Matt Riddle responds to Booker T suggesting he should wear boots during his matches

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

The newest WWE Smackdown wrestler will not be taking the advice of WWE Hall of Famer Booker T when it comes to footwear (or lack thereof). Matt Riddle told The Sun that he will not be wearing boots despite Booker suggesting that he should. “I don’t know what’s up with this guy,” Riddle said. “He’s always got something to say. I’m not gonna wear shoes. I’ve been doing this stuff for a long time now, been doing it barefoot, pretty successful. I’m not saying there isn’t a toe injury out there. That could happen.

“But at the same time, you can say the same thing about my hands, like I don’t wear gloves or I don’t wear a mouthpiece so I’m gonna lose a tooth. It’s pro wrestling, it’s sports entertainment. It’s a crazy live show. Anything can happen, you know. So eventually, I might stub a toe. I might twist an ankle or I might break a finger. You know, I might lose a tooth, I’ve already lost a couple, things happen. You know, so, I mean (Booker), I respect you. But I’m probably still not gonna wear shoes bro. I’m sorry.” Read the full interview at TheSun.co.uk.

Powell’s POV: I’m not really sure why Booker cares about Riddle working barefoot when he’s certainly not the first wrestler to do so. Jimmy Snuka and Kevin Von Erich are just a couple of examples of wrestlers who worked barefoot long before Riddle started doing the same. It’s not the first time that Booker has spoken out about Riddle. Last June, Booker stated on his podcast that Riddle needed to work on his game and openly wished that Riddle would visit his training center.