Former MMA fighter and current independent wrestling star, Matt Riddle, was the guest on this past week’s episode of The Ross Report.
On whether he’s considered a future beyond independent wrestling:
“Right now, I really enjoy what I’m doing. I work for a different promotion every weekend. I work three to four times a week. I make my own schedule. I would like to get over to New Japan, possibly WWE or NXT down the road. But right now I’m killing it on the indies, I’m building a reputation, I’m building more and more and more fans. I’m in control of all of my merchandise and everything else. Things are good.”
On avoiding injuries:
“I think you can control injuries to a certain level. Personally, I can do dives and flips and a lot more crazy stuff, but I choose to work a different style, a more snug style. I am aggressive and I do hit hard and I get hit hard back, but at the same time, I don’t have the risk of jumping off the top rope every single match or diving to a concrete floor. I feel like those things are very high risk and it’s a liability.
A lot of times, I’ll be at indy shows and I’ll see people hit crazy slams on hardwood floors or concrete floors. If you’ve ever watched any of my matches, I don’t think I’ve ever let anybody slam me on a concrete floor or wood floor. It’s just not something I’m really into. We can definitely tell a story, get a crowd reaction from big bumps and different moves, but I don’t think a suplex on a wood floor is really going to change the outcome (or decide whether) this is match of the year or not.”
Riddle also discussed his departure from MMA following his failure of a drug test and much more. To check out the entire episode, which also included an interview with John Hennigan, visit The Ross Report.
Please credit PWPodcasts when using any part of this transcription.
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