Matt Riddle to test the water in pro-wrestling: ‘I could make money doing that’

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

After over a year-and-a-half away form the UFC”s octagon, former welterweight competitor Matt Riddle is interested in making the transition over from sports to entertainment by trying his luck at pro-wrestling.

Riddle, an experienced amateur wrestler from East Stroudsburg University, revealed that he considered the idea after he signed up for a WWE Network subscription several months ago. He was tired of cutting an unhealthy amount of weight and was determined not to ‘suffer’ any longer.

“I did it for a while,” Riddle told MMAFighting.com. “It wasn’t something I wanted to do, it was something I was good at. They wanted me to fight at 170 or 185 pounds. When I get below 190, my kidneys hurt, my lower back hurts, it’s not safe for my body. I don’t get joy out of suffering, especially if I don’t get paid. I’m no longer 22, I don’t care about tough man contests. This has been my goal my entire life.

“I looked in the mirror four months ago. I was tired of cutting weight, getting sick, I got the (WWE) network for $9.99 and started reliving the Attitude Era and got that spark that I’ve been missing since I was 20. I knew I could make money doing that. I saw the guys I grew up watching, I’m watching the new guys and these guys aren’t bigger than me, I’m a little more ripped than they are, I’m a cage fighter so I have skills, so maybe this is my shot to make it. If worst comes to worst, they say ‘No.’ I’m going to keep trying. I’ve proven people wrong in the past.”

Many of the WWE’s most successful characters come from some sort of amateur background, which is why Riddle believes he would be ahead of the curve if he joined the company. As a professional athlete, he is already in shape and maintains a healthy, active lifestyle.

“I don’t want to come off bad, but I have a lot of potential at this,” he says. “I’m a world-class athlete and what I always wanted to do was be a pro wrestler. It was always my passion. I’m not in the UFC anymore so I’m not getting paid decent money to fight, so I wanted to do something I love. I’d rather wrestle professionally and have fun than fight for no reason at all.”

Transcription taken from MMAFighting.com.

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About the author

Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.