A new development in the developing story involving Matt Riddle and Candy Cartwright sees a January email made public in which a WWE NXT official informs Cartwright of a decision to cancel her appearance as an extra because of prior circumstances with a Superstar.
Yesterday, Fightful broke the news that Candy Cartwright, a former employee of EVOLVE, was going to pursue legal action against EVOLVE, WWE, Gabe Sapolsky, and Matt Riddle.
As part of the #SpeakingOut movement, Cartwright publicly revealed that she and Matt Riddle had previously been involved in a consensual affair, and alleged that Riddle had sexually assaulted her. In the new lawsuit, Candy, whose real name is Samantha Tavel, alleges that on or about May 19, 2018, Matt Riddle forced her to perform oral sex on him by choking her.
The lawsuit also alleges that Tavel had bookings with WWE and EVOLVE on or about January 31, 2020, and that prior to that Riddle had forced her to perform sexual acts under the threat that she would lose bookings if she did not.
A new report by David Bixenspan reveals an email sent to Tavel by NXT senior official Drake Wuertz canceling an appearance she was booked for on January 31, the same date mentioned in the lawsuit, citing issues with an NXT talent that “would not make for an ideal environment.”
“Samantha[,] I regret to inform you that we will have to cancel your booking for this Wednesday[,] February 5th[,] as well as March 4th. Apparently[,] there were some past issues I wasn’t aware of with you and one of our talent that would not make for an ideal work environment. Good luck to you in your career.”
Matt Riddle was a member of the NXT roster until being drafted by WWE and making his debut on the June 19, 2020, episode of SmackDown, just hours after the allegations of sexual abuse were made public.
Regarding a lawsuit directed at WWE by Tavel, WWE issued a statement to Fightful Thursday night, saying "WWE has not been served with a lawsuit by Ms. Tavel. However, if served, we will vigorously defend ourselves and contest it.”
Fightful will continue to monitor the story and report any and all updates.
