The "King of Bros," Matt Riddle is coming to Friday Night SmackDown soon.
On the May 29 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Kurt Angle announced that Matt Riddle will be coming to the blue brand very soon. Angle says that since he was the special guest referee in his last match on NXT this past Wednesday, he knows just how good Riddle is.
Check out the video package hyping up Matt Riddle coming to Friday Night SmackDown below. The vignette aired between a segment featuring Otis and Mandy Rose and an interview with Sheamus.
See you soon, @SuperKingofBros! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/PaScX3fGDj
— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) May 30, 2020
After the video package, Sheamus had a backstage interview where he puts down both Jeff Hardy and Matt Riddle as the next big thing.
Reports of Riddle's move from NXT to SmackDown came earlier this week when The Wrestling Observer reported his call up is "scheduled to be imminent."
The May 27 episode of NXT saw Matt Riddle take on Timothy Thatcher in a Cage Fight. Thatcher would knock out Riddle in what would be The King of Bros' last match on the black and gold brand.
Riddle joined NXT in 2018 and would immediately become a fan-favorite. His quirky, chill demeanor and legit fighting skills in the ring made Riddle a threat. While he never won a singles championship in NXT—although he had his chances—Riddle would finally capture gold when he and Pete Dunne defeated The Undisputed Era to win the NXT Tag Team Championships at Takeover: Portland.
Matt Riddle has some experience on the main roster being a part of Team NXT during the 2020 Survivor Series match. He was also the number 23 participant in the 2020 Royal Rumble, but was eliminated by King Corbin.
Unfortunately for Riddle, the COVID-19 pandemic caused Dunne to be held in his home country of the UK and forced Matt into a tag team with Thatcher. After weeks of teaming up, Thatcher had enough of Riddle after a mishap during their loss to Imperium.
Prior to NXT, Riddle was a trained MMA fighter competing on The Ultimate Fighter and amassing an 8-3-2 record as a professional fighter.
Riddle would transition to a professional wrestler in 2014 where he fought on in the independent scene for promotions like EVOLVE, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) and Revolution Pro Wrestling before being signed by the WWE.
What do you think of Matt Riddle joining the blue brand? Who do you want to see him feud with first? Let us know in the comments section.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Phillip Martinez is a game and culture reporter for Newsweek. Prior to joining Newsweek in 2018, he was a reporter and editor for iDigitalTimes and Player.One. A Bronx native, he graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from St. John’s University in 2010. An avid Nintendo fan and wrestling mark, he’s always looking to become a Pokémon Master while fantasy booking this year’s WrestleMania. You can contact him at p.martinez@newsweek.com
Newsletter
