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One of the Superstars released by WWE back in September has shared his honest reaction to his surprise exit from the company.
Matt Riddle was one of several WWE superstars released following the merger with UFC to create TKO Holdings Group. It was shocking to see the company part ways with Riddle, who was signed to a developmental deal in 2018. He was promoted to the main roster two years later.
However, The Original Bro had a tumultuous final year with WWE that included a second violation of the Wellness Policy. He was suspended for 60 days in December 2022 and had to undergo rehab before returning on the April 3, 2023 episode of RAW.
After a few months of not being involved in any controversial situations, Riddle made headlines because of an incident at the JFK Airport in New York on September 9. He was released less than two weeks later.
In a recent interview with Fox News, the former United States Champion was asked about his release. He explained that there are no hard feelings toward the company and thankful for his time there:
"WWE, unfortunately, if a situation happens, and they don't like the perception, they make their decision," Riddle said. "But I’m not going to argue with them. That's their company. I don’t run it. I just worked there. I'm thankful that they gave me the time that they did and that's all I can say."
He added:
"I have zero hard feelings. I don’t know if I can say that for them. They might have some hard feelings, but I feel like they're pretty professional. They're more about that paper, that money. So, I don't think there's any hard feelings. I mean, they did have to pay me for three months when I didn't work. That was on them. They fired me."
Matt Riddle had a 90-day no-compete clause in his contract and it expired in mid-December. He has signed with Major League Wrestling and will debut for them on January 6 and face Jacob Fatu.
A couple of released WWE Superstars make their way to NJPW
Dolph Ziggler and Matt Riddle made surprise separate appearances at NJPW in the past few days. Ziggler confronted and attacked David Finlay, who became the first IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion in history.
Meanwhile, Riddle announced at New Year Dash!! that he'll be going after Hiroshi Tanahashi and the NJPW World Television Championship. It was in a video vignette and he had a new haircut.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you to see Dolph Ziggler and Matt Riddle at NJPW? Share your answers in the comments section below.
