5 reasons Matt Riddle is disrespecting WWE legends on social media

It all started months ago, when Matt Riddle posted a screenshot on his Twitter and Instagram accounts. The picture revealed that WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg had blocked Riddle on Twitter. The King of Bros wrote that he can't wait to see his match at Super ShowDown, hinting at Goldberg not being a good wrestler.

Soon after, Riddle targeted several other WWE legends like Booker T, Chris Jericho, and Lance Storm in a scathing tweet, indicating that he will beat up each and every one of them. The tweets have caused quite a stir, with several fans siding with Matt, while others berating him for disrespecting legends. But this months-long drama could be much more than a young gun disrespecting a bunch of past Superstars. Here are 5 possible reasons why Matt Riddle is disrespecting WWE legends.

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#5 A surefire way to stay in the limelight

Matt Riddle

There comes a time in a wrestler's career when they stop making headlines and resort to stirring up controversies to get back in the limelight. On the other hand, this strategy has been effectively used by newcomers, in order to make news and get talked about by fans and critics.

Riddle's constant attacks on Superstars from the past could be his way to keep the limelight on himself. Although he is a legit MMA fighter, he's still not as big of a name in WWE as some of the stars on the main roster. Getting involved in a bunch of controversies in the early stages of one's career could certainly prove fatal, but it sometimes yields positive results. For example, Stone Cold Steve Austin's rant on Eric Bischoff and WCW during his short stint in ECW was one of the reasons WWE saw potential in him, and the rest is history.

#4 WWE's backstage officials have zero problems with it

Vince McMahon

At Super ShowDown, Goldberg wrestled The Undertaker in what many are now dubbing as the worst match of the year. The bout saw Goldberg and Undertaker both botch several moves, including their finishers. Finally, The Undertaker called an audible and Chokeslammed Goldberg to win the match, in a rusty finish. Around the same time, Riddle took several shots at Goldberg via his Twitter and Instagram handles.

At the time, Dave Meltzer had reported that backstage officials were very happy with Riddle's shots at Goldberg and Brock Lesnar. This nod from the backstage officials could be a big reason why Riddle pulls no punches while disrespecting legends

Some people think that he was told to do it, I don't know if that's really the case, that's more speculation, but he certainly hasn't been told to stop. They're not unhappy at all, I've heard that they are very happy actually.

#3 The legends started it

Riddle and Jericho

One very significant factor that many fans have missed here is the fact that in almost all the cases, the WWE legends were the first to speak ill about Riddle, prompting him to hit back at them.

The reason Riddle took a shot at Goldberg was that he blocked him on Twitter silently. Booker T then talked about Riddle needing work in the ring, which irked the latter, and he went on to refer to Booker as "an old WCW wrestler". Recently, Lance Storm took a funny jibe at the fact that Riddle doesn't wear shoes, sometimes even while making public appearances.

Finally, former WWE Superstar Chris Jericho took to Twitter and addressed Riddle as 'kid', telling him not to disrespect legends of the ring. Matt Riddle isn't someone who will take an insult or a jibe lightly, and he went on to fire back at every single one of these legends.

#2 Is Riddle trying to mimic Brock Lesnar?

Riddle and Lesnar

One of Brock Lesnar's most noticeable traits is the fact that he doesn't care about anyone, no matter who they are. Barring some rare instances (like when Lesnar almost cried while remembering Mr. Perfect), Brock isn't exactly someone who looks like he would go out of his way and engage in a long chat with a WWE legend. Lesnar has disrespected legends like Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, and Roddy Piper on TV.

Matt Riddle has stated multiple times that he wants to retire Brock Lesnar somewhere down the line. One wonders whether Riddle is simply trying to mimic Lesnar, so that it could come into play sometime in the future if the two Superstars got into a feud. Riddle could throw in a line during one of his promos addressing Lesnar, about him and Brock being so much alike, in regards to not caring about the old stars from the past.

#1 This behavior could result in a new gimmick

Randy Orton

If Riddle's insults and shots are legit, and not a part of some long-running storyline, one can certainly expect WWE to turn it into one when he comes up to the main roster. Remember how WWE turned the Edge-Lita-Matt love triangle into an on-screen storyline? The fact that it was based on reality intrigued the fans and it's now regarded as one of the best storylines of all time.

Riddle's mannerisms could be turned into an entire gimmick once he makes his way up to the main roster. This gimmick could be something similar to Randy Orton's "Legend Killer" gimmick, with a few modifications courtesy of the creative team. Riddle is one of the most exciting prospects on the NXT roster at this moment, and a gimmick such as this could certainly help him propel to the top of the Raw or SmackDown roster, just like how it did to Randy Orton back in 2003.