As someone who doesn't partake but is also not necessarily vehemently anti-weed if you can't give it up or at least mitigate your use to maintain a lucrative job, you've got a serious problem.
I remember watching The Dark Side of Football and one former player said that he tells players there are 2 P’s in the NFL, performance and personality and if your personality is talked about more than your performance, it’s the beginning of the end. The same can be said for Riddle.
I think it fits perfectly for wrestling: Ric Flair for example had great performances during the 2000's even if his personality was the most talked thing about him.
Riddle did this to himself, much like Jeff Hardy they gave him chance after chance, but after the Airport incident, their hands were tied. I was never a fan of Riddle's "character" or personality but he was a good in-ring talent. He just has too much baggage, which means Tony is going to 100% hire him because he's now an Ex-WWE star and thinks he can stick it to WWE. He really needs to get his act together, but I feel he's another lost cause.
Not even going to be surprised if Riddle is added to the AEW roster unless he really wants to quit wrestling. No doubt they will sign him if he cleans up.
Hope he gets added to AEW and starts shooting on everyone like he tried with Goldberg and Lesnar. Those divas would cry and try to start a fight with him.
I'm terrified of having to see the sports section of a newspaper to see that Matt Riddle did go off the deep end and socked his lady and kids. Its something I SERIOUSLY HOPE doesnt come to fruition but I somehow see it happening in AEW which TK might make a storyline out of it which would be in bad taste
@@ducklife420 Getting fired probably saved Enzo's life as sooner or later he would have pissed off a real wrestler to the point where Enzo would have gotten ragdolled for real.
Riddle was also tailor-made for PG, his character on screen was at least, along with him being on MMA tv prior. WWE tried to enable him for what he had for as long as they could, but eventually no amount of PG promos and MMA popularity could save him
this seemed like a no brainer type of release. i'm honestly surprised they didn't let him go earlier. you need reliable people to be on top who can handle the pressure.
I agree and I kindly figured that this was coming because Riddle was fired by UFC for really bad circumstances. I believe Riddle is done. I seriously doubt that AEW would take him.
What's disturbing about that Dana White rant is he talking all the ish about Riddle's use of weed. . . but DW made every excuse in the book for Jon Jones who kept popping for cocaine and PEDs. Smfh.
@@fatalsniper3413Shawn Michaels, as much as I can’t stand him as a person, is regarded by some as the greatest wrestler of all time (I’m a bret hart guy personally) and was the hottest thing in the business for a while. How the hell do you get “no star power?” Are you like 14? Have you only seen Shawn Michaels a few times on tv in the past few years and nothing else? The guy has more star power now than riddle did. Michaels is a prick, but have two autograph booths TODAY. Michaels and riddle. Besides a few stupid teenage stoners, nearly everyone would be lining up for Shawn Michaels.
And I’m sorry, the “not passing drug test” complaint is absurd, and MANY companies don’t anymore. PLUS THE FACT that Riddle was not the only one failing drug tests in the UFC, he was the only one Dana wasn’t glazing, so he got canned
Let’s be real out of all the releases, Jim Cornett talked about this is the one we all been waiting for just because how Jim Cornette feel about Matt Riddle😂😂
That’s the case in every field of life. You think Messi wouldn’t get away with more than other players? You think someone who brings in 60% of a company’s revenue wouldn’t be looked at more favourably than others by the CEO? Get in the real world. Riddle is a waster without the star power.
He got rid of riddle because he was a prelim guy at the time so he was expendable. Jon Jones failed drug tests. Took cocaine weeks before a fight. Beat up his wife. Broke a pregnant woman's arm in a hit and run but he's also one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time and big commodity for Dana and the UFC so that's why he gets chance after chance
I remember one of the "this is awesome" wwe shows on peacock, they were talking about wrestling video games and interviewed a couple of guys from the roster about their favorite games. Man, when they got to Riddle...the guy could barely speak and could barely keep his eyes open, he was not only high but very drunk. It was really sad. He lost his spot in ufc because he couldn't clean up his act and now this... Seeing the people he hangs out with, it's not hard to figure out why he just can't get better. When you have substance or drinking problems you need to get away of the people and environment that enables you.
Understatement. The reality is, cannabis just enhances things, it doesn't make people dumber. My personal experience is well I have one up on Kurt, I broke my neck as a result of an OSHA violation. My boss made me move boxed office chairs in a manor against safety regulations. Cannabis has been key in helping me will my body to repair itself. Good thing too, they canned me first chance they got and well 18 years to get to not punch drunk, I don't even think Jim's sponsor could win that one 😂
@@naxireal869 If you smoke too much cannabis you will 100% get dumber. Its like alcohol, you can drink responsible for your whole life and be totally fine or you can destroy yourself if you do it every day. And even cannabis can fuck you up if you do it every day.
RVD is the one and only wrestler who was a straight pot head that "got it." I know he dabbled in some somas in the ECW days but dude is straight cannabis lifestyle mixed in with insane training and workouts. Every other wrestler that wanted that stigma was fake AF and tried to work the gimmick without actually being it. IDK what is wrong with Riddle but he's not a chill stoner
It's not even about if you smoke weed or not. I know people who smoke weed and then go and work 10 hour shifts everyday with no problem. If you're a douchebag and fuck up at you're Job then it doesn't matter if you're a stoner or not
@@darkstars-torpedoes-of-truth Actually, it fits you really well. You look like you need to share a beer with someone. Next time I am buying, I will let you speak trash about Punk all day long until you let it out of your system.
The guy was not worth the hassle that he was bringing to attention. He wasn't a main event guy. He had a good relationship with Orton and that's gonna help him there but he had problems with others and management
Riddle seemed to bring this on himself. Of all the firings, Riddle was the only one being regularly featured. That makes me think his backstage behavior is the primary reason for being fired.
I remembered Matt Riddle getting fired from UFC, and was surprised when I started watching WWE again a couple years ago that he was actually wrestling there. That WWE would actually hire this screw up. Amazed he lasted as long as he did.
Tony Khan / AEW may hire this screw up too. Unless Tony Khan listens to people who say "You got one Jeff Hardy, you don't need two AND he gets in fights with people backstage."
@@themondoshowwhen has RVD ever got into any serious trouble? Yes he got pulled over with weed while he was champion, but to compare him to these screw ups is moronic
I don’t care what anyone else says but Matt Riddle absolutely could have been a massive star in WWE had he kept his issues under control. RKBro was a HUGE merch pusher and he had legit talent in the ring. Such a shame he’s throwing it all away.
With Riddles past with the UFC and how he left that promotion, it was only going to be a matter of time with his out of the ring drama that Matt would be released once the merger was complete.
@@mixedmartialoddestDana will tolerate you if you're semi sensible and make him money ...see the Diaz Brothers and Jones. Riddle was just a mid card fighter in the UFC and more of a headache than he was worth.
@@johngallagher72 He could draw money in the UFC, ONE, or Bellator and probably beat some people, too. He might not make a title run, but I would love to see him fight again. I was bummed when he went to wrestling. He was pretty good!
@@johngallagher72 you're right he got rid of riddle because he was a prelim level fighter at the time for smoking pot which is now legal in MMA but you don't even have to be semi sensible. Jon Jones has failed multiple drug tests. Broke a pregnant woman's arm in a hit and run and beat up his wife in a hotel room but because he happens to be one of the greatest MMA fighters ever he'll always get a pass with Dana. It's not about a guys attitude with Dana because if that was the case Jon Jones would of been gone years ago it's about if you fuck up do you draw enough money and attention for him to keep you around and riddle didn't at the time so he was gone but if he was the UFC welterweight champion and drawing crowds he probably wouldn't of been
Well damn, Dana White really ripped this guy to shreds. After hearing that, what more can be said about him? Now hopefully Tony Kahn doesn't hire him, but we all know there is a fairly high chance that he will do exactly that.
I was surprised when EVOLVE decided to make Matt Riddle the first WWN Champion instead of Keith Lee. Today I might have expected Riddle, but back then Lee was a beast and Riddle was a rookie a third his size.
@@darkstars-torpedoes-of-truthoh your offended by Kenny being called twinkle toes your in that camp 😂 I've never watch him wrestle so can't say much about him but the bucks and hangman are terrible
Nia Snax nearly crippled 2 people and refused to follow covid protocols, got fired and got rehired days before The Rock made an appearance in WWE for the first time in years. Being from the same family as The Rock gives you tons of life lines.
@@PuppetMaster1 not going to give you an advantage. Legal in half the states. So it's like if you drink on weekends or after work. Shouldn't be a problem. Just weed. I can tell you don't smoke. It really isn't that big of a deal unless you cant Handel it. It's not for everyone 🤷♂️
I doubt he causes a backstage issue. A catastrophic in-ring injury? That's inevitable when he goes there and does his own version of Victory Toad 2011.
In Riddle's defense the WWE certainly played up the stoner gimmick. If they didn't like it they shouldn't have done it. It's like they almost gave him the freedom to behave like that, suspended him, let the gimmick continue, then fire him. I'm all for personal accountability but they did give him mixed signals along the way.
I thought the best thing he did in WWE was that Clash at the Castle match/feud with Rollins; really solid match and the build was compelling. He should've kept a little bit of that visceral anger in his character moving forward. "I'm high" is only amusing for so long, but I guess that's just...really who he is lol.
It has happened a few times before, ig they didn’t want every opponent doing it because it would’ve gotten stale. Just like Penta’s mask getting removed every other week. I feel like removing Luchadores masks is so underwhelming because it happens so much. It’s not even shocking anymore. I never really liked that spot but they could atleast use it during a important match. Not a random match that no one will be talking about the week after.
Riddle started making trouble as early as when he thought it was a good idea to shoot on people working for WWE, like Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins and Goldberg. They let it go. Then he started getting caught being high or whatever and was suspended. After that, they let it go. Then he caused a controversy again with this whole airport thing, where stories are coming out that he was the one that started the issue with his behavior. And they thought, we are letting a dozen people go, there's room for one more.
I think Riddle just made HHH and Vince laugh that's why they constantly gave him chances and put him together with Randy/Drew/New Day/Sami/etc. and he DID catch on with fans but c'mon now it was never going to last forever. Ruddle should he thankful he got to go as long as he did before getting fired at least he's famous now
I remember being horrified that he was on the front cover of the WWE Kids UK magazine around the time his comments about weed keeping him from beating his kids came out. I was genuinely shocked that one slipped through the net.
I got news for you no one really cares about riddle's comments ! They were an excuse to fire him because he was considered boring by Dana white . that's why they keep Jones after he was arrested for beating his wife !
Except that Dana will turn a blind eye to shit like this if you make him money. Jon Jones, Conor, and even Brock should be banned from MMA for the tests they failed. Brock's UFC career ended when he failed a test, and rather than pay the fine - just removed himself from the testing pool. And Riddle didn't say that in an interview, he said it on a TV show Dana produced.
I really liked Matt Riddle and thought he had a lot of potential, but he had that Jeff Hardy syndrome where he just couldn't stay clean and do his job like a professional, and the airport incident was the final nail in the coffin. I am hoping he gets clean and gets his stuff together.
I knew once tko merged with WWE that riddle was not long for that company. With his beef with Dana and ufc. Im sure a little birdie was whispering in upper managements ear. Even if riddle had half as many incidents he still would’ve gotten canned. He just made it easier for that one person to convince the bigwigs his contract is better off let go of
I think the part of this that gets to me the most is that he’s sick and because of the weed gimmick people dismissed a serious disorder or somehow went undetected. I think the story that bugged me the most was his incident at the airport. I hope Riddle gets some help and is prepared to move on with a different part of his life.
No he didn't call Dana out. I hate sounding like I'm sticking up for Dana, but Matt gave that interview about not beating his kids and that's why he smokes years before Dana smacked around his wife.
Hes damn entertaining and not a corperate yes guy. I liked riddle he also had an air of authentisity which is awsome. Guess riddle lesner still will never happen 😢
I'm wondering why his release was announced separately from the other layoffs. I am guessing it was for legal reasons, and WWE was making sure all their Ts were crossed, and Is were dotted regarding the airport incident.
I'm not surprised about this because Matt Riddle was fired from UFC for really nasty circumstances and I kindly figured that it would be a matter of time before he did something stupid and or failed another drug test. That's why we didn't see him for a long time, WWE put him in rehab. Not only did it not work but he was drunk and started a fight with a TSA guard which is currently being investigated. Alcohol makes some people mean and I think Matt Riddle might be one of them.
I laughed at Jim explaining the JFK incident as I heard that story but didn't remember the airport so did sound a bit like he was involved in the JFK assassination.
What about Tony Khan reaction to the releases? "Even If I Get Punched In The Face By Circumstances, I Won't Cut 100 Staff Or 30 Wrestlers" I guess Riddle have a place to go now, because if the problem is the Management don't doing drugs, on the other company the Boss is the biggest drug addicted person in any business😂
@@darkstars-torpedoes-of-truth it's a documented fact they make people change the channel. The "figures" do not say shit about them being a draw. You're absolutely fuckin delusional
I seen smackdown live back in may 2022, and the main event was Orton and Riddle vs usos for the raw and smackdown tag team titles. Great main event, the buildup was great and the crowd was very into it. Riddle was a great talent in the ring, but its to bad he refuses to grow up.
