Subhojeet Mukherjee on January 10, 2025
Matt Riddle had a strong career in WWE, with one of his most memorable runs being his partnership with Randy Orton as Team RK-Bro. The duo became incredibly popular, but they never ended up feuding with each other and now Riddle has revealed why a feud never happened.
While speaking to SHAK Wrestling, Matt Riddle explained why a feud with Randy Orton never happened in WWE. Riddle noted that WWE talked about them having matches and turning on each other, but they wanted it to feel natural, not forced. Riddle and Orton got along so well, and fans loved them, so it was hard to create tension between them.
“Well, they talked about us having matches, you know, and us turning on one another. I think their idea was to figure out a way to turn us on each other without forcing it or making it feel unnatural. The fact that we got along so well and the fans were really into us made it challenging.”
During their run as RK-Bro, they achieved significant success. For several months, they were the top merchandise sellers, with their “420” shirt breaking records, even outselling Stone Cold Steve Austin’s merchandise in just one day and it helped Riddle buy a house, showing how much fans loved their team.
“At one point, you’ve got to realize, me and Randy, RK-Bro, were the number one merch sellers for a couple of months—three months, actually. Our 420 shirt literally outsold Stone Cold and everybody else in one day. That 420 shirt bought my house, like straight up. I cleaned my bucket. It was one of those things.”
Riddle added that WWE thought about making their story a big focus, maybe even having them fight for a championship. The idea was that one of them could win, making the other jealous and leading to a breakup. Riddle stated that a title match would have made the split more meaningful than just randomly turning on each other during an episode of Raw.
In the end, the feud didn’t happen as stars like Brock Lesnar didn’t see it as a priority, and WWE’s plans often changed at the last minute. Riddle explained that under Vince McMahon, scripts could change hours or even minutes before a show, which made it hard to stick to any one idea.
“I think they were just trying to figure out a way to make our story the main attraction, but at the end of the day, when you have guys like Brock Lesnar and others in the locker room, they weren’t feeling it. They weren’t having it. To be fair, this wasn’t something officially set in stone. I wouldn’t say it was brought up as me fighting for the title against Randy. I think it was more about one of us winning—maybe me, maybe him—which would make the other jealous. That could lead to a turn. Even if we had a title match, the turn would probably happen there.
If you just turn on someone during a random Raw, that’s one thing, but when there’s more on the line—like the world title—it means so much more. So, I think that was up for debate for a while. But, you know, it’s WWE. Every week, every day, things change—especially when Vince was there. No hate, but every time you showed up, the script could change. Sometimes it changed three hours before the show, and sometimes it changed 10 minutes before. That’s just how it is.”
Matt Riddle also stated that he believes a reunion with Randy Orton is a guarantee. The Viper and Riddle will always have a lot of love and mutual respect for one another no matter what, so we’ll have to wait and see if Riddle ever returns to WWE one day for a potential reunion or a feud, as anything is possible in the world of professional wrestling.
What do you think about Matt Riddle’s comments on a potential feud with Randy Orton? Do you think a rivalry between the two would have been successful, or do you agree with Riddle that it would have felt forced? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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January 10, 2025 7:37 am
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