Former UFC fighter and current independent wrestling standout Matt Riddle spoke with Brian Fritz of SportingNews.com and was asked about WWE once declining to offer him a deal. “I know they’re watching” Riddle said. “They like what they see. I think what they’re kind of doing is, you know, when I had the tryout and they said yes and then they kind of strung me around and then said maybe and strung me around a little longer and said no. I think that was a big test. What’s he going to do, quit? Run? Try to go back to MMA? What’s he going to do? I think what I did was I stuck to my guns and I was like you’re not going to sign me? Awesome. I’m going to make you guys regret that decision.”
Riddle also recalled a recent conversation he had with WWE officials. “I talked to William Regal not too long ago and other WWE people and I basically told them my schedule, how much I make right now, and how I have the freedom to see my family every single week,” he recalled. “I go, ‘Can you match that? Match that money, match that schedule, match the time I have with my family?’ And they can’t. They couldn’t. They can’t even come close. So right now, I’m the happiest guy I could be.” Read the full interview at SportingNews.com.
Powell’s POV: It’s an interesting interview, as Riddle isn’t bashful about floating the idea that he may never go to WWE, listening New Japan as one option. It will be interesting to see if his approach to this makes the company want him more or if they will continue to be content to have one of the hottest prospects out there working as an independent. He also has a very blunt assessment of Bill Goldberg, and discusses his departure from UFC and how he feels he would fare against the wrestlers in his division if he was fighting for the company today.
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