Matt Riddle didn’t hold back when discussing his TNA debut at TNA Turning Point, and he dropped a surprising claim: the company still hasn’t paid him for stepping in during WrestleCade weekend. Riddle, who filled in for Trey Miguel in a six-man tag match, shared the details during an interview with SHAK Wrestling’s Shakiel Mahjouri.

“There was no call made. I was at WrestleCade, signing autographs, doing pretty well and making pretty good money, a lot of people lined up to take a picture with the bro,” Riddle explained. “Tommy Dreamer and Ariel [Shnerer] came up to me and said Trey got into, not a horrible car accident, but not a great car accident, and he probably wasn’t going to make it to the show.”

Despite not being under contract with TNA, Riddle decided to help out. “I saw a company that was kind of in need and I saw one of my friends, Zachary Wentz, was definitely in need. His boy was out. I’ve teamed up with them and teamed up with Jeff [Hardy] before in the past, and I’ve never wrestled the Hardy Boys. For me, I had never done TNA, wanted to do that. Can’t really pass up an opportunity to wrestle the Hardy Boys.”

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the former WWE star. Riddle revealed that TNA hasn’t compensated him yet. “I got an extra payday, which didn’t hurt the weekend. Still waiting on that. They have a three-week thing or two-week thing, I don’t know. I kind of like my money up front.”

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Despite the payment issue, Riddle praised TNA for their professionalism during the event and clarified that he has no long-term plans with the company. “They have spoken highly of me and to me. I think it’s impossible [to return], but right now, my home is MLW. Luckily, I work for a company like MLW that wasn’t going to crucify me for helping.”

Riddle, along with KUSHIDA and Zachary Wentz, ended up losing to Ace Austin and the Hardys in a memorable match.

Riddle’s TNA debut might have been a spur-of-the-moment decision to help out friends, but his claim about not being paid raises eyebrows about the company’s business practices. Whether it’s a simple delay or something more, this story adds another chapter to the ongoing saga of TNA’s reputation behind the scenes. For now, Riddle seems content to move forward, but you can bet he won’t let this slide quietly.

What are your thoughts on Matt Riddle’s comments about TNA? Should the company have resolved this sooner, or is Riddle being too harsh? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.

Steve Carrier

Steve is the Founder of RingsideNews. He has been writing about professional wrestling since 1996. He first got into website development at the time and has been focusing on bringing his readers the best professional wrestling news at it's highest quality.

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