Matt Riddle talks WWE-UFC merger potentially impacting his WWE release.
Matt Riddle was one of the top WWE Superstars at the start of the 2020s. He was fortunate enough to have major rivalries with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns as well as win WWE Tag Team Championship gold with Randy Orton.
Riddle informed fans that he was released by WWE on September 22, 2023. Now, Riddle is talking about the role that the WWE-UFC merger into TKO Group Holdings played in his release and says that he was on track to receive $1 million per year.
During a recent appearance on The Kurt Angle Show podcast, Riddle was asked if he believed the merger escalated the pace of his release. Riddle admits that, in his opinion, the merger did not help things regarding his relationship with WWE, citing his relationship with Dana White from his time as a UFC fighter.
"I think [the merger] definitely didn't help things. Me and Dana White don't have the greatest relationship and I know he's definitely a big part of that. Definitely, yeah, it definitely played a part," he said. "Also, I know that they were making budget cuts regardless, and I was getting paid quite a pretty penny. I don't know if it was before RK-BRO, or right after, but [John] Laurinaitis pulled me into the office. I thought I was in trouble, I didn't get my vaccine yet and I was like, 'Oh, man.' We went in there and they were like, 'Hey we wanted to give you a raise,' and they gave me a substantial raise, and it was increased every year, and this year, I was going to get paid $1 million a year, I was at $750,000. Last year, I cleared my bucket. I did extremely well.
"I think that was a big contributing factor. I was going to get paid $1 million starting in the next year, but I also think the merger didn't help," he continued. "Also, my behavior didn't help either. I ruffled some feathers with HR in the last couple of years [and] months that I was there. I asked a couple of questions, this and that, plus other things. So, I think there's multiple reasons why they got rid of me, but it is what it is. One door shuts and another one opens. You just learn from your mistakes."
Riddle last wrestled on WWE Raw on September 4, teaming up with Drew McIntyre. He was involved in an ongoing story with McIntyre before his departure.
Riddle has been off television since accusing a cop at JFK airport of sexual harassment in an Instagram post that he removed on September 10. According to reports, Port Authority officials received a call about a rowdy guy who was deplaning and met him at the airport. Riddle was allegedly the unruly individual in question. An internal inquiry was initiated at the time.
Riddle is currently working for both Major League Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He recently picked up a victory alongside Jeff Cobb at NJPW Battle in the Valley 2024.
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