Kevin Owens Responds to Matt Riddle’s Accusation of Being Difficult to Work With

Kevin Owens is widely seen as one of the best pro wrestlers in the world and a true professional. Many in the business consider him a dream to work with, but Matt Riddle had a different opinion, claiming that Owens and Sami Zayn were hard to work with. With that in mind, Owens has now responded to Riddle’s accusation.

Recently, Matt Riddle was asked who his toughest opponent was. He quickly said Sheamus, calling him strong but easy to work with. Things changed when Riddle brought up Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. He said they were difficult to work with and hinted that there were some issues behind the scenes, even though he didn’t explain much.

“Hardest opponent in the ring? I would have to say Sheamus. Sheamus—easy to work with, hits really hard. So hardest in the ring. But then when I think about who’s harder to maybe work with, I would have to say Sami Zayn or Kevin Owens… It’s hard to put a complete sentence together with those guys, if you know what I’m saying… Very difficult. Sheamus hits ya hard, but it’s easy to put together.”

While speaking on My Mom’s Basement, Kevin Owens responded to Matt Riddle’s claim that he and Sami Zayn are hard to work with. He said the comment didn’t surprise him and that he had seen the interview.

Owens explained that he has nothing personal against Riddle, but pointed out that Riddle had some big chances in WWE, like teaming with Randy Orton, and ended up messing them up, not because of talent, but because of bad decisions and attitude.

“No, it didn’t take me by surprise, but I did see it. It’s funny, you know, because coming from him—I have nothing against him at all—but to me, he’s a guy who had really amazing opportunities handed to him. Like, being Randy’s tag team partner for so long and basically getting to ride the coattails of a legend. And he managed to screw it all up, not because of his abilities—because he’s very talented and very athletic—but because of his own attitude and poor choices.”

Owens also mentioned that if Riddle felt like he couldn’t get a word in during conversations, there was probably a reason for that. He said when you look at Riddle’s track record compared to his and Sami’s, the difference is clear. Owens admitted it might have been true that Riddle couldn’t speak up much, but that’s because he and Sami work a certain way that’s been successful for them.

“So for him to say that we’re hard to work with or whatever it is, and that he couldn’t get a word in—there was a pretty good reason for that. You look at his track record, you look at our track record—I think that speaks for itself. But if that’s how he felt, it’s fine. I can’t even say he’s wrong when he said it was hard to get a word in. It probably was, because we probably didn’t let him get a word in too much. Just because we had been around him, and we work a certain way—and it works. So yeah.”

In pro wrestling, it’s important for wrestlers to work well together and talk things through. Kevin Owens’ answer shows how these things can affect matches. Whether you agree with Owens or understand why Riddle was upset, it’s clear that being good at wrestling is more than just having in-ring skills and Owens knows that all too well.

What do you think about Kevin Owens’ response to Matt Riddle’s criticism? Do you believe personality clashes or creative differences are more to blame in situations like this? Drop your thoughts in the comments—we’d love to hear your take!

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