Matt Riddle is one of many MMA fighters who has successfully transitioned to pro wrestling. And more MMA fighters are looking at the squared circle as a possible second home.
Case in point, Henry Cejudo, who hinted at a possible WWE appearance following his retirement at UFC 249. But Riddle warns Cejudo and Colby Covington that WWE is different from MMA in more ways than one.
"Maybe their size might be an issue at first, especially Henry because he's 135 pounds. Granted, the guy is a savage and knocks people out and is an amazing athlete. He's charismatic, though, and maybe you put him in the ring with Big Show like Floyd Mayweather and, oh my goodness, you know? Time will tell. We'll see how they go," Riddle told CBS Sports. "But you also have to realize wrestling is a PG kind of show. A lot of these MMA fighters bring a lot of heat, but they're not going to be able to bring that same heat in pro wrestling. You'd be crossing a line that you shouldn't cross. Because there's lines. Lines that you shouldn't cross. I mean, you're talking to me, I cross lines all the time, you know? But you shouldn't cross [them]."
Riddle continued, "I wish I could say, 'Yeah, if you're an MMA fighter, hop in.' But to be a good pro wrestler, you have to love pro wrestling. I've loved pro wrestling longer than I've loved mixed martial arts. It's just that I wrestled in high school and I just went on that path before I got into pro wrestling. Tom Lawler is the same way. He's a great example of a mixed martial artist who loved pro wrestling before he started wrestling and he's had pretty good success, I think."
In his post-fight press conference, Cejudo mentioned wanting to beat up Rey Mysterio should he go to WWE. As of now, it is unknown if Cejudo will end up in WWE.
As for Riddle, he currently has his own issues with Timothy Thatcher, who tried to rip his limbs off on Wednesday's NXT.
