"I don't think we would be friends" - Former WWE star gets honest about relationship with Seth Rollins
Heading into another WrestleMania, Seth Rollins remains one of WWE's most important stars. One of his former rivals, Matt Riddle, opened up about working with The Visionary and their backstage equation.
Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle's feud is best remembered for how personal it got as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion addressed Riddle's broken marriage on TV. It felt like Rollins and Riddle actually hated each other for a while, and it became even more believable, considering Matt's past comments about Becky Lynch.
However, when it came down to doing business, Matt Riddle noted that Seth Rollins was really professional. Riddle revealed on the MMA Hour podcast that while he doesn't ever see himself and Rollins becoming friends, they did get along fine as co-workers in the WWE.
"The thing about me and Seth, I don't think we would be friends. I don't think we'd go out for drinks or dinner or anything. But at the same time, when it comes to the locker room or sharing a bus or plane or whatever, we got along very well." [From 38:00 onwards]
Riddle said that both he and Rollins were gifted at putting matches together, and their collective input led to some memorable clashes, most notably the Fight Pit showdown at Extreme Rules.
"When we put matches together, Seth is extremely talented, I'm talented, and we could put matches together really well," Riddle added. [From 38:22 onwards]
Matt Riddle looks back at his heated sit-down interview with Seth Rollins
During the build-up to their match at Extreme Rules, WWE took a page out of the UFC playbook and booked a split-screen backstage interview between Matt Riddle and Seth Rollins.
The idea was inspired by Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones' back-and-forth while promoting their UFC fight. While Riddle couldn't recall who pitched the plan to use the unique interview style, he found it perfect for the pro wrestling setting.
"It sure was. We took it right out of the playbook," said Riddle. "I don't know if it was my idea or Seth's; it might have been Seth. Or maybe it was mine, but somebody showed it to me first and was like, 'Hey, what do you think if we do this?' And I was like, 'This is perfect.'" [38:33 - 39:00]
Matt Riddle was released from WWE in 2023 and has since already wrestled and won a title in NJPW. 2024 is a big year for the King of Bros as he looks to get back to his former glory and possibly return to WWE someday.