Matt Riddle Ditching “Goofball” Persona After Parting Ways with WWE

Matt Riddle stirred controversy in WWE due to his off-ring behavior, ultimately resulting in his surprising departure last year. He is poised for a comeback in MLW, and Riddle has assured fans that he will be ditching his goofball WWE gimmick in favor of a different approach in MLW.

It was previously confirmed that The Original Bro would be joining Major League Wrestling; something that fans were very surprised about since they expected him to debut in AEW instead.

Riddle will be making his in-ring return on January 6th at MLW Kings of Colosseum against Jacob Fatu. While speaking to Ryan Gaydos of Fox News, Matt Riddle expressed his belief that his previous presentation in WWE focused more on entertainment. He emphasized his desire to showcase his in-ring abilities in his new direction, steering away from his previous ‘goofball’ persona on television.

With a refreshed perspective and the New Year, the Original Bro made it clear that he is eager to refocus on his career, prioritizing his passion for wrestling and presenting a more serious side of himself in the ring.

”The last couple months, they’ve been good. I feel like the last probably 10 years, I’ve been wrestling pretty hard in the sense, like on the indies before I went to the ‘E’ (WWE), I was pretty busy traveling to Europe and wrestling everywhere. And then, of course, with the ‘E,’ I was traveling everywhere. So, the last three months, I kinda just had my first vacation in a really long time. I had a kid. A little son, Matthew. So, it was really getting ready and kinda like a reset button. The last couple of months, I totally just didn’t want to do anything other than work out, relax and take care of my family.

And now that (it’s) the New Year and I got that time and everything else like that, I think it’s just time to cook again and just really been focusing on that and what I want to do in the ring. I feel like before was more of a … it’s always entertainment, but it was a lot of entertainment before. And now, I think, the direction I’m going in, I’m going to be able to show the world what I can do in the ring and just present that version of myself rather than kind of a goofball on TV.”

Matt Riddle has been prospect for MLW for many years before his MLW signing. Riddle will also face RVD this year in the highly anticipated matchup. It remains to be seen how The King of Bros will fare in his MLW return this week.

What do you think of what Matt Riddle said? Are you looking forward to his new gimmick in MLW? Let us know in the comments!