Former NXT wrestler Dan Matha, who was released by WWE in April as part of the company’s budget cuts amid the coronavirus pandemic, was arrested this week in Orlando, Florida.
As reported by Heel By Nature on Tuesday, Matha was arrested on Monday, August 17, for failure to appear in court. The outlet noted that it obtained a copy of the wrestler’s arrest records, which detailed the instances where he was stopped by police for various traffic offenses over the past year or so.
In 2019, Matha was pulled over twice for allegedly driving with a suspended license. He would later plead no contest and pay a fine of $722 after he was stopped in February for the same offense. As shown in the documents, multiple unpaid traffic fines led to the suspension of the 6-foot-7-inch grappler’s license.
In addition, the documents obtained by Heel By Nature detailed that Matha was charged following a car accident on March 28 that resulted in $12,500 worth of damages. The officer who cited the former NXT star provided a statement that offered some specifics on the case.
“On March 28, 2020, at approximately 7:15pm, I was dispatched to a crash at Plymouth Sorrento Road and Hauss Road. When I arrived on the scene I observed a silver Hyundai Sonata with severe front end damage. I spoke to the driver of the vehicle, the driver advised he knew the registration was expired. This was the second conviction for driving with an expired tag over 6 months.”
Shortly after he was released from WWE, Matha took to Twitter to share four photos, including two that showed the injuries he sustained in the crash, one featuring his damaged Hyundai, and an image that featured him in the ring alongside former tag team partner Riddick Moss. He wrote in the caption that he had just endured a rough three-week stretch that saw him dealing with the pandemic, being ejected through his car window during the accident, and getting cut along with dozens of other wrestlers. You can view this tweet here .
Matha was reportedly due to appear in court on June 24 in relation to the March 28 incident, though a notice was sent to his home exactly a week later after he failed to show up. He was then issued a warrant on Monday after he purportedly did not respond to the notice. Per Heel By Nature , the former black-and-gold brand talent was released from an Orange County, Florida, jail shortly after his arrest and is now scheduled for a September 2 court date.
