38-year-old star confesses he wants to join AEW - "I’ve been relieved after getting fired from WWE"

AEW has hired several wrestlers after their WWE releases in recent years, including names such as Ricochet, FTR, Saraya, and Adam Copeland. There are constant rumors of Tony Khan signing other former superstars, and now a four-time WWE champion is fueling speculation on his future.

Matt Riddle joined WWE in late July 2018 after a successful MMA career and a few years on the indies. The current AAA World Cruiserweight Champion returned to MLW this past January and debuted for NJPW days later for a short stint, which included 49 days as World Television Champion. He has continued working on the indies since then and recently confirmed that he will likely debut for TNA soon.

The Original Bro was once rumored to join AEW, but he had a good reason for just working on the indies after WWE. Sports Illustrated noted in a new interview that Riddle saw TNA as different from AEW since Khan had five hours of weekly TV, and the 38-year-old was not very interested in going back to that kind of grind after his WWE run.

The former UFC fighter preferred to operate on his terms and set his own schedule. Riddle praised the young company and revealed how he felt after departing WWE.

"I think AEW is a fantastic product. I know a lot of people that [sic] work there. I like the company, the way they work, people that work there. With me, and it's something I've noticed, I’ve been relieved after getting fired from WWE. I felt that because I was on TV, and I'm such a provocative character at times, everything was magnified so much. The stress of working on TV two to three days a week was a lot. I like pressure and stress, but it was a lot," Matt Riddle said.

Riddle continued and teased a potential future appearance in All Elite Wrestling:

"The best answer would be to go to AEW, get more money, and work a decent schedule. I didn't want to work on TV again. I didn't want the attention for a while. I wanted to step away, and just do indies. I know MLW works with New Japan. NJPW works a lot with AEW. Maybe you'll see me on an AEW channel or broadcast sooner rather than later. Maybe you won't," Matt Riddle added.

The King of Bros' next MLW match is scheduled for Saturday's TV tapings in Atlanta. He will face Tom Lawlor in a No Holds Barred Vale Tudo Match. The former RK-Bro member also holds the Combat 1 Wrestling World Championship and will defend it against Nate Bock on September 22. Riddle and Stallion Rogers won the BRCW Tag Team Championship earlier this month.

AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam updated lineup

All Elite Wrestling will present the fourth annual Dynamite: Grand Slam special on September 25, along with the inaugural Collision: Grand Slam episode. The company will return to Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, NYC, for the tapings.

Three matches are now official for the Dynamite special. Below is the updated lineup:

Non-Title Match: World Champion Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness
Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley (Allin's future World Championship shot will be on the line)
World Tag Team Championship Match: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher

The storyline going into Danielson vs. McGuinness revolves around their storied past and the World Champion's health. The Grand Slam match will take place only if The American Dragon is cleared to wrestle, according to the announcement.