WWE does not need Matt Riddle in any fashion

Matt Riddle may be one of the ultimate “what if” stories. He had a strong run in the UFC, putting together a 7-3 run in the Octagon that should have been a 9-3 tenure after two of his fights were overturned due to failed drug tests. He quickly took on a role in professional wrestling, getting prominent placement in WWE. But he dropped that ball too, eventually getting released in September 2023. Still, Riddle thinks he has a shot to return to the WWE and that’s something that should not happen.

“The chances of me going back, I think they’re extremely high,” Riddle said while speaking to Steven Muehlhausen of Sports Illustrated. “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.”

That’s an interesting statement from Riddle. True, Punk and WWE had a very tumultuous relationship with Punk leaving the company as he said negative things about almost everyone involved. But there’s a major difference between Riddle and Punk. Riddle faced several outside the ring situations that made him exceptionally problematic.

For example, in 2020, Riddle was accused of sexually assaulting Candy Cartwright, an independent wrestler. That led to a lawsuit from Cartwright that included WWE and Evolve President, Gabe Sapolsky. Courts eventually dismissed the lawsuits against WWE and Sapolsky, with the entire thing dropped in July 2021. Riddle was also suspended two times during his WWE tenure after failing the company’s wellness policy.

Then there were the multiple instances of Riddle having issues with colleagues backstage. All in all, he was a problem that shouldn’t be welcomed back into the company. This is especially true as WWE faces the Janel Grant lawsuit that names the company, Vince McMahon, and John Laurinaitis. Bringing back an individual who was accused of sexual assault like Riddle reinforces the negative perception that WWE is still trying to shake.

There’s a lot of forgiveness in professional wrestling, but it is usually the wrong people being forgiven. Many of them have never shown contrition about the situations they were involved in. Matt Riddle is one of those performers and he should not be welcomed back to WWE. Even if he feels the door is wide open.