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Matt Riddle has made a huge impact since making his Friday Night Smackdown debut on June 19. The Original Bro has been victorious over the likes of current WWE Intercontinental Champion AJ Styles, John Morrison and more.
However, the 'bodacious barefoot bro' looks to have caught the ire of Smackdown Superstar King Corbin in the process. King Corbin attacked Matt Riddle after his Intercontinental Championship defeat against AJ Styles on SmackDown several weeks ago, setting up a feud between the two Smackdown Superstars.
However, once the feud between Matt Riddle and King Corbin has come and gone, who else could Riddle face off against on Friday nights? Let's take a closer look at 5 future opponents for Matt Riddle on Friday Night Smackdown.
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#5 Daniel Bryan vs. Matt Riddle
Daniel Bryan has done it all during his WWE career. A former five-time WWE World Champion, Daniel Bryan is the 26th Triple Crown Champion and sixth Grand Slam Champion under the current format.
However, Daniel Bryan's role within WWE has recently changed. It has been reported by the Wrestling Observer that Daniel Bryan has "significant creative influence" on Friday Night Smackdown.
This creative influence has been seen in Daniel Bryan's recent feuds with the likes of Drew Gulak and Sami Zayn on SmackDown. During these feuds, Daniel Bryan has seemingly looked to elevate young or previously under-utilized talent within WWE to the next level.
Matt Riddle has suggested that Vince McMahon is a "big fan" of The Original Bro, therefore it could be speculated that a feud with Daniel Bryan in the future would not only provide compelling television inside of the ring, but help elevate the young WWE Superstar to the next level on Friday nights.
#4 Drew Gulak vs. Matt Riddle
Matt Riddle and Drew Gulak are very close friends outside of the ring. Their relationship stems from Matt Riddle being a member of Drew Gulak's Catch Point stable in the now-defunct independent wrestling promotion EVOLVE.
Catch Point was a stable that began in EVOLVE in 2015. The stable name was a play on a style of wrestling known as catch wrestling. Catch wrestling is a more traditional wrestling style, focusing on grappling and submissions as a main form of attack.
The head coach of Catch Point in EVOLVE was none other than Drew Gulak himself. Gulak would use a very similar gimmick to which he is currently using now on Friday Night SmackDown, whereby he would "coach" fellow wrestler stablemates, helping them overcome their professional wrestling deficiencies.
One Catch Point stablemate who would be coached by Drew Gulak was Matt Riddle. The former UFC fighter made his professional wrestling debut in 2015 and quickly made a splash in his debut with EVOLVE. Matt Riddle would actually face off against Drew Gulak at EVOLVE 51 before joining Catch Point at the EVOLVE 52 event.
Through guidance in the form of Drew Gulak's coaching, Matt Riddle would become the inaugural World Wrestling Network Champion and the EVOLVE Champion during his time with the promotion. The duo of Matt Riddle and Drew Gulak would even face off, while signed to NXT, at the EVOLVE 131 10th anniversary show on the WWE Network in 2019.
Fast forward to 2020 and both Matt Riddle and Drew Gulak are featured Superstars on Friday Night SmackDown. Perhaps a feud between the former teacher and student of Catch Point could soon be seen on Friday Nights?
#3 Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Riddle
Jeff Hardy has certainly been through a lot since he returned to Friday Night SmackDown in 2020. The Charismatic Enigma has been embroiled in a bitter feud with Sheamus in recent months. Meanwhile, Matt Riddle has only seen his star rise.
Hardy's storyline with Sheamus has seen The Celtic Warrior frame Jeff Hardy for a drunken hit-and-run, cost Jeff Hardy the Intercontinental Championship and make Hardy take a public urine test in addition to other forms of humiliation and mind games.
During this feud, Sheamus regularly called Jeff Hardy a "junkie" and a "alcoholic", focusing on Hardy's real-life personal and legal issues when it comes substance abuse.
However, last week on Friday Night SmackDown, Jeff Hardy seemingly vanquished Sheamus once and for all as Hardy defeated The Celtic Warrior in a Bar Fight. Therefore, many members of the WWE Universe are wondering who Jeff Hardy could face next.
A Matt Riddle and Jeff Hardy feud has never happened before. Not only would a Matt Riddle versus Jeff Hardy match be the "first-time ever" encounter that WWE loves to promote, but it would also be a fascinating clash of styles in the ring.
Jeff Hardy is best known for his daredevil, risk-taking, all thrills offense inside of a WWE ring. However, Matt Riddle incorporates a hybrid of striking and grappling, a throwback to his UFC fighting days, in addition to more traditional professional wrestling submission holds.
In addition to a contrast of styles inside of the ring, Matt Riddle and Jeff Hardy also have very contrasting personalities and lifestyles outside of it too. The old adage in combat sports is "styles make fights". Therefore, the contrast between the styles of Matt Riddle and Jeff Hardy could make something very, very special in a WWE ring.
#2 Braun Strowman vs. Matt Riddle
The current WWE Universal Champion, Braun Strowman has held Smackdown's top title for over 100 days. Since becoming champion, The Monster Among Men has been largely involved in a feud with his former Wyatt Family mentor Bray Wyatt.
Braun Strowman has faced off with a plethora of Bray Wyatt's alter egos. The FireFly Fun House version of Bray Wyatt, The Eater of Worlds version of Bray Wyatt and The Fiend have all had their recent interactions with the current WWE Universal Champion.
This looks to be leading to a SummerSlam showdown between Braun Strowman and The Fiend. However, who will Braun Strowman face off against once his storyline with Bray Wyatt has culminated?
Step in Matt Riddle. Matt Riddle is no stranger to feuding with "big men" during his tenure with NXT. The Original Bro had feuds against physically larger NXT Superstars such as Kassius Ohno and Killian Dain during his time with the black and gold brand.
Therefore, it has been proven that Matt Riddle can have compelling feuds and matches against larger WWE Superstars. Matt Riddle's laidback, carefree attitude is a stark contrast to Braun Strowman's sometime full throttle intense aggression. However, the conductor of the Strowman Express has also shown his comedic side in the past.
We have seen Braun Strowman become "Brains Strowman", play the cello and more during his time with WWE. Matt Riddle has also shown his comedic side during his tag team partnership with Pete Dunne in NXT, known as The BroSerweights. Perhaps a light hearted feud or tag team with Matt Riddle could provide a lot of entertainment to Friday Night SmackDown in the future.
#1 "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt vs. Matt Riddle
The Fiend is the alter ego of Bray Wyatt that perhaps everyone in the WWE Universe is most captivated by and yet, fears the most. Matt Riddle is quite the opposite. While scary in the ring because of his skills, his personality is very different from The Fiend's.
The Fiend recently made his return to WWE television during the Wyatt Swamp Fight between Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules.
Now that The Fiend has returned to WWE for the first time since WrestleMania 36, it would appear that he is destined for a SummerSlam showdown with Braun Strowman for the WWE Universal Championship.
Apart from The Fiend's loss to Goldberg at WWE Super Showdown in February of 2020, nobody has been able to stop the dark alter ego of Bray Wyatt. Will Braun Strowman be any different? Only time will tell.
However, could Matt Riddle be a future victim of or challenger to The Fiend?
Matt Riddle's character and demeanor outside the ring is incredibly laidback, with "bro" being used as every other word that leaves Riddle's mouth. However, any good character in professional wrestling, television or film needs to evolve and show various layers and aspects of their personality over time.
Whenever any WWE Superstar comes face to face with the monstrous Fiend, it is certainly a sobering experience. The time for joking stops, because there is nothing humorous about the evil that The Fiend brings and preys upon. Therefore, The Fiend could serve as the perfect opponent to bring out a more serious and focused side of Matt Riddle.
Matt Riddle's legitimate fighting skills and toughness are without question - the man is a former UFC fighter. However, due to his laidback and carefree character in WWE, some members of the WWE Universe could forget just how tough Matt Riddle is.
Therefore, The Fiend could be the perfect opponent to show just how serious and legitimate Matt Riddle can be if pushed too far.
