Booker T reacts to Matt Riddle's name change in WWE
Matt Riddle's ring name was recently shortened to just "Riddle". The decision was reportedly made by higher-ups in the WWE. The RAW Superstar himself came out of Twitter to say that he didn't have an issue with the name change, despite a number of fans on social media expressing disappointment.
WWE legend and 6-time world champion Booker T opened up about Riddle's ring name being shortened oh his podcast and gave his thoughts:
I don't see it hurting those guys or anything like that. Matt Riddle, of course, it's something he's been having branded for a long time as far as who he is...you know, Matt Riddle. Everybody in professional wrestling when they think Matt Riddle they think shoot-fighter guy, you know, the MMA guy
Possible reason why WWE changed Matt Riddle's ring name
A report from Fightful Select said that a possible reason behind Matt Riddle's ring name getting shortened to just "Riddle" was possibly done to give his character a more serious edge.
Dave Meltzer also gave update on the matter and said that a possible reason for the change was to stop fans who Google "Matt Riddle" from getting details of the lawsuit filed against him and WWE by independent wrestler Candy Cartwright:
The company made the decision to drop Matt Riddle’s first name, and now he’s just “Riddle.” The story was that they wanted to not have people google “Matt Riddle” and come up with the details of the lawsuit against him and WWE. The decision was made on 10/29 and Riddle said he was fine with it and even preferred it saying Riddle is his name and he’s been called it for most of his life. H/T: WrestleTalk
Matt Riddle was recently drafted to RAW from SmackDown in the WWE Draft. He was the #8 draft pick on the second night of the draft. Riddle recently faced former WWE Champion Sheamus on RAW to see which of them would be part of the men's Survivor Series team for the red brand. Sheamus ended up winning to book his spot at the Survivor Series PPV.
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