Subhojeet Mukherjee on September 7, 2025
Matt Riddle recently became public enemy #1 after it was claimed he intentionally no-showed Global Wrestling Kingdom’s debut event. While many people blamed him for this, it seems a former WWE star has defended Riddle.
While speaking on the Masters of Wrestling podcast, Paul London came to Matt Riddle’s defense following the controversy around Riddle missing Global Wrestling Kingdom’s charity event in the UK.
London, who works closely with Riddle in MLW, described him as genuine, honest, and charitable. He stated that Riddle has always been straightforward and has never turned his back on fans, so if Riddle said he was never told the event was a charity show, London fully believes him.
“I’ll preface everything by just saying Matt’s our champion at MLW. So it’s not just working with him, I work with him extensively. I’m a big fan of his, both as a wrestler and as a human being. I met Matt almost 10 years ago in Germany and we’ve always been friends. He’s a truthful guy, a decent guy. So when I saw his video about the charity situation, I believed him. If Matt said they never told him it was a charity, then I believe him, because he’s a charitable person. I’ve never seen him turn his back on a fan or say no to one. He’s very straightforward, and what you see is what you get. He’s not putting on a fake voice or a fake character just to protect his brand.”
London also said he’s had bad experiences with UK promoters before, who sometimes make up stories instead of admitting mistakes. He explained that travel problems like the ones Riddle mentioned happen often, and he doesn’t think Riddle lied about anything. He also pointed out that Riddle even made a video explaining the situation, which is more than most wrestlers would do.
“I’ve had my own issues with promoters in England before, and some of them will make up stories to protect themselves instead of admitting they messed up. The travel issues Matt talked about happen all the time, so I don’t think he was bending the truth at all. Unfortunately, the internet marks pile on without doing any research. The marks today are casuals, like the young dorks say. Matt’s already explained his side, and honestly, the more he talks about it, the worse it’ll get.
The fact that he even put himself on camera and explained it is more than most people would do. Usually, people just tweet something out. I wouldn’t be surprised if Matt filmed that response in one take and left in any mistakes, because that’s just who he is.”
According to London, Riddle is very busy and in high demand, so if a company doesn’t keep good communication, he’ll just move on to another booking. That’s what happened here—Riddle took a show in Miami instead because they handled things better. London said the real problem was the UK company’s poor communication and not telling Riddle it was a charity event from the start.
“What people forget is Matt’s an in-demand wrestler. His schedule is busy, and if a company wants to book him, they need to stay on top of communication. If they don’t, he’ll just move on to another booking. That’s what happened here—he ended up working in Miami instead, because they made it work while this other company didn’t.
Their lack of communication, their failure to clarify it was a charity show, and their poor timing are on them. Honestly, I’m not even shocked. Promoters will usually mention up front if something is for charity, because that affects how wrestlers set their price. If they never told him, then it’s not on Matt—it’s their fault.”
Matt Riddle even returned the deposit for the event. So while Matt Riddle is still getting a lot of criticism online, Paul London’s defense shows a different side of the story, that poor communication and mistakes by promoters may have been the real problem. Since Riddle is still busy wrestling in MLW and other promotions, this controversy doesn’t look like it will slow him down.
Do you agree with Paul London’s defense of Matt Riddle, or do you think Riddle should take more responsibility for the no-show controversy? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
September 7, 2025 2:05 pm
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