Matt Riddle Claims He Was in Talks for WrestleMania 41 Appearance

Matt Riddle may have been released by WWE in 2023, but according to him, the door wasn’t completely closed — especially around WrestleMania season.

Fans were shocked at WrestleMania 41 in 2025 when then-TNA World Champion Joe Hendry was revealed as Randy Orton’s surprise opponent, only to get quickly taken out by The Viper. But now Riddle says that spot almost went to him.

Speaking on the Rewind Recap Relive podcast on February 21, 2026, Riddle revealed that Orton personally pushed for him to be the WrestleMania opponent — and that talks actually happened behind the scenes. Riddle explained that Orton reached out to him directly about the idea.

“They call me, I’ll show up. The last time I talked to anyone from WWE was before WrestleMania last year. They were looking for an opponent for Randy, and Randy actually hit me up and said, ‘Hey, I pitched you to be my opponent.’ I was like, ‘Holy crap, thank you.’”

That wasn’t just casual talk. Riddle said he immediately took the idea seriously and contacted Triple H himself to make it clear he was ready. According to Riddle, the response from WWE leadership was professional but non-committal.

“I even reached out to Triple H and said, ‘Hey, I’ll be there if you need me. I’ll pass a drug test, whatever you need. I’ll be there.’ He told me he appreciated it and that they’d keep me in mind, but they went in a different direction, which ended up being Joe Hendry.”

While the company chose Hendry for the surprise spot, Riddle made it clear that communication channels haven’t completely dried up.

“There’s always a little bit of conversation here and there. And with WWE, or even UFC or combat sports in general, you can never say never. There’s always a chance something could happen. We’re all hungry. We’re all ready to go.”

While Riddle continues working the independent scene and competing in promotions like MLW, this shows that, as recently as 2025, a WrestleMania return was at least discussed. It didn’t happen — but it was closer than fans knew.

Do you think Matt Riddle vs. Randy Orton at WrestleMania would’ve been a bigger moment than the Joe Hendry surprise? Let us know your thoughts.