Riddle will defend his United States Championship at WrestleMania 37
Riddle has been on a role since he won the United States Championship from Bobby Lashley at Elimination Chamber. But now the Original Bro will face his toughest challenge yet when he defends his title at WrestleMania 37.
WWE has officially announced that Riddle will defend the United States Championship at WrestleMania 37 against the Celtic Warrior, Sheamus. The match was made official on this week's episode of Monday Night RAW.
Following a loss to Sheamus on RAW, Riddle hit the former WWE Champion from behind, hoping to avenge the way Sheamus attacked him last week. There is clearly some bitter animosity between the two superstars, so WWE has made this match official for WrestleMania.
The bad blood between the two men has been prominent since they teamed up at Survivor Series. Riddle does not understand why Sheamus has a problem with him, and the Celtic Warrior was upset by the Original Bro's nickname for him, "Fireface."
This contest will be Riddle's first match at the Showcase of the Immortals, and he will look to successfully defend the title. On the other hand, Sheamus will be looking to secure his third United States Championship.
Riddle was never supposed to win the United States Championship
Riddle won his first title as a main roster Superstar at WWE Elimination Chamber. But Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently revealed that Riddle was never meant to win the United States Championship.
The initial booking plan called for Keith Lee to the title by pinning Riddle at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Unfortunately, Lee suffered an injury that prevented him from participating in the match.
Lee was then replaced by John Morrison, so WWE had to change these plans. You can read more about the situation here.
The road to WrestleMania 37 could been quite different if Keith Lee had remained healthy. Perhaps fans would have seen Lee defend the title against Riddle or another prominent star at the Show of Shows.
Regardless, Riddle is now the United States Champion. Do you expect him to retain the gold at WrestleMania 37? Sound off in the comments below.