WWE: Matt Riddle Wants To Go From UFC To WWE Network After Watching The Attitude Era


UFC fighter Matt Riddle is saying he wants to give pro wrestling a shot after he began watching the WWE Network.

In a related report by the Inquisitr, it’s rumored that former UFC fighter Brock Lesnar may lose the WWE title at Royal Rumble 2015, and many wonder if backstage UFC negotiations with Dana White may be happening in order to force Vince McMahon and Triple H to give him a sweeter deal.

Matt Riddle says the main reason he is looking at the WWE as a long term career is due to his health.

“I did it for a while. It wasn’t something I wanted to do, it was something I was good at. They wanted me to fight at 170 or 185 pounds. When I get below 190, my kidneys hurt, my lower back hurts, it’s not safe for my body. I don’t get joy out of suffering, especially if I don’t get paid. I’m no longer 22, I don’t care about tough man contests.”

It could be said that Lesnar and Riddle have similar reasons for joining the WWE. For the longest time, Brock suffered from diverticulitis, and MMA fighting could no longer be safe for the UFC champion, although it is said he’s recovered a lot in recent years.

But Matt Riddle also admits that he has been eyeballing the WWE for years even though he started out in MMA.

“This has been my goal my entire life. I looked in the mirror four months ago. I was tired of cutting weight, getting sick, I got the (WWE) network for $9.99 and started reliving the Attitude Era and got that spark that I’ve been missing since I was 20. I knew I could make money doing that. I saw the guys I grew up watching, I’m watching the new guys and these guys aren’t bigger than me, I’m a little more ripped than they are, I’m a cage fighter so I have skills, so maybe this is my shot to make it.”

Unfortunately, while Riddle loved the WWE Attitude Era, it’s possible we will never see the same sort of sports entertainment again, and some say the PG era is a good thing. While Vince McMahon is technically in charge, many wrestlers are saying Triple H is really in control of the WWE, and Paul Levesque is very likely to continue the policies of his father-in-law for years to come.

With so many wrestlers in the WWE roster injured you would think management would be hard pressed to say “no,” but Matt Riddle told MMA Fighting that if he is initially rejected by the WWE, he will persist in this dream.

“If worst comes to worst, they say ‘No.’ I’m going to keep trying. I’ve proven people wrong in the past. I don’t want to come off bad, but I have a lot of potential at this. I’m a world-class athlete and what I always wanted to do was be a pro wrestler. It was always my passion. I’m not in the UFC anymore so I’m not getting paid decent money to fight, so I wanted to do something I love. I’d rather wrestle professionally and have fun than fight for no reason at all.”

According to TMZ, Riddle is already working to make the dream a reality. He started training to become a pro wrestler at the Monster Factory in New Jersey and is working with former WWE wrestler The Blue Meanie.

Do you think former UFC fighter Matt Riddle would make a good WWE superstar?

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