Seemingly any time WWE announces a new set of releases, be it developmental guys like Von Wagner or top-end talent like Matt Riddle and Bobby Lashley, fans will declare some version of the following statement: AEW bound.
Now granted, there is some truth to this statement, as Tony Khan has been willing to sign wrestlers that WWE moved on from for years now, with almost half of the roster featuring wrestlers who worked for the promotion in the past. But then again, considering AEW hasn't even been on television for five years yet, where else would they secure elite talent from? There are only so many top stars in TNA, and New Japan Pro Wrestling, and very few of those stars really have the level of name recognition to move the needle on American television.
Will AEW secure more former WWE talent in the next few days, weeks, months, and even years? You bet, but which performers? Should they get into the Hurt Business? Or how about officially endorsing Mustafa Ali? Bro, what about Riddle?
While the first two are very possible, the final open is far less likely, as per the “King of Bros” himself in an interview with Sports Illustrated, he didn't exactly hit it off the last time he met with TK.
“With AEW, I think AEW is a fantastic product. I know a lot of the people that work there. I like the company. I like the way they work. I like the people that work there. I think with me, and it's one of the things I've noticed, I’ve been relieved after getting fired from WWE. I felt that because I was on TV, and I'm such a provocative character at times, everything was magnified so much because I was on TV. The stress of working on TV two to three days a week was a lot. I like pressure. I like stress too, but it was a lot. The best answer would be to go to AEW, get more money, and work a decent schedule. I didn't want to work on TV again. I didn't want the attention for a while. I wanted to step away. I just wanted to do Indies,” Riddle explained to SI.
“I know MLW works with New Japan. New Japan works a lot with AEW. Maybe you'll see me on an AEW channel or broadcast sooner rather than later. Maybe you won't. I talked to Tony (Khan). I don't know if he likes me. He seemed happy. I wrestled Zach Sabre Jr. in Chicago. He seemed cool about it. I don't know. When you meet me, I'm very sarcastic. But when I met him, I was like, ‘Oh, you like that match’? But I said it a different way, and he looked at me all confused. And I was like, ‘Never mind, dude’. I just walked away. So that was my experience with that.”
Yikes.
While Riddle's interaction with Khan didn't seem like a career-ender, as it's safe to assume TK has had much worse interactions with talent like, well, at All In last year, it's also not the sort of interaction that sets the stage for future business. If Riddle wants to work in AEW, he'll have to get that right, but frankly, based on some other comments he made to SI, it's worth wondering if that's even at the top of his wish list, as a return to WWE might instead be his top priority.
Matt Riddle doesn't want to be an ex-WWE guy for much longer
Elsewhere in his conversation with Sports Illustrated, Riddle revealed that while he's been enjoying his time away from WWE, wrestling matches instead of hitting television ques, he wouldn't mind returning to the promotion at some point in the future, as frankly, if CM Punk can have a high-profile return after everything he's done, then so can he.
“The chances of me going back, I think they're extremely high. If CM Punk, who filed a lawsuit against WWE, and then raked them through the mud for a decade, then goes to the competition, I'll tell you this, if he can do that, everything can be forgiven. I know I wasn't the easiest to work with at times. I think the door is always open,” Riddle explained.
“I think the longer I'm away, the harder I work, and the more I do, the more likely I could come back. But I'll also say this, if I never go back ever again, and they never talk to me again, I'll be ok with that.”
From a pure wrestling standpoint, Riddle would fit right into the current WWE Universe, as his style of in-ring action always looked better in NXT than on the main roster, which could spell good fortune for a return to the promotion now that Paul “Triple H” Levesque has taken over at the promotions CCO. Still, when you consider the original reason Riddle was fired wasn't solely based on his in-ring work or his silly on-screen character, but because of his incident at JFK Airport and other extracurricular activities, it's safe to say a phone call with “The Game” wouldn't be the only thing he'd need to do to get back in WWE's good graces, as they likely don't want to invest that level of financial resources into a wrestler who could become a problem in the future.
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