5 UFC Fighters who gave pro wrestling a shot

#3 Matt Riddle

The King of Bros aspires to retire Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania.

The latest MMA fighter to have jumped ships to the WWE is one heck of an athlete. Winner of the Middleweight division in Ultimate Fighter 7, Riddle’s UFC career got off to a smooth start as he notched up four wins in five fights. He first tested positive for marijuana after his win against Chris Clements at UFC 149.

A second strike for marijuana marked the end of his UFC career and Riddle retired from MMA altogether after fighting once more.

He made his pro wrestling debut in 2015 and rose to become one of the most sought-after names on the independent circuit, having won more than eight titles in different promotions.

He was voted the Most Improved Wrestler of 2016 by the Wrestling Observer and his head-turning exploits naturally kickstarted rumors of an impending move to WWE.

However, the tag of being a ‘pothead’ hindered the signing from happening until he made his first WWE appearance in August 2018 at Takeover: Brooklyn IV. Riddle is currently building up his resume down at NXT and has a promising future ahead of him.

His tenacity and highly rugged in-ring style have made him a fan favorite and it would be interesting to see whether his success in the lower leagues translates to a memorable main roster run in the near future.