Interview: Matt Riddle on NXT Debut, Nickname Origin, Going from MMA to Wrestling, More

WWE.com held a recent interview with Matt Riddle discussing his NXT debut, the origin of his nickname, transitioning from MMA to wrestling, his childhood favorite wrestlers, his time in the Performance Center, and more.

On the topic of his recent NXT television debut, Riddle stated he had fun and got to show off a taste of his skills as a wrestler.

I had fun. The crowd was really hot. Everything went according to plan—I got to show a taste of my skillset, and I think people can see that I’m not just a normal wrestler.

On the topic of the origin of his “King of Bros” nickname, Riddle stated it was due to a match he had with William Regal in the past and his habit of saying “Bro” a lot in his speech.

It was a name that was given to me because I say “Bro” a lot. The first time I was in a ring with William Regal I called him “Bro,” and from there, everyone just kept saying “Bro” to me. I kept saying “Bro” and before I knew it, I was deemed The King of Bros.

On the topic of transitioning from MMA to wrestling, Riddle stated he felt his talent as a fighter was being limited due to the nature of MMA and wrestling provided a better avenue to showcase his real talent as a performer.

I always had watched pro wrestling. I happened to be watching the WWE Network one day and started watching differently. I wasn’t watching it as a fan, but instead I was watching it as something that I could possibly be a part of. I thought to myself, “I can do this,” and it was something I always wanted to do. In fact, pro wrestling was the reason I pursued amateur wrestling when I was 13 and eventually trained in Jiu-Jitsu. It was sort of like I came full circle, because I watched as a kid and then learned all these different styles and made it to UFC. But I almost felt like I was limited in MMA. In sports-entertainment, you can be larger than life. That was the day I decided to call my buddy who’s a lawyer and get his opinion on me leaving MMA and training full time to wrestle. He was all for it. I trusted him and I trusted my gut feeling, and as you can see, it all worked out.

On the topic of his favorite wrestlers from childhood, Riddle stated Kurt Angle, Bret Hart, Rob Van Dam, Jerry Lynn, Eddie Guerrero, and Dean Malenko as his choices.

I always enjoyed the intense wrestling style. My favorites were guys like Kurt Angle, Bret Hart, Rob Van Dam, Jerry Lynn, Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko. I liked guys that pushed the pace with so much conviction and intensity.

On the topic of his time in the Performance Center, Riddle stated it was an awesome experience and enjoys being able to train with some of the best wrestling trainers in the world.

Dude, it’s awesome. Before I got to NXT, I was lucky to get a couple days in a gym, let alone a ring. I was flying from Florida to Germany, Germany to England, England to Boston, Boston to California, then back to Pennsylvania where I’d sleep for a few days, and then be somewhere like Iowa or Indiana next. Now I get to train full-time and learn from the best coaches in the world. I went from doing push-ups on a wrestling mat in my house when I had spare time to training with the best of the best. It’s a good feeling.

Other stuff discussed during the interview included his initial meeting with William Regal and WWE, the similarities between MMA and wrestling, origin of his laid-back demeanor, and his goal for WWE fans.