florida. I've lived there for about 10 years now.They might say they're conservatives, but their actions speak liberal, you know, but I think at the end of the day, there's certain core values they're not willing to sacrifice, and I think that's where I come in in the middle," he added.

You can watch the interview below:

While this may seem a long shot at the moment, he won't be the first pro wrestler to enter the political realm. Jesse “The Body” Ventura served as the governor of Minnesota in the late 1990s, and former WWE Champion Glenn Jacobs, AKA Kane, is currently serving as mayor of Knox County, Tennessee.

Matt Riddle claims WWE fired him just before he was supposed to make a million dollars

During the interview with TMZ, Matt Riddle opened up about his departure from WWE in 2023.

He claimed that the promotion let him go in order to save money, as he was supposed to make a "million dollars a year." He said he was released just days before this million-dollar contract would kick in.

Despite this, Riddle said that he was not bitter and doesn't harbor any ill will toward his former employers.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit TMZ's Inside The Ring and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

About the author

Sherjeel Malik is a writer at Sportskeeda and covers pro wrestling. He was hooked on the product from the moment he saw The Hardy Boyz jumping off ladders during the Attitude Era. While he comes from an engineering background, Sherjeel’s love for pro wrestling and content writing led him to pursue a career in sports journalism. Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Sherjeel worked at other reputable organizations for five years.

While writing articles, he ensures that he only relies on credible sources for information and covers relevant subjects that do not project an agenda against a particular person or association. WWE legend Paul Heyman once shared Sherjeel’s work on his social media handle.

Sherjeel’s earliest memory of pro wrestling is watching Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker square off for the WWE Title in the main event of a pay-per-view in 1998. His favorite wrestlers are Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. While he admires Orton for his character work as a heel, he looks up to Jeff because of his unique wrestling style and risk-taking ability.

If he could go back to the Attitude Era, Sherjeel would like to manage Ken Shamrock and be his mouthpiece. He feels Shamrock’s promo skills prevented him from becoming a main event-level act in WWE. Hence, he would like to help the UFC Hall of Famer get over with fans.

When not writing about pro wrestling, he likes to read classics and fiction books.

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Edited by Sherjeel Malik