Matt Riddle released: 5 things you may not know about the ex-WWE star

On Friday, Matt Riddle joined the list of several WWE Superstars cut by the company a day prior. He announced his exit from the company via X. Since Randy Orton was ruled out of WWE due to a back injury, The Original Bro was on a quest to pursue a singles career in the Stamford-based promotion.

However, things did not entirely work out. In his last few weeks with the company, WWE paired the 37-year-old with Drew McIntyre. Unfortunately, things did not work out as they did not receive the best response, and Riddle got cut.

In this article, we will look at five things about Matt Riddle that you may have not known:

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#5. Matt Riddle wrestled in high school

One of the first sports Matt Riddle was involved in was wrestling. As a matter of fact, he was pretty decent at it and won several accolades. He won the state wrestling championship while attending the Saratoga Springs High School in New York in 2004.

On his way to becoming State Champion, Riddle defeated future UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones twice. For those unaware, this is a massive achievement, given that Jones was considered one of the best on the mat.

He continued to wrestle at East Stroudsburg University for two years and later switched to MMA.

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#4. He is an ex-UFC fighter

Like Jon Jones, whom he beat in high school wrestling, Matt Riddle also switched to MMA. His career began with The Ultimate Fighter Season Seven. While Riddle lost his second-round match in the reality show, he fought on the main roster for UFC.

The 37-year-old's career in the Ultimate Fighting Championship brought him mixed results. Once his stint with the leading MMA promotion was done, Riddle alsoht in Bellator and Titan FC. However, later, he completely switched to professional wrestling.

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#3. Had an issue with Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch

When it comes to controversy, Matt Riddle is no stranger. However, in the incident involving Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins, it seemed he fell into trouble due to his ex-wife. Lisa Rennie, who was married to Riddle until 2022. She once made statements about Lynch that must have gone poorly with the latter.

Due to these reasons, Seth Rollins mentioned he did not want to work with Matt Riddle during the latter's tenure in WWE. However, the two superstars later reconciled.

After a match, Riddle went to Rollins and apologized to him on behalf of his ex-wife and himself.

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#2. Got into trouble with Brock Lesnar

When Matt Riddle made his NXT debut, he constantly mentioned Brock Lesnar. Many believed Riddle did the same to gain attention, whereas the 37-year-old wanted to be the guy who retires The Beast Incarnate. Regardless of what his intentions were, this did not go well.

At Royal Rumble 2020, Brock Lesnar reportedly confronted Matt Riddle backstage. As per several reports, Lesnar told him they would never work together.

This was confirmed by Riddle as well. Since then, The Original Bro has barely mentioned Lesnar in an interview or social media post.

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#1. Kurt Angle was supposed to be his manager

After a successful career inside the ring, Kurt Angle transitioned nicely into a backstage/managerial role. This is one reason why Angle was offered the opportunity to be Riddle's manager in 2020. However, the Olympic Gold Medalist declined this opportunity.

In an interview, Kurt Angle explained his decision not to manage Riddle. While the Hall of Famer was once genuinely interested in the role, the money involved wasn't sufficient for him. Angle concluded by saying the money was not worth it.