RVD Explains Why He’s Defending Matt Riddle Despite Severe Backlash

RVD drew a ton of backlash after he publicly backed Matt Riddle following his controversy over no-showing a UK charity wrestling event. With that in mind, the WWE Hall of Famer explained why he’s defending Matt Riddle.

While speaking on Inside the Ring, RVD said he has Matt Riddle’s back for now, not because Riddle really needs it, but because he knew it would annoy the online wrestling community. He explained that Riddle already gets plenty of heat on his own, but he wanted to stir things up a little.

RVD said he doesn’t read much online feedback, since avoiding it makes the negativity disappear. When he did see some comments, a few people laughed and understood, while others complained. He compared those angry fans to someone living in a tent asking for money and then calling others losers, saying they are full of hate and negativity.

“So far, so far I have Matt Riddle’s back. That was a complete shot at the oversensitive IWC, because they can’t handle it when someone has a different opinion than them. Just knowing how much heat Matt got—and tends to get on his own—he doesn’t need RVD to have his back. He’s fine. But I knew that would ruffle feathers, clutch some pearls.

Advertising

Advertising

To be honest, I didn’t read much of the feedback because I stay away from there—and then it disappears, and so does all the toxicity. But I glanced at a few comments. Some were laughing and got it, saying, ‘Rob, you’re too much.’ Then you see others, like, ‘Why did my favorite wrestler pick two wrong ones in a row?’ And those are the people I’m supposed to worry about? Their opinion? Writing me, calling me a piece of s***? That’s like someone living in a tent on the sidewalk asking you for money, then calling you a loser. Bottom of the barrel. They have so much hate and toxicity in their lives.”

RVD explained that Riddle gets attacked because that’s just who he is; he’s always been confrontational. RVD made it clear he doesn’t agree or disagree with Riddle’s comments about AJ Lee and CM Punk. To him, the bigger problem is how society decides someone is “wrong” just for having a different opinion. He believes opinions are personal, not right or wrong.

“As far as why Matt got attacked, it’s just him being himself. He’s always been confrontational like that. I’m not saying I agree with what he said about AJ Lee and CM Punk. I have no reason to believe it’s true or not. I don’t even care about that. For me, it’s more about the fact that society says, ‘No, you’re wrong for disagreeing with us.’ That’s when it becomes, f*** that. Opinions aren’t right or wrong—they’re subjective.”

RVD also said he understood why Riddle was frustrated in his interview, since people twist a few words into a headline and blow it up online. He reminded fans that there’s always a bigger story than what gets reported, and he knew Riddle’s side would be different.

The Whole F’n Show added that when he said he had Riddle’s back “so far,” people overreacted, showing how extreme online fans can be. As for Riddle, RVD said he’s always been the type to make bold comments and stand by them, ready to back them up if needed.

“I get why Matt let it get under his skin during that interview. These people only need two words for a headline, and they’ll run with it because they’ve got nothing to lose. They’re trolls. That’s what they live for. And I always say there’s a bigger picture—every week on my podcast. You never know the whole story. And when Matt said, ‘They booked me a s**** ticket and we talked this and that,’ well, I already knew his side of the story would be different.

So yeah, I’ve got his back on that. But when I said ‘so far,’ that implied an extended period of time—and that’s too much for fans to process. Another reason they’re not real people. They live on X.

And as for Matt, he’s always been the guy to throw out personal comments, like with Goldberg. That’s just him. He’s comfortable saying, ‘If you’ve got a problem with me, I’ll back it up.’”

For the record, Ringside News previously reported that the original deal for Matt Riddle didn’t include an early arrival for a charity event, for that matter.

RVD made it clear that his support of Riddle was less about siding with everything he’s said and more about challenging the toxic side of wrestling’s online fanbase. To him, Riddle is simply being himself, and while people may not like it, he respects that Riddle is willing to stand by his words.

Do you think RVD is right to defend Matt Riddle against online backlash, or is Riddle’s behavior too controversial to support? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.