H Jenkins on October 2, 2025
Matt Riddle is no longer in WWE, but he has no trouble speaking about what happened as he saw it.
TMZ Sport’s Inside The Ring spoke to Matt Riddle about his WWE release, saying it came just before a major contract increase. After all, the company was going through a big change at the time.
Matt Riddle said that the discussion focused on the TKO merger and the wave of talent cuts following Endeavor’s acquisition of WWE. Riddle also thought back about the timing and reasons behind his release, tying it to cost-cutting measures.
“TKO bought it. They bought the UFC and WWE pretty close together, spent a lot of money. They’ve been firing people left and right. Even when I got fired — and I mean, they had their reasons — but when I got fired, they fired what, Dolph Ziggler, Mustafa Ali, countless others.”
“And you could say they all had their issues one way or another — just being there too long, or not having the same creative vision, or etc. Wrestling is just like any form of entertainment — there’s a million excuses. But I think it was mostly money.”
“Certain people were there this long, you got a certain check. I know my last year I was supposed to make a million dollars a year. They fired me, and it ended December 27th before I started making that first week of a million a year.”
It should be noted that Ringside News exclusively reported at the time that Matt Riddle’s WWE release came after a dozen or more backstage infractions. The last of which was showing up at JFK Airport and making a huge scene, allegedly intoxicated, while he was supposedly clean after a stint in rehab.
He had reportedly burned too many chances with the company. Matt Riddle also caused issues with Brock Lesnar by pushing publicly for a match. While Riddle was in NXT, he was told to stop tweeting at main roster talent, as no match was planned and Lesnar was not in favor of the idea. In 2020, Riddle and Lesnar spoke backstage at the Royal Rumble, and all of these are only additions to the controversy-filled tenure of Matt Riddle in WWE.
It was also reported that Matt Riddle got heat in WWE for going off-script during a live promo. There were a lot of things that led to the Original Bro’s WWE departure, but he seems to be doing everything he can in this phase of his career.
What’s your take on Matt Riddle’s career in pro wrestling? Do you think he will ever get another chance in WWE? Let us know what you think in the comments section?
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
October 2, 2025 6:42 pm
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