After a summer full of strife, ill feelings, and more than a few incredibly personal digs, Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle will finally duke it out on the most appropriate stage yet, in a Fight Pit match at WWE Extreme Rules. Soon, the time for talking will be over, the time for action will be upon us, and fans will finally have an answer to the question: Rollins vs. Riddle, who reigns supreme?
So, with Rollins already looking ahead to a follow-up match with Bobby Lashley for the United States Championship and maybe even a bout with Roman Reigns, the only other man he considers on his level in the WWE Universe at the moment, down the line, it would be understandable to overlook Riddle ever so slightly, right? Like sure, he's an ex-MMA fighter – a member of the fraternity, as guest referee Daniel Cormier said on RAW – but even if he pulls out the win at Extreme Rules, where does fit it Riddle's story? What is Riddle's story other than that he's mad at The Bloodline for injuring Randy Orton and that he dislikes that Rollins doesn't respect him? If the match ends with Rollins shaking his hand Ring of Honor style, where does Riddle go from there?
No, with more storylines than he knows what to do with, the fallout from Extreme Rules will unquestionably have something for Rollins one way or another, especially with a new season of RAW slated to kick off on the proceeding episode of WWE television. Riddle's future, even in victory, is much more up in the air, as “The Original Bro” hasn't exactly been a focal point in the promotion's storytelling. And yet, when Riddle sat down with Corey Graves to speak on his life, his career, and his forthcoming match at Extreme Rules on After the Bell, he discussed the perception that he isn't professional and how he's ready to get down to business and draw some serious money.
Matt Riddle is ready for his WWE business to get Extreme.
After losing a match to Rollins at Clash at the Castle, Riddle wanted nothing more than to face off against “The Visionary” once more and finally slay the proverbial dragon that had been giving him fits for months in WWE. And yet, Rollins wasn't so into the idea. Besides the obvious hatred between the two performers, Rollins simply didn't feel Riddle was on his level and would have preferred to put his energy into more fruitful ventures. Still, Riddle persisted, and between his mentionings of Rollins being second-best to his wife, Becky Lynch, and the part he played in costing the ex-“Monday Night Messiah” the United States Championship, a match was eventually made, which he discussed with Graves as transcribed by Fightful.
“Well, he wasn't a fan of me,” Riddle told Graves. “It's not that I wasn't a fan of his, but somebody close to me at the time said some things, and this, that, and the other thing, and Seth wouldn't look at me, he wouldn't talk to me, he wasn't gonna have anything to do with me. Eventually, it's kind of like Brock and everybody else, you don't have a choice. I'm here, I'm gonna keep working hard. Eventually, you're gonna have to get in the ring with me, and we're gonna have to do business. Eventually, Seth came to that conclusion. But I think he also realizes what I bring to the table. What I'm willing to do to get reactions from the crowd.”
This, in large part, is why Riddle was so willing to allow Rollins to mention his real-life familial issues: to sell some proverbial tickets or, in this case, to get folks to tune into Peacock.
“Just like, when we get personal, we talk about things we probably shouldn't be talking about,” Riddle said. “But I'm like, ‘Bro, I don't care. I mean, I do pay child support. Things are rough for me. For me, I asked him to keep it as more of a therapeutic thing. Anybody that knows me knows what I'm going through. I think that's the big thing. I think it's something Seth does and people don't realize, I want people to relate. Everybody can relate to being the smaller brother/friend that just wants to be cool and have the other brother, like, that's me and Randy. With Seth, it's just two guys that don't like each other, and Seth talks some crap that he shouldn't be talking, and we're at that point where I want to hurt him physically, mentally, and emotionally. He does, too. So I think, you know, just trying to build that story and build certain things that for me, the more real it is, the easier it is, the better it is, and that's what makes me working with Seth so good, because he's the same way. He likes to go all in.”
In the end, whether Riddle wins or loses, he's still going to go out there, work the match to the best of his ability, and do business like a true professional, even if that isn't necessarily his perception around the wrestling world.
“I might not come off as professional,” Riddle said. “But I do business, I work, and Seth knows that — so does he. So even if we don't like each other, even though I'm not the biggest fan of his and I know he doesn't like me. We'll get in that ring, and we'll work, we'll do business.”
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