Triple H Reveals Why WWE Didn’t Announce Matt Riddle Would Wrestle At NXT TakeOver: WarGames

Matt Riddle made his NXT TakeOver debut at NXT TakeOver: WarGames, but it came as a surprise for the crowd who had expected to see the match recorded before the event kicked off so the match could be on NXT’s television show this week. But fans got the match early without promoting it.
Dave Meltzer said during Wrestling Observer Radio that Triple H gave a reason for not promoting Matt Riddle vs Kassius Ohno at the Staples Center, “I’m a promoter” was his reply.
The thinking was that they didn’t announce Riddle vs Ohno because they knew that the match would be over in an instant. So the better idea was to go with a sudden surprise match that people didn’t see coming instead of getting their hopes up with a match they want to see that is over with one running knee.
Triple H also praised Matt Riddle for his unique intensity and it seems like there are some big things down the line for him.
Riddle will likely get many more chanced to longer matches in his WWE and NXT career. He was very excited for his TakeOver debut regardless. But for now, it looks like his TakeOver debut will always just be remembered as a 6-second encounter.