"Naaaaaah, this is the Matt Riddle the streets need" - WWE fans love a big change in former champion's character

WWE Superstar Matt Riddle returned to television in April 2023 following a prolonged absence. Meanwhile, the massive change in his on-screen character has been the highlight of his run.

Riddle briefly paired up with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in their feud against The Bloodline. This rivalry also saw Riddle insist that he is serious about his revenge against the heel faction, drawing attention to his gimmick moving away from being predominantly humorous previously.

This week on RAW, the creative team seemingly hit the final nail in the coffin with a backstage segment involving Matt Riddle and Imperium's Ludwig Kaiser and Giovanni Vinci. Riddle was in the middle of a backstage interview where he called out Gunther for cheating in his match on WWE RAW.

Imperium members Kaiser and Vinci interrupted Riddle and began taunting him. Their brief exchange of words quickly turned into a brawl. Riddle held the upper hand over the Imperium duo and made a statement with his attack.

Public Enemies Podcast shared the clip of this backstage segment to hype Matt Riddle. The video was captioned, "Naaaaaah, this is the Matt Riddle the streets need! Bruh was getting ACTIVE," and it immediately garnered attention on Twitter.

WWE fans agreed with the statement, with several claiming the gimmick change was long due. A few comments drew attention to Riddle being a former MMA fighter and a legitimate threat in physical altercations.

Here's how WWE fans reacted to Matt Riddle flawlessly transitioning to a more serious superstar on RAW:

Fans loved Matt Riddle alongside Randy Orton as RK-Bro dominated the tag team division. However, The Viper's injury and subsequent absence, coupled with no positive news on his in-ring return, meant Riddle would have to work on his own for the foreseeable future. He was hilarious with Orton, but Riddle now has his eyes set on serious pursuits as a singles superstar on RAW.

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Matt Riddle set to feud with Gunther for the title on WWE RAW

A few weeks ago, Gunther interrupted Matt Riddle while the latter was being interviewed backstage on RAW. The Intercontinental Champion insisted Riddle win the Money in the Bank briefcase and asked him to cash it in against the Imperium leader.

Backstage reports recently claimed that WWE want to book Riddle as the next challenger for Gunther. The champion mocking him on RAW laid the foundation for a title feud between the two superstars. Now, Riddle's backstage brawl with Kaiser and Vinci could add fuel to the fire, leading to his full-blown war with Imperium.