Timothy Thatcher opens up about his return to MLW and his upcoming match against Matt Riddle.
For the first time in eight months, Major League Wrestling is set to feature an appearance from Timothy Thatcher. The 41-year-old will return to the MLW stage as he faces a former foe in the form of “The Original Bro” Matt Riddle at the upcoming War Chamber event in St. Petersburg on March 29. Thatcher’s match against Riddle will specifically be part of the MLW television tapings that follow the 2024 War Chamber show.
Last time MLW fans saw Thatcher, he was taking on Tracy Williams at the 2023 Never Say Never event. Unfortunately for Thatcher, this contest was prematurely stopped by the referee as he had sustained a mid-match concussion. Heading into War Chamber, Thatcher is now looking to change the outcome of his MLW performance.
“Stuff happens. Thank goodness for referee Franky. He saved my life,” Thatcher told WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard. “I was out and I was going to get up, and he said, ‘No you’re not.’ And he stopped it and… I time-traveled in that moment. Because I was in the ring and then all of a sudden, I was sitting on my chair in the locker room with the doctor standing over me. And he’s like, ‘You good?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, okay.'”
“Those are scary things. And they seem to happen more and more as damage accumulates from the ridiculous life that we’ve chosen of getting kicked in the face for a living. So yeah, I hope to put that behind me … You don’t want it to end with the ref throwing it out. So, I’ll do my best to keep my hands up this time.”
Rekindling His Feud With Matt Riddle
MLW’s upcoming television tapings will mark the 10th singles between Timothy Thatcher and Matt Riddle. In previous years, Thatcher and Riddle battled under the umbrellas of EVOLVE, RevPro, PWG, wXw, and of course, WWE NXT.
Most recently, they competed in an NXT Fight Pit match specially refereed by Kurt Angle. In this instance, Thatcher walked away with the victory. Looking ahead though, Thatcher knows that defeating Riddle (again) is no easy task.
“Myself and Matt Riddle have wrestled in four different countries and have had quite the extent of battle. So… Dating all the way back to when he first started coming onto the independent scene in EVOLVE. It’s one of the first big matches he had. So, our history dates back a long time. The final one obviously being in NXT. So, yeah it is very important to having to battle again with Mr. Riddle,” Thatcher said.
“Personally we are very different people, but our mindset about professional wrestling I think is very similar. And that is important for every time we meet in the ring. Because we both believe professional wrestling should be hard-hitting, straightforward sportsman-like. So it does add to the environment, it adds to the fan’s experience. It’s very good. Any time I have a match with Mr. Riddle, I always am looking forward to it.”
Will Riddle vs. Thatcher in MLW Live Up To The Fight Pit Match in NXT?
While Riddle and Thatcher have squared off several times, their NXT Fit Pit match remains fresh in the minds of many wrestling fans. As such, Thatcher pondered if their upcoming clash in MLW could potentially reach similar acclaim.
“It’s always interesting in professional wrestling what catches on,” he said. “And that’s the thing, as you said, anyone with similar styles, they said put him in the Fight Pit. Which, I’m grateful. I’m undefeated in the Fight Pit, and I don’t think I’m ever going to lose one because I don’t think I’ll probably have one more in my go. But yeah, every time me and Matt Riddle do wrestle, I think there is already an expectation of what it is from anyone that knows any bit of the history.”
“And obviously the Fight Pit on top of it, it’s not going to be a cage match. There’s the War Chamber for that. If you want a cage match, they got a cage match. They got a cage match at MLW this time. I think they got two of them this time. They’ll cover that. But me and Mr. Riddle as I said, provide hard-hitting professional wrestling whenever we are in the ring across each other.”
MLW War Chamber takes place on March 29 at The Coliseum in St. Petersburg.
Check out our full interview with Timothy Thatcher below:
