WWE Rumors: Company Officials Have Reportedly Decided To Stall ‘Friday Night SmackDown’ Superstar’s Push

WWE superstar Matt Riddle looked set for a monster push earlier this year, but his momentum has stalled lately. According to Ringside News, the reason for this is that Vince McMahon reportedly doesn’t think “The King of Bros” is ready for the main event at the moment.

A source close to the outlet claimed that Riddle isn’t being buried, but he needs to be patient until he’s convinced officials that it’s time to give him that final nudge. He appears to still be in the chairman’s future plans, however, and McMahon could “strap the rocket” to the superstar down the line.

The source noted that “Vince thinks he’s getting everyone over to the degree they can handle the push.” These comments suggest that he thinks “The King of Bros” still has a few things to learn before he can be trusted to carry the blue brand’s main event scene.

As The Inquisitr recently reported, Roman Reigns claimed that he’s the only performer who’s up to that task at the moment. The Universal Champion’s words came across as a challenge to other superstars to step up and prove him wrong.

With Reigns currently enjoying a dominant run as the titleholder, Riddle will likely have to wait on the fringes for a while longer. Bray Wyatt is expected to feud with Reigns at the top of the card before anyone else gets an opportunity.

As the report highlighted, Riddle was reportedly one of the three most popular names on a Friday Night SmackDown roster depth chart that was published earlier this year. At the time, he was supposedly regarded by officials as one of the company’s top babyfaces along with Jeff Hardy and Braun Strowman.

Riddle’s introduction to the main roster saw him defeat AJ Styles in his debut match. Styles was the Intercontinental Champion at the time, which led some fans and pundits to speculate that Riddle would be given a midcard title run. WWE quickly shifted the young superstar’s attention to Baron Corbin.

Riddle has always been confident about his chances of reaching the top. He has been outspoken about his desire to face Brock Lesnar, which led to “The Beast Incarnate” confronting him backstage and telling him they’ll never work together. Riddle has continued to call out Lesnar since then.

Ringside News also pointed out that Riddle used reports of him having backstage heat to build hype for himself. However, WWE executives supposedly appreciate his attitude and antics, as he reminds them of a young Shawn Michaels.