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- Matt Riddle Is No Stranger To Controversy, But He And Goldberg Have Buried The Hatchet
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Matt Riddle is the exception to the general rule of creative disaster in modern WWE. The former MMA fighter has been presented as a big deal on RAW and protected as such. Currently, Riddle is one-half of the RAW tag team champions, alongside Randy Orton and popular belief envisions Riddle eventually capturing the world title in the near future.
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Riddle is gifted in the ring as he has demonstrated numerous times and his skills on the microphone are nothing to scoff at either. His laid-back and almost lazy vernacular has gotten over well with the fans but alongside his impressive skills in the ring and on the microphone, Riddle tends to get under the skin of other people and he has been doing so since his days as a UFC fighter. This was evident in the post-fight press conference of UFC 149. Upon a question by a reporter about Riddle disliking England, the welterweight went on to cut a promo about some British dude spitting in his face, and in the same breath, he challenged Dan Hardy to a fight inside the octagon.
UPDATE: 2023/09/02 16:30 EST BY ANDREW KELLY
Matt Riddle Is No Stranger To Controversy, But He And Goldberg Have Buried The Hatchet
WWE superstar Matt Riddle has rubbed up a lot of people the wrong way, and one of those is WWE and WCW legend and Hall of Famer Goldberg . Their heat with one another was a big story a few years back, but as often is the case in professional wrestling, wounds between wrestlers can heal over time. The likes of Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart made amends, so in truth anyone can. This is the case between Riddle and Goldberg, with Riddle revealing in recent times that the hatchet has been buried. It is interesting to see what Riddle had to say, and how exactly these two mended their fences.
Origins Of Matt Riddle & Goldberg's Real Life Feud
His rant even impressed boss Dana White but unfortunately, Riddle eventually ended up on the bad side of White due to his persistent drug test failures and he was released from the UFC shortly after. In the realm of pro wrestling, Riddle has had a number of running feuds with his co-workers as he is not afraid to speak his mind but his most notable feud was with Bill Goldberg. The heat began when Riddle criticized Goldberg for his limited in-ring ability in a series of tweets on Twitter and Goldberg took offense. Goldberg blocked Riddle on Twitter and deemed him an annoyance. Riddle continued his onslaught undeterred and he buried Goldberg for his disastrous showing against the Undertaker in Saudi Arabia. He also posed for a picture with Gillberg, throwing more shade at the WCW legend.
Eventually, the two crossed paths backstage during SummerSlam and while Riddle tried to pacify the situation, Goldberg made it clear that he was not Riddle’s bro. The tension was palpable but thankfully, Riddle walked off and the situation did not escalate.
Matt Riddle And Goldberg Met On A Plane Ride
After this particular confrontation, Riddle cooled down on his scathing words against the legend and in recent times, the two have been on better terms with each other. Riddle has stated that he finds Goldberg entertaining and the older veteran has said that he respects the work Riddle has put into the business. Riddle also mentioned that the two had buried the hatchet during a plane ride from Saudi Arabia. The two have not taken shots at each other since then but during the running feud, and Riddle was confident that he would one day square up against the legend in the ring, and given the backstory, fans may very well see the two compete inside the WWE ring in the near future.
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The former UFC fighter has stated before that he talks trash to get people invested, as is the norm in the realm of combat sports. This habit carried over to his pro wrestling career and admittedly, his outspoken personality has garnered publicity, as well as criticism. Riddle expressed that blurring the lines between kayfabe and reality leads to more investment from the people watching but in recent times, the tag-team champion has said he has toned down his trash talk. His latest target was the biggest star in the company, Roman Reigns, and since then, Riddle has refrained from throwing shade at his colleagues as his words have landed him in hot water with the powers that be backstage.
What Did Matt Riddle & Goldberg Have To Say About Their Beef?
Matt Riddle and Goldberg, like many real-life enemies over the years, have in fact buried the hatchet on their beef. Riddle spoke with TalkSport about his relationship with Goldberg these, and noted that whilst the pair aren’t now the best friends in the world, they have settled their differences and did so during a plane ride from a Saudi Arabia show where they were both participating.
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“But at the end of the day, even Bill [Goldberg] and maybe one day a certain Beast, they come to understand what I’m trying to do. Bill and I had a conversation. It was like ‘Bill, I’m sorry if I rubbed you the wrong way’ on the way back from Saudi Arabia. We were on the plane, had a couple of cocktails. I’m not saying we’re best friends, but we are doing way better than we were. I think just us talking and seeing him work [longer matches this year], you just get to know somebody and understand them. He’s like me; if you just listen to the dirt sheets or watch me do interviews, you might hate me [laughs]. But in real life, I’m a pretty nice guy. I talk crap, but that’s just to drum up interest. He realises that - I think we’re all good. ”
Goldberg had a similar take on Riddle, speaking to DAZN about the beef they had. Goldberg explained that he didn’t necessarily like Riddle, but there was at least now some respect. “Yeah. The cocky kid (Riddle) spouting off his mouth in the beginning, and I didn’t appreciate it very much by any stretch of the imagination. But the guy has put in a lot of frickin hard work and he’s dedicated his life to this business. Whether I like him as a human being or not, I have to understand and appreciate his passion for the business and his work ethic. Because he works hard and that I appreciate as an athlete and as a human. Is he a prick sometimes? Absolutely. But that’s him. That’s his character, and so am I.” (H/T WrestleTalk)
Riddle has been known to get in the bad books of his peers, with this calling out of an individual leading him to be considered an annoyance by Brock Lesnar. This had an effect on his 2020 Royal Rumble appearance, as Riddle was told point blank he had no chance of being in the ring with Lesnar given all the trash talk he’d been handing out. Seth Rollins is another name who had heat with Riddle, claiming that he would never work with him. However, the pair eventually settled their differences also, and even ended up having a highly personal and intense feud on WWE programming in 2022.
