I have a column every Monday and Friday for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Today’s looks at Matthew Riddle, the former UFC fighter now pro wrestler. Here’s an excerpt:
Another MMA to WWE crossover appears to be coming.
Matthew Riddle is a former UFC fighter who is now working on the independent professional wrestling scene. Rumors are circulating that he’ll be joining WWE by early 2016, having already developed a rapport and gone through tryouts with the company after deciding to take up pro wrestling.
I’m excited for this, It’s another “win” for pro wrestling. Call it an attention grabber in an effort to attract more athletes and spectators. Or ignorantly criticize it for being pre-determined — or to use their favorite word “fake” — which would be inaccurate. However, my excitement comes less from what the MMA world is losing and more from what professional wrestling is gaining.
I’ve spent a lot of time catching up on Riddle’s wrestling career, watching as many videos of his matches as I can find. Riddle has great energy, great facial expressions at all times. Whether he’s walking to the ring, delivering offense or selling a move, there’s always a story to be told on his face.
His in-ring work and style remind me a lot of Daniel Bryan. But Riddle’s build and appearance are significantly larger than that of Bryan, and that will be a benefit to him as he aspires to reach the top of the business.
A key to success in his arsenal is the use of his knees. In every match I watched, Riddle used an offensive strategy that featured his knees as attack weapons. At times, when he struck an opponent with his knee, the blow seemingly came out of nowhere. In fact, the first time I saw it, it reminded me of a new viral video of “knees out of nowhere,” a sequel to the viral Randy Orton “RKO out of nowhere” series.
CLICK HERE for Riddle’s best talent as a pro wrestler, how MMA is helping him and controversy leaving UFC.
