“Being real in pro wrestling has paid off. Just being myself – that really translated to the fans.”
― Matt Riddle
“In fighting, if you get hit in the face, you don’t show it. You can’t show it.”
― Matt Riddle
“It’s almost like my life is a fairytale.”
― Matt Riddle
“My goal isn’t to be one of the best; it’s to change the game, to change the way things work.”
― Matt Riddle
“I’m a shark, and I swam in a lot of different ponds, but I’m ready for the ocean.”
― Matt Riddle
“I’m usually just so laid back most of the times.”
― Matt Riddle
“I’ve always been a bro, and I’ve used the word ‘bro’ a lot.”
― Matt Riddle
“If you train, you work hard, you’re actually 110-percent dedicated, you’re doing it for all the right reasons, you’re probably gonna end up on the top. You know the cream always rises to the top.”
― Matt Riddle
“I love fighting, but I don’t miss waiting months upon months just to fight once in front of people and then have to wait months again to fight once in front of people.”
― Matt Riddle
“Take into consideration I get to play-fight in my underwear every week, and I get paid very well to do it.”
― Matt Riddle
“MMA is like the Colosseum in Rome: the fans want to see violence.”
― Matt Riddle
“I get more respect doing professional wrestling than I ever did in MMA.”
― Matt Riddle
“When you have a guy like me who’s a former UFC fighter and who is basically a normal guy who can do exceptional things, that connects with people rather than some random Viking who can also do exceptional things.”
― Matt Riddle
“It doesn’t matter if you’re the best wrestler in the world and can do every move perfectly; if you don’t connect with the crowd or sell well or have good promos, nobody cares.”
― Matt Riddle
“That’s why I like the indies: because I like being who I am. I get to be who I am in the ring, on the microphone, everywhere. It’s great. I never have to get out of character because I am Matthew Riddle.”
― Matt Riddle
“With wrestling, everybody always asks what they can do to get signed or how can they get over. There’s no right or wrong answers. That’s why I think the best thing you can do is be yourself.”
― Matt Riddle
“Lesnar is a bully. I’d hurt him and show him that he couldn’t hurt me. That doesn’t sound too technical, but in a fight with Brock Lesnar, you need to go after him.”
― Matt Riddle
“I try to be as humble as possible, but I’m just on another level. That’s all there is to it.”
― Matt Riddle
“I am not the biggest fan of Dana White.”
― Matt Riddle
“I know I’m skilled – I know my background – and the people who are familiar with my credentials know better than to try me.”
― Matt Riddle
“The first time I was in a ring with William Regal, I called him ‘Bro,’ and from there, everyone just kept saying ‘Bro’ to me. I kept saying ‘Bro,’ and before I knew it, I was deemed The King of Bros.”
― Matt Riddle
“I always had watched pro wrestling. I happened to be watching the WWE Network one day and started watching differently: I wasn’t watching it as a fan, but instead I was watching it as something that I could possibly be a part of.”
― Matt Riddle
“In sports entertainment, you can be larger than life.”
― Matt Riddle
“When I first started, I had a mullet, and I was trying to play a hillbilly persona. While it was fun, it wasn’t me.”
― Matt Riddle
“I think a lot of people are excited that WWE was willing to give me a chance, and they want to see how far I can go with it.”
― Matt Riddle
“I think with the right opportunity, I can go as far as I want, but you never know.”
― Matt Riddle
“I was probably one of the top three or four wrestlers in the world on the indies, just killing it. Nobody really saw me going to a bigger company because of my past and just how people view me.”
― Matt Riddle
“Not only do I have fun in the ring, but I have fun walking out to the ring. I have fun walking away from the ring.”
― Matt Riddle
“To me, the more the merrier. The more times I can get in that ring and get in front of a crowd and wrestle, the better.”
― Matt Riddle
“I like to hit hard, I like to be hit hard, and I like really competitive matches. That’s my take on pro wrestling.”
― Matt Riddle
“I’m pretty sure I could beat Tyron Woodley. Nothing against him.”
― Matt Riddle
“The more name value I have, the better. The more undeniable I am, the better. Then I can get what I want.”
― Matt Riddle
“When I was in the UFC, I would get tickets for a fight, and then what I would do is go in the crowds and watch the rest of the fights. A lot of times, I would end up taking pictures and signing people’s books. I didn’t care if I got any money or anything. I was just there enjoying my time and watching the fights.”
― Matt Riddle
“If someone comes up to me and asks for an autograph or picture, who am I to say no?”
― Matt Riddle
“Promoters saw the potential in me and the value in me. It was because of companies like Evolve, PWG, Progress, and Beyond Wrestling. Those are the big ones that gave me a push and made my name worth something on the indies.”
― Matt Riddle
“I want more unpredictability. I want more realism. I think the fans would appreciate that, and that’s what I’ve brought since day one.”
― Matt Riddle
“If you get Fight of the Night, there’s a reason you got Fight of the Night: it’s usually because you had that crowd on its feet, going crazy during the fight, almost like a professional wrestling match.”
― Matt Riddle
“Everybody in wrestling is usually a pretty nice guy, they’re all just hard workers trying to get their opportunities.”
― Matt Riddle
“There’s guys like Daniel Bryan and CM Punk that incorporated mixed martial arts submissions and moves into professional wrestling. I feel like the way it was incorporated was really good, but there’s not enough people doing it.”
― Matt Riddle
“I have a lot of options in professional wrestling.”
― Matt Riddle
“I’m about great competition. That’s why I can have a great smile beforehand and connect with the crowd, and then, when I get in the ring, I flip that switch.”
― Matt Riddle
“I like to set goals that seem impossible.”
― Matt Riddle
“Only one person can retire Brock Lesnar – only one person can end his career – and that person’s going to be me.”
― Matt Riddle
“My goal is to change NXT. It is to change every company I’ve ever been to, and I’ve changed every company.”
― Matt Riddle
“Bill Goldberg can’t wrestle.”
― Matt Riddle
“A lot of people don’t know who they are as a wrestler. Even people that walk into the doors of the Performance Center. They might be world-class athletes or models, but they don’t know who they are in the ring.”
― Matt Riddle
“I am me. I’ve always been a character, and my character’s story lives into pro wrestling.”
― Matt Riddle
“The thing for me is – and one of the reasons I was never a fan of Goldberg in the beginning when everybody was like ‘Oh, he’s so good! – I was like, ‘No, he’s terrible, he’s hurting people,’ and there’s nothing else. He just has three-minute matches.”
― Matt Riddle
“You don’t pick up things, get to the top of multiple industries and sports without working hard.”
― Matt Riddle
“I’m happy wrestling.”
― Matt Riddle
“I have a huge amount of respect for Lesnar. You know, he’s done everything since he came into it. He works hard. You don’t look like Lesnar without working hard.”
― Matt Riddle
“I’m a pretty nice guy.”
― Matt Riddle
“My striking isn’t the prettiest, and I hit really hard.”
― Matt Riddle
“I’m a very aggressive person. I’m really intense.”
― Matt Riddle
“I got a short – I got a temper. I fight in a cage for a living. There’s a reason people like us are wired slightly different.”
― Matt Riddle
“I’m just not very good at holding on to jobs.”
― Matt Riddle
“My parents told me if I wanted to fight, they wouldn’t support me.”
― Matt Riddle
“I can handle boos. Boos entertain me.”
― Matt Riddle
“There’s nothing worse than a bunch of toothless, ignorant people yelling at you. It’s horrible.”
― Matt Riddle
“I heard London is nice, so maybe it is. But I’ve only been to the armpit of England.”
― Matt Riddle
“I like to fight. That’s who I am.”
― Matt Riddle
“The bottom line is, I’ve got a wife and three kids. I’ve got bills I have to pay.”
― Matt Riddle
“I’m just tired of the unethical people, the scumbags, all that. Maybe that’s how all businesses are run, but in MMA, I’ve been in the UFC, Legacy, and Bellator. The UFC was the best, and even they didn’t treat you that well.”
― Matt Riddle
“I’m down to fight anybody at any given time, anywhere.”
― Matt Riddle
“I will be completely honest: when I fought in Manchester, they were very cruel to me. One fan actually spat directly in my face, and he was lucky enough where it hit my mouth.”
― Matt Riddle
“I have to say, running in flip-flops through the airport can be pretty tricky.”
― Matt Riddle
“I love working with new guys, especially MMA guys.”
― Matt Riddle
“I’m always learning, always trying new things, because you have to to stay fresh.”
― Matt Riddle
“Crowds are always different, but I know I have hardcore fans who watch everything I do online, so I have to make sure every match is different.”
― Matt Riddle
“I feel like I started with wrestling, and a love of pro wrestling, that lead me to MMA and the UFC. And now it’s come full circle back to pro wrestling.”
― Matt Riddle
“I got into the UFC after six months of training. I started doing jiu-jitsu, had my first fight, tried out for ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ and got on.”
― Matt Riddle
“If I do make WWE – because in my head, until it’s official, it’s not a thing – I think if they brought me in, it would be very short lived at NXT, and I’d be on main roster extremely quick.”
― Matt Riddle
“If you’re a wrestler in the WWE, then your goal is to be the headliner, main event of WrestleMania.”
― Matt Riddle
“In wrestling, sports entertainment, I get to fight in front of people; I get to wrestle in front of people; I get to entertain people sometimes four times a week – all around the country, all around the world.”
― Matt Riddle
“I just like people that bring in a very competitive mentality to pro wrestling.”
― Matt Riddle
“When I first started, I lived in Vegas because I was fighting in the UFC, and I was still fighting after the UFC.”
― Matt Riddle
“I’m already a personable person. I always try to smile and get to know somebody and say hello – even when people are trying not to talk to me.”
― Matt Riddle
“When I first started wrestling, I didn’t even want people to know I was in the UFC.”
― Matt Riddle
“Wrestling is one of the hardest things, and it has nothing to do with the extremely hard physical part of it. It has to do with the psychological part of it.”
― Matt Riddle
“With wrestling, I’m working all the time, I’m wrestling all the time, I’m performing all the time, and I’m making money all the time.”
― Matt Riddle
“When I started doing pro wrestling, it wasn’t the physical aspect doing the moves or taking the moves that was hard: it was interacting with the crowd, body movement, selling, getting that emotional attachment with people so they’re invested in a match. That was the hard part.”
― Matt Riddle
“In my opinion, if I was going to pick main roster guys, I’ve always had a hunch out for Cesaro. I just feel like if we were able to just go at it, make it a fight, I think it would be pretty sensational.”
― Matt Riddle
“Growing up, my family wasn’t really into sports, so we didn’t really watch sports, and then one day I stumbled across the TV: pro wrestling.”
― Matt Riddle
“Growing up, I was always a fan of wrestling, but I was also a fan of MMA and stuff.”
― Matt Riddle
“I always wanted to wrestle, but when you’re a kid, how do you do pro wrestling? For me, it seemed like the easiest way for me was to get into amateur wrestling and go that route because it was a place where I was allowed to go.”
― Matt Riddle
“Living in my parents’ house is pretty sweet. It’s not like they’re rich or anything, but they’re pretty nice to me, so it was pretty good living there, too, and all I did was jujitsu. I was just like a stallion, just living on my parents’ couch. It wasn’t terrible.”
― Matt Riddle
“I like wrestling the bigger guys, personally, because I can lay into them harder, and they can dish it back out.”
― Matt Riddle
“Me and Kyle O’Reilly have wrestled all around the world. We’ve done good work.”
― Matt Riddle
“I started training at the Monster Factory, the ROH dojo, CZW, and I trained there. And eventually, I had a tryout with WWE.”
― Matt Riddle
“In professional wrestling, the fans are tremendous.”
― Matt Riddle
“Pro wrestling fans love what they watch, and they go out to enjoy and have fun.”
― Matt Riddle
“My goal is to make wrestling more like mixed martial arts.”
― Matt Riddle
“My goal isn’t just to make wrestling into a bigger show and make good money, but it’s also to evolve pro wrestling to where I think it belongs.”
― Matt Riddle
“Any match with Keith Lee is definitely circled on my calendar.”
― Matt Riddle
“I was landscaping not too long ago, so I’m extremely grateful for the people supporting me in wrestling. Not that landscaping is terrible, but I’d rather be suplexing and punching people.”
― Matt Riddle
“Even when you’re on top in the UFC, you only get paid a couple times a year.”
― Matt Riddle
“In mixed martial arts, if you get kicked in the face, it’s your job not to show any expression to your opponent.”
― Matt Riddle
“In pro wrestling, if somebody throws a move, it’s my job not to get hurt but also to sell the move and make it look like I’m dying.”
― Matt Riddle
“It always feels good when you hear another guy in your industry give you praise.”
― Matt Riddle
“I’ll be honest, when I first started pro wrestling, everybody else did clotheslines better than me. They did everything about pro wrestling better than me. But when it comes to fighting, getting nitty and gritty, I’m the man.”
― Matt Riddle
Leave a Reply