Matt Riddle
Matthew Frederick Riddle (born January 14, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist currently appearing for Major League Wrestling (MLW) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He is best known for his tenures in the UFC and WWE.
Matt Riddle | |
|---|---|
Riddle in 2016 | |
| Born | Matthew Frederick Riddle January 14, 1986 Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Lisa Rennie
(m. 2011; div. 2022) |
| Children | 4 |
| Ring name(s) | Matt Riddle Matthew Riddle Riddle |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Billed weight | 216 lb (98 kg) |
| Billed from | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Trained by | Monster Factory |
| Debut | February 7, 2015 |
| Martial arts career | |
| Other names | Chipper Deep Waters |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb) |
| Division | Middleweight (2008, 2014) Welterweight (2009–2013) |
| Reach | 76 in (190 cm) |
| Style | Greco-Roman wrestling Muay Thai, Kickboxing |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Del Rio, Texas Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Team | Throwdown Training Center |
| Rank | Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Years active | 2008–2014 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 13 |
| Wins | 8 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 5 |
| By disqualification | 1 |
| Losses | 3 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By decision | 2 |
| No contests | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
As a professional MMA fighter from 2008 to 2014, Riddle made a name for himself by appearing on SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter 7 and went on to hold a four-fight winning streak in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) before being fired upon testing positive for smoking marijuana in February 2013. He also fought for Titan FC and compiled a career record of 8–3 (2).
In 2014, Riddle began training at the Monster Factory for a career in professional wrestling and made his actual debut in February 2015. Readers of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter recognized him as the Rookie of the Year and Most Improved wrestler of the year in 2016. Between 2015 and 2018, he worked on the independent circuit, wrestling for promotions such as Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, World Wrestling Network/Evolve, and others. He is a former Evolve Champion, WWN Champion, PWG World Tag Team Champion (with Jeff Cobb), and two-time Progress Atlas Champion.
Riddle signed with WWE in 2018 and portrayed a stereotypical carefree, barefoot surfer valley boy. Riddle was originally assigned to the NXT brand, where he was a one-time NXT Tag Team Champion with Pete Dunne as ‘The BroserWeights’, having become champions after winning the 2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament. He was later promoted to the main roster, where he won the United States Championship in February 2021. In April, Riddle began teaming with Randy Orton as RK-Bro, winning the Raw Tag Team Championship in August 2021 and March 2022, before being released in September 2023.