WWE
Matt Riddle Makes In-Ring NXT Debut
This weekend, former UFC fighter Matt Riddle made his in-ring debut for NXT.
King of Bros
Ultimate Fighter and Bellator
Matt Riddle is a former fighter for UFC and Bellator MMA. He was fired from the UFC after failing two drug tests. Riddle would leave UFC and sign with Bellator MMA. However, he had to miss a tournament he was supposed to be in due to injury. Riddle would retire from MMA with a 9-3 record soon after.
BROfessional Wrestling
In October 2014, it was reported Riddle had started training for professional wrestling. February of the next year, he would make his debut in Monster Factory Wrestling.
In July 2015, Matt Riddle signed with World Wrestling Network. He would now work the Evolve shows in the upcoming weeks. On Apr. 5, 2018, Riddle won the Evolve championship from Zack Sabre Jr. He would later lose it to Shane Strickland.
NXT
After several news sites rumored his signing, Matt Riddle was in the crowd for NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4. This is a common trend for new NXT signees. Bobby Roode, Drew McIntyre (the second time around), and Keith Lee have all been a part of the TakeOver crowd as a special Easter egg.
NXT Debut
BREAKING NEWS: The #KingOfBros has spoken. What do you think of his #NXTSanford debut? @SuperKingofBros pic.twitter.com/KyFvsXlQzN
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) September 22, 2018
Matt Riddle made his in-ring NXT debut Friday, Sept. 21st, 2018. It was to a great ovation from the crowd. Before he even walked out, as seen above, Riddle talks about how he could hear the “bro” chants from behind the curtain.
“What’s next for me?… Well, I got one win. If I keep on winning, I’ll be undeniable, and I’ll get exactly what I want…” Matt Riddle via video above
Speculation is that Riddle may get a high profile match as soon as NXT TakeOver: War Games 2 this November. Whether or not that is actually happening is still undetermined. It would be awfully early in his NXT career to have a TakeOver match. But these kinds of things have happened before.
Hopefully, Matt Riddle has a lengthy and successful career in WWE like the MMA champions turned WWE Superstars that came before him (Brock Lesnar, Ken Shamrock, Ronda Rousey, as some examples).
Social Media
Give us a follow. We love to hear your feedback.
Follow TSJ101Sports on Twitter: @T101Sports and @T101SportsWWE
Follow me, the writer, on Twitter: @JordanPiekarski
Subscribe to get the latest news from TSJ at the TSJ 101 Sports TV YouTube channel!
Photo credit to Brian Krieger via Flickr
