Who Is Matt Riddle, Ex-UFC Fighter Recently Released by the WWE and What Did Dana White Say About Him?

Several UFC fighters have made a transition to the WWE to date. But fans would agree that most of them haven’t gained much reputation from it. Even noted UFC fighters like Cain Velasquez had also dared to take the leap. But apart from the famed Ronda Rousey, no UFC athlete has been able to make a traceable mark in WWE. The former UFC Welterweight, Matt Riddle, also made the move from the UFC to WWE in 2013. But a few recently surfaced headlines revealed that Vince McMahon’s promotion has cut ties with him.

Although Riddle made quite a name for himself in the WWE, he was far from being one of the top stars of the company like Rousey. However, reports say that the prime reason behind his release is the cutting down of expenses by the WWE. This might have a few of his fans missing him in the WWE. However, UFC CEO Dana White showcased no regrets when he cut him off the UFC roster in 2013.

Dana White had good reasons for cutting him off the UFC roster in 2013

The UFC CEO, White appeared on a ‘FOX Sports’ interview with the noted Chael Sonnen in 2013, where he gave out his take on Riddle’s UFC release. White implied that the UFC had given him every opportunity from being in ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ to giving him regular fights. He also hinted that he wanted to see some urge from Riddle’s side to become a top star of the promotion.

But White expressed severe annoyance on Riddle for failing his drug tests despite fighting for only “3 times a year”. He further stated that such an attitude was intolerable, especially when it comes from someone who was “fighting on the prelims”.

Around this time, he also had an interview with ‘Barstool Sports’ where he revealed that he didn’t have “any ill will” against Riddle. But he also said, “I don’t regret the decision that I made at that time”. It was enough to showcase that White wasn’t looking to step back from his stance regarding Riddle.

What does the former UFC employee’s WWE tenure look like?

Well, as already said, Riddle was far from being one of the top stars of the WWE. But, he has a small bag of achievements there as well. ‘Deep Waters’ marked his WWE release with an update on X. But, most fans would agree that claiming the WWE United States Championship was by far his biggest accomplishment in the promotion.

In August 2018, WWE announced Riddle’s entry into the company at TakeOver: Brooklyn IV. On the October 31, 2018, episode of WWE’s NXT, ‘the 37-year-old’ defeated Luke Menzies to make his ring debut.

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Quite apparently, his fans will be wishing him a better future at this point. But do you think the UFC CEO, White, was right to cut him off the roster after drug violations?

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