WWE Superstar Matt Riddle has built a name and reputation for himself in the sport. He came into the world of pro-wrestling with a bang and has been on fire since.
Recently, he put up a brilliant bout in the NXT Fight Pit (with a beautiful kick to the face), displaying his skill in mixed martial arts.
Something that is not popularly known about Riddle, is that he was an extremely prolific fighter in the UFC before he made the jump to the WWE. Riddle started out (like many UFC fighters) in The Ultimate Fighter, winning a contract at the end.
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In 2008, Riddle pulled off a brutal knockout on Dan Simmler in the second round, which still shocks people today.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 saw Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Forrest Griffin go at each other as coaches. Riddle was on team Rampage, and Simmler was being trained by Griffin at the time.
The fight was to decide who exactly would get into the Ultimate Fighter house.
Matt Riddle had the knockout of the century
At the beginning of the second round, Riddle landed his first strike, a hard right hook, which dropped Simmler immediately. Riddle threw three more hammerfists on Simmler’s face before being pulled away by Referee Herb Dean.
“I’d never seen someone moan on the ground like that. I felt really bad because that was one of the gruesomest knockouts I had ever seen. Matt got the knockout of the century,” said Rampage Jackson, who would be Riddle’s coach throughout the season.
Simmler was a mumbling mess in the Octagon. After more examination, it was discovered that he had broken his jaw in 2 places due to Riddle’s blows.
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Riddle had a winning record in the UFC and transitioned into pro-wrestling successfully. The NXT superstar is reportedly slated to move up to the main roster to SmackDown soon.
He was almost managed by WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle while on the NXT roster.
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He has made quite the name for himself in NXT, with many superstars lauding his talent and work ethic. Although we may not witness any broken jaws, we should see Riddle on Friday Night SmackDown soon enough.