Matt Riddle Reveals WWE Locker Room’s Reaction to Abuse Allegations During Main Roster Debut

Matt Riddle is no longer part of WWE after getting released last year, but his time in the company was marred by numerous controversies throughout his tenure. This included the assault allegations made against him and he has now revealed the WWE locker room’s reaction to the allegations at the time.

While speaking on Developmentally Speaking, Matt Riddle revealed that his debut on the main roster was particularly challenging because it coincided with a public controversy. Matt Riddle was accused of sexual abuse by indie wrestler Candy Cartwright on the same day as his SmackDown debut.

Riddle referred to being “MeToo’d,” as he described the accusation as false and unfair, which cast a shadow over his arrival. Riddle noted that his new colleagues had likely seen these accusations online, making it awkward for him to connect with them. Riddle explained how hard it was to deal with people judging him based on things they read, especially when it overshadowed his wrestling career and childhood dream of joining WWE.

Despite this rough start, Riddle said that over time, his hard work and consistency helped him gain respect and change people’s opinions. As his coworkers got to know him and saw how things unfolded, they started to understand him better. He also mentioned that many wrestlers have faced similar challenges, which helped create some mutual understanding.

Riddle talked about how disappointing it was to have his debut, a match against a legend like AJ Styles, overshadowed by these accusations. Wrestling in WWE had been his dream since he was a kid, and this moment was supposed to be a career highlight. Instead, it became bittersweet because of the horrific struggles he was dealing with.

“For me, when I came up to the main roster—damn, the day I debuted, I got MeToo’d. It was garbage. But at the same time, imagine walking into a locker room full of legends and established people, and they’ve just read on Twitter or the internet that X, Y, Z happened. Then they meet you, and it’s like, ‘Oh.’ And you’re just standing there like, ‘I didn’t do anything.’ But they don’t know that. It was just awkward.

Over time, though, as people got to know me and saw how everything played out, it was cool. They understood. A lot of the guys and girls have been in similar situations, you know? And to think—my whole life, I’d been working to get to WWE. As a child, this was the dream. This was the goal. And then I wrestle AJ Styles, and something horrific like that comes out. I was like, ‘Oh my God. All those meetings we had, everything they warned me about, it was true. People will do this.’

Matt Riddle eventually addressed the accusations and denied them but definitely came as a shock for many, as Riddle’s former tag team partner Pete Dunne was utterly disgusted by the allegations as well. Regardless, Riddle has long since moved on from the allegations and is focused on building his career in professional wrestling and he chooses not to let anything else bother him.

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