Brock Lesnar & Matt Riddle had a backstage altercation at the 2020 Royal Rumble.
The real reason for Sting’s last ever AEW match.
A top WWE star getting a new gimmick, and more.
I’m Oli Davis, and this is the WrestleTalk News.
Much like your basic cousin on Instagram, who’s still making New Year, New Me posts-
I don’t care how much crypto currency you’ve bought, Ian.
And I’ve asked around.
No-one’s ever heard of TokenCoin.
I think you’re being scammed.
-Matt Riddle has started 2024 with New Year, New Post-WW-me.
Following his WWE release in September, he made his MLW debut at January 6th’s Kings
of Colosseum show, defeating Jacob Fatu.
And a vignette played for him at New Year’s Dash, announcing his New Japan debut on the
13th January’s Battle in the Valley.
He’ll then be entering a program with the promotion’s president Hiroshi Tanahashi
for his TV title at New Beginning in Sapporo.
But just like Ian and that time HE BLEW GRANDAD’S INHERITANCE ON BOARD APES NFTS, conversation
is dominated by what Riddle could’ve made of himself in the past.
It’s time for our new segment - Times Matt Riddle Didn’t Win Stuff…
According to Matt Riddle!
During a virtual signing appearance for Signed By Superstars, Riddle revealed how he was
supposed to win the terrible 2022 Men’s Royal Rumble match… and he would’ve gotten
away with it too, if it wasn’t for that pesky Brock Lesnar.
Riddle claims he “was told that I was going to win the Rumble and everything else”,
but because The Beast Incarnate had already lost to Bobby Lashley in a singles match earlier
in the night, The number 30 entrant Lesnar just decided he was going to win instead.
“Brock came in, didn’t want to do business with everybody, said he was winning, and then
he won.
Like, none of the producers, nobody stood up to him and they let him do it.
I didn’t either.”
A report from PWInsider at the time seemingly corroborates this, who wrote Riddle was a
frontrunner to win the match until a late change.
Orton was also considered to win at one point too.
Just as a reminder, this was the Rumble booked by Shane McMahon.
A creative failure so bad, Shane screwed up his own entrance return, threw a strop backstage,
and was then reportedly fired from his own dad’s company the following week.
Dave Meltzer has disputed Riddle’s version of events on Wrestling Observer Radio, reporting
WWE officials have denied he was ever seriously considered to win any Royal Rumble match ever.
While some were fans of his backstage, he also had many enemies - which Riddle had made
with his frequent controversies and outspoken comments against the likes of Lesnar and Goldberg.
There was another report at the time that claimed Lesnar had been scheduled to win the
2022 Rumble for weeks in advance.
But that’s not the only time Riddle and Lesnar have clashed backstage…
The two encountered each other several years beforehand at the 2020 Royal Rumble - not
yet a match Riddle has claimed he was going to win.
At the time, Pro Wrestling Sheet - remember them!
- reported Lesnar and Riddle were involved in a verbal backstage altercation before the
event.
“Details are scarce at this time, but sources tell us Lesnar and Riddle passed each other
while walking backstage and a tense encounter ensued.
One source says Brock saw Matt and wanted him to know the reality of the situation between
them.”
TalkSport then reported exactly what Lesnar told Riddle in the interaction:
"Kid, you might as well stop saying my name and tagging me s*** because you and I will
never work together.
Ever."
Lesnar is thought to be referring to many public interviews and tweets Riddle had made,
calling out Lesnar, criticising his workrate and saying he should be the one to retire
him.
Pro Wrestling Sheet finished their report saying: “we do know things did NOT get physical
between the two.”
About 5 months later, Riddle confirmed as much in an interview to Ariel Helwani:
“Let's just say he came up to me with a security guard, not that he needed the security
guard.
He came up to me, put his arm around me and told me we were never going to work.
So, I shouldn't mention his name or talk about him or anything like that.
And I should not call him out on social media.
And I said, 'Whatever you want, Bro.'”
Perhaps Brock also made his feelings clear to WWE management, as despite getting a push
at the time, Riddle entered the Rumble match at number 23, and was really quickly eliminated
by Baron Corbin.
Riddle has now spoken more about that interaction in his Signed By Superstars interview - revealing
that ‘faux-friendly arm around the shoulder’, was actually a likely terrifying Lesnar grabbing
him by the back of the neck.
“So I'm at Royal Rumble, my first time on the main roster, I'm super stoked, and I see
Brock Lesnar, and he walks next to me.
And I'm like, 'What's up dude?'
Then all of a sudden, his security guard, who I'm good friends with now, came up behind
us and he goes, 'You need help with this?'
And I'm like, 'What?'
And then Brock grabs me by the neck, and he didn't like ragdoll me, but he grabbed me
by the neck, then proceeded to tell me we would never work together and keep my f******
mouth shut."
Said to have one of the best wrestling business minds around, it’s actually out of character
for Brock to not put his feelings to one side to work a program with Riddle.
Perhaps he just thought him vs Riddle wouldn’t make him enough money.
Why do you think Riddle rubbed Lesnar up the wrong way so much?
Let me know in the comments, and I’ll be replying to people
FROM OUTTA NOWHERE.
While you make those comments - be nice to each other - here’s a clip from the brand
new Survival Series where we had to name every Royal Rumble entry ever.
Harder than it sounds.
Go watch that on PFK right after I’m done telling you about…
The Young Bucks’ awesome mustaches!
Real Reason For Sting’s Last Match The AEW Dynamite: Homecoming special ended
finally revealing who Sting’s last ever match will be against.
Not Darby Allin.
Not Ric Flair, thank god.
Not Baron Corbin.
The Young Bucks.
The tease was first met with confusion.
The Bucks are fantastic tag wrestlers, and are probably the right choice to get the best
possible in-ring match for Sting’s retirement, but it does lack any storyline or historic
motivation.
So enter Fightful Select with the real reason…
it’s Stiiiiiiiing!
Sting reportedly has a lot of say in deciding who his final opponent or opponents will be.
If only all former Main Event Mafia members were given such respect.
He’s keen to do more tag matches than singles, as he’s limited in what he can do by himself
- so it appears Sting has chosen the Bucks as his final match.
Giving Sting a proper retirement is said to be a high priority for AEW President Tony
Khan, which includes getting Ric Flair in his corner for his final run.
Flair is reportedly not currently considered for any physical spots, but he’s been actively
pushing to do more.
As foreshadowed by their heel tantrums last November, the Bucks are reportedly changing
their gimmick from their previous Elite babyface act.
It’s been rumoured they’ll be joined by Brandon Cutler and Colt Cabana in a new faction.
And they’re not the only wrestling act getting regimmicked.
Bobby Lashley & Street Profits New Gimmick?
WrestleVotes is reporting: “There were plans in place to name the Bobby
Lashley / Street Profits faction on last week’s SmackDown, which got axed at the last second
for unknown reasons.
I’m told those plans are still tentative as the direction of the trio could be shifting.
The planned name for the group is “The Pride”.”
A report Montez Ford has reacted to by tagging Lashley and Angelo Dawkins in a picture of
three lions, aww.
The change in plans that stopped them finally getting a name could be the debut of another
faction, Karrion Kross and AOP, who attacked them on the episode.
Now go watch us rename every Royal Rumble entrant ever on Survival Series…