Seemingly not all that long ago, the sky was the limit when speaking to Matt Riddle's career path in the WWE. His tag-team partnership with Randy Orton, RK-Bro, was super popular, and even when Orton left the company due to a back injury, Riddle stayed in the spotlight for a high-profile feud with Seth Rollins. His situation has seemingly changed since his return from rehab, however, as arguably evidenced by a recent loss, and amid recent chatter regarding his status in the company, the superstar jumped online to talk about...his past stomping grounds, the UFC.
Many were talking after Matt Riddle took a clean loss to Imperium henchman Ludwig Kaiser, who stands in the shadow of Intercontinental Champion Gunther alongside stablemate Giovanni Vinci. Kaiser securing a win over Riddle without any cheating or heel tactics felt like a shocking turn of events, given the difference in star power between them. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio knows a bit about the inner workings of the WWE and had the following to say about Riddle and how he felt he's seen in the company with a loss like that (via Cultaholic):
I wonder what happened. You know, Kaiser's not the guy you would expect to beat Riddle clean. So I don't know if you know, I mean, obviously, you know, they've already, they've decided long, long ago that Riddle for whatever reason. And there, you know, look, here are good reasons. Riddle seems to get into trouble too often. So he's not the guy that they're gonna build around or anything like that, but they've still kept him, you know, stronger than losing clean in the middle to Kaiser. But he did here. So, you know, as soon as I saw that, it's like, 'Man, he's lower than I thought he was in their minds.'
It is shocking to see Matt Riddle lose in that way to a minor heel, though a devil's advocate take would be that this was more about elevating the character of Ludwig Kaiser. Even so, there's no denying the perception of others that Matt Riddle is not valued as highly as he was before his recent absence, and it could take some time to rebuild that reputation within the WWE.
Assuming, of course, that Matt Riddle sees himself remaining a WWE talent in the long-term. The superstar has shared some vague posts on X the past couple of days that have referenced his time in the UFC. The day following his loss, Riddle shared the following post accompanied with a video of a match on The Ultimate Fighter where he knocked out Dan Simmler in the opening seconds of their fight. Perhaps referencing his recent loss, Riddle said the following:
Damn, it’s easier to win real fights in the @ufc than win a match in WWE #brutal #bro #stallion #ufc #WWE
Matt Riddle posted again about his time in the UFC on the following day, but this time it was just a picture of him inside the octagon. Alongside that picture, he wrote the following:
Until you respect yourself others won’t respect you and that goes for all aspects of life, know your value!!! #bro #stallion #rudedude #abs #ufc #WWE
Matt Riddle hasn't competed in the UFC since 2013, at which point his contract was severed after a second failed drug test, for which he tested positive for marijuana. Could these posts mean he's eyeing a comeback in the professional fighting organization and stepping away from upcoming WWE events?
It's hard to say, though worth noting there is a long history of former UFC wrestlers going to the WWE and vice versa. Brock Lesnar, Ronda Rousey, and Shayna Baszler join Riddle as current superstars who wrestled in the UFC previously. One would also imagine making the transition is easier now that both UFC and the WWE are under the same ownership umbrella, Endeavor. This is purely speculative, though, and we definitely couldn't say for certain who Dana White would be willing to give another shot in the UFC to, as far as WWE stars go.
Ultimately we don't know what Matt Riddle is thinking, nor what the WWE's long-term plan is for him. There have been many rumors that his tag-team partner Randy Orton is returning, and he might even show up at SummerSlam. If he does, I can see RK-Bro rise again, and potentially, Riddle's star will skyrocket along with it. Then all this talk of the UFC may be a distant memory. Or maybe not, and Riddle could be trying to get back to throwing fists and spinning heel kicks as opposed to clotheslines.
WWE SummerSlam will kick off on Peacock on Saturday, August 5th. CinemaBlend's Mack Rawden has his picks locked in for the premium live event and has a great track record for guessing matches correctly. Check out his opinion, and tune in to see how it all shakes out.
