Riddle Chooses Brutal WWE NXT Moment As His Most “Unforgettable” In WWE
During a recent edition of Catch Club, one-half of the WWE RAW Tag Team Champions, Riddle, reflected on what led him to professional wrestling.
Despite a successful career in MMA, Riddle says that he always wanted to set his focus on pro wrestling. However, it wasn't until stars like Bryan Danielson started getting pushed that Riddle thought he had a legitimate shot at a push.
"For me, I always wanted to do pro wrestling but I felt because of my size, I was going to get overlooked. Especially earlier, like in the early 2000s, but then as I kept training in mixed martial arts and doing that, I saw the world of professional wrestling start to change," Riddle explained.
"The landscape changed, you know? Guys like Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson) were beating Batista and Triple H, and they were the champs," he added. "And when I saw that, I went, 'You know what, I think this place has changed. I don't think you have to be a giant; I think if you're highly skilled, highly charismatic, you bring everything to the table, and you cross those t's and dot those i's, you'll get an opportunity. And I always wanted to do this, I thought this was the time and I hit the ground running.
Coming up on his four-year anniversary since signing with WWE, Riddle chose his favorite moment with the company so far. He selected an unforgettable moment from his fight pit match against Timothy Thatcher, with Kurt Angle serving as a special guest referee.
"Fight pit match when I kicked Tim Thatcher's teeth out of his mouth and Kurt Angle picked them up. There was a lot going on, I kicked the dude's teeth out of his mouth and Kurt Angle was there. I was like, I got this Legend, I kicked this guy's teeth, and it was the first-ever fight pit. Which, even though I lost, I still think it's one of the best matches in WWE right now and I wish they would use it more."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Catch Club with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.