Independent circuit (2014–2018) On October 29, 2014, it was reported that Riddle was training for a career in
professional wrestling. Riddle made his debut on February 7, 2015, at the
Monster Factory in
Paulsboro, New Jersey. In July, he won the Monster Factory Heavyweight Championship. On September 15, it was announced that Riddle had signed with the
World Wrestling Network (WWN) to work the October
Evolve events, which he later confirmed after taking part in a
WWE tryout. On January 24, 2016, Riddle won Evolve's Style Battle tournament. On April 8, Riddle signed a contract with Evolve's parent company WWN. On September 3, Riddle made his debut for
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), entering the
2016 Battle of Los Angeles tournament, from which he was eliminated in his first round match by
Kyle O'Reilly. In October, Riddle faced
Cody Rhodes at New York promotion
House of Glory's show titled
Unbreakable in a losing effort. On January 15, 2017, Riddle defeated
Rampage Brown to win the Progress Atlas Championship. Riddle debuted for
Revolution Pro Wrestling on January 21, challenging
Katsuyori Shibata for the
British Heavyweight Championship in a losing effort. On February 11, at
CZW 18, Riddle faced David Starr in an inter-promotional champion vs champion match, with Riddle defending Progress Wrestling's Atlas Championship and Starr defending
wXw's Shotgun Championship. The match ended in a double disqualification, and neither championship changed hands. On April 1, Riddle defeated five other men in an elimination match to become the inaugural
WWN Champion. On October 20, Riddle and
Jeff Cobb, known collectively as "The Chosen Bros", defeated the Lucha Brothers (
Rey Fenix and
Penta el Zero M) to win the
PWG World Tag Team Championship. On April 5, 2018, Riddle was the host of the first edition of
Game Changer Wrestling's shoot-style event,
Bloodsport, and also wrestled in the main event, losing to
Minoru Suzuki. On the same day, Riddle defeated Zack Sabre Jr. at Evolve 102 to win the
Evolve Championship. On August 4, Riddle lost the Evolve Championship to
Shane Strickland at Evolve 108.
WWE (2018–2023) Early years in NXT (2018–2020) On July 31, 2018, it was reported by
Uproxx that Riddle had signed a contract with
WWE. On August 18, Riddle appeared at
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV and was identified by the event's commentators as WWE's newest signing. Riddle made his in-ring debut on the October 31 episode of
NXT, defeating
Luke Menzies. At
NXT TakeOver: WarGames II on November 17, Riddle began a
feud with
Kassius Ohno, who interrupted him during an interview on the pre-show. When the show started, Riddle challenged Ohno to an impromptu match and defeated him in
6 seconds, marking the fastest match in NXT history. He then defeated Ohno in a rematch on the January 2 episode of
NXT. At
NXT TakeOver: Phoenix on January 26, 2019, Riddle defeated Ohno for a third time after making him submit with a series of elbow strikes to the head, ending their feud. The following month,
WWE Network released a documentary on his wrestling career and entry into NXT entitled
Arrival: Matt Riddle. At
NXT TakeOver: New York on April 5, Riddle challenged
Velveteen Dream for the
NXT North American Championship in a losing effort, ending his undefeated streak in NXT. In July, Riddle started a feud with the returning
Killian Dain. On the August 7 episode of
NXT, Riddle was set to face Dain, but they brawled before the match happened. Three days later, the two brawled at
NXT TakeOver: Toronto and faced each other on the August 21 episode of
NXT, where Dain was victorious, but Riddle attacked Dain after the match. This set up a Street Fight between the two on
NXT's debut on the
USA Network, which ended in a no contest. On the September 25 episode of
NXT, Riddle again fought Dain in a Street Fight where the winner would face
Adam Cole for the
NXT Championship the following week. Riddle defeated Dain to end their feud, but failed to win the title from Cole. On the November 1 episode of
SmackDown, Riddle and
Keith Lee were one of the many
NXT wrestlers to invade the show, confronting and attacking
Sami Zayn. Later that night, Riddle joined
Triple H and the rest of the
NXT roster as they declared war on both
Raw and
SmackDown, and vowed to win the
Survivor Series brand warfare. On the November 13 episode of
NXT,
Finn Bálor insulted the NXT roster as "all boys who can't take a beating", specifically mentioning
Johnny Gargano and Riddle, who attacked Bálor before he retreated. Riddle was originally part of Team Ciampa for
NXT TakeOver: WarGames, but was taken off the team due to having a match against Bálor at the event on November 23, which he lost. The following night, at
Survivor Series, Riddle was part of Team NXT in a losing effort to Team SmackDown also involving Team Raw; during the match, Riddle eliminated
Randy Orton with a roll-up pin before being laid out with an
RKO, which caused him to be eliminated by
King Corbin. On January 26, Riddle participated in the
Royal Rumble match at the
namesake pay-per-view and entered at #23, but was eliminated by Corbin in 41 seconds.
Championship reigns (2020–2021) On January 1, 2020, Riddle and
Pete Dunne were announced as surprise participants in the
2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic; they would later take on the name of The BroserWeights, a
portmanteau of Riddle's "Original Bro" nickname and Dunne's "Bruiserweight" nickname. They defeated
Mark Andrews and
Flash Morgan Webster in the first round,
Fabian Aichner and
Marcel Barthel of
Imperium in the semifinals, and
Grizzled Young Veterans (
James Drake and
Zack Gibson) in the finals to win the tournament and earn a match against
Bobby Fish and
Kyle O'Reilly of
The Undisputed Era for the
NXT Tag Team Championship at
NXT TakeOver: Portland. At the event on February 16, Riddle and Dunne defeated Fish and O'Reilly to win the titles, marking Riddle's first title win in WWE. When Dunne couldn't travel to the United States because of the
COVID-19 pandemic, he picked
Timothy Thatcher as his replacement for Riddle's partner. Riddle and Thatcher lost the titles to Imperium (Aichner and Barthel) on the May 13 episode of
NXT after Thatcher walked out on him. On the May 27 episode of
NXT, Riddle faced Thatcher in a
Fight Pit match with WWE Hall of Famer
Kurt Angle as the special guest referee, but lost in what would be his last match in NXT. On May 29,
Kurt Angle announced that Riddle would move to the
SmackDown brand. On the June 19 episode of
SmackDown, Riddle made his main roster debut, interrupting
Intercontinental Champion AJ Styles before defeating Styles in a non-title match. Riddle received an opportunity at the title on the July 17 episode of
SmackDown, where he lost to Styles. After the match, he was attacked by
King Corbin. Riddle defeated Corbin at
Payback on August 30, but lost in a rematch on the September 25 episode of
SmackDown, ending their feud. As part of the
2020 Draft, Riddle was drafted to the
Raw brand. On October 29, his
ring name was shortened to
Riddle. At
Survivor Series on November 22, Riddle was a part of Team Raw in the men's traditional elimination tag team match, pinning Corbin on route to a clean sweep for Team Raw. On the January 4, 2021 episode of
Raw, Riddle defeated
United States Champion Bobby Lashley in a non-title match, earning a title match the following week in a losing effort. On the January 25 episode of
Raw, Riddle defeated
The Hurt Business (
Cedric Alexander,
MVP, and
Shelton Benjamin) in a gauntlet match to earn another title opportunity against Lashley. At
Royal Rumble on January 31, Riddle entered at #16 and helped eliminate Lashley before being eliminated by
Seth Rollins. Riddle received his title match the following night on
Raw, where he defeated Lashley by disqualification but did not win the championship. At
Elimination Chamber on February 21, Riddle defeated Lashley and
John Morrison in a triple threat match to win the United States Championship, his first title on the main roster and his first singles title in WWE. He successfully defended the title against
Mustafa Ali at the
Fastlane pre-show on March 21. At Night 2 of
WrestleMania 37 on April 11, Riddle lost the title to
Sheamus, ending his reign at 49 days.
RK-Bro (2021–2022) in 2022. On the April 19 episode of
Raw, Riddle interrupted a backstage interview by
Randy Orton and suggested a tag team formation, with Orton dismissing the idea by leaving. A match was made later on in the night between Orton and Riddle, which Riddle won with a roll-up. The following week on
Raw, Orton was backstage with Riddle when he suggested the team be given a try; the newly labeled RK-Bro defeated
Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin, and in a backstage interview afterwards, Orton suggested to Riddle they take the team "a day at a time". After a seven-week absence, Orton returned on the August 9 episode of
Raw, where he initially discontinued his team with Riddle at the beginning of the show. Later that night, Orton defeated AJ Styles in a match following assistance from Riddle and afterwards pretended to hug him but instead hit him with an RKO as a sign of gratitude. The following week, Orton officially reunited the team after Riddle saved Orton from an attack at the hands of Omos and Styles. At
SummerSlam on August 21, RK-Bro defeated Styles and
Omos to win their first
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship, both individually and as a team. On October 21, at
Crown Jewel, RK-Bro defeated Styles and Omos in a rematch to retain the titles. At
Day 1 on January 1, 2022, RK-Bro retained their titles against
The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford). On the January 10 episode of
Raw, RK-Bro lost the titles to
Alpha Academy (
Chad Gable and
Otis), ending their reign at 142 days. On January 29, Riddle participated in the
Royal Rumble match at the
namesake event before being eliminated by eventual winner
Brock Lesnar. Riddle competed in the
WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match at the
namesake event on February 19, but was again eliminated by Lesnar. On the March 7 episode of
Raw, RK-Bro won their second Raw Tag Team Championship after defeating Alpha Academy and
Kevin Owens and
Seth "Freakin" Rollins in a triple threat tag team match. At Night 2 of
WrestleMania 38 on April 3, RK-Bro successfully defended their titles in another triple threat tag team match against Alpha Academy and the Street Profits. Following WrestleMania,
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos (
Jey Uso and
Jimmy Uso) challenged RK-Bro to an unification match at
WrestleMania Backlash on May 8, which RK-Bro accepted. The match at the event, however, was changed into a six-man tag team match, where
The Bloodline (
Roman Reigns and The Usos) defeated RK-Bro and
Drew McIntyre. The unification match later took place on the May 20 episode of
SmackDown, where RK-Bro lost their titles to The Usos, ending their second reign at 74 days.
Feud with Seth Rollins and departure (2022–2023) After Orton was sidelined with a back injury, Riddle continued to feud with The Bloodline, teaming with
Shinsuke Nakamura to unsuccessfully challenge The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship on the June 3 episode of
SmackDown following a distraction from Bloodline associate
Sami Zayn. The following week on
SmackDown, Riddle defeated Zayn to earn a match against Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, with the added stipulation that Riddle would be barred from challenging for the title again if he lost. On the June 17 episode of
SmackDown, Riddle failed to win the title from Reigns, barring him from challenging Reigns for the title again. in September 2022 He then began a feud with Seth "Freakin" Rollins, setting up a match between the two at
SummerSlam. However, the match was postponed after Riddle suffered a storyline injury following an attack by Rollins on the July 25 episode of
Raw. Despite this, both Riddle and Rollins appeared at SummerSlam on July 30, engaging in a brawl which saw Rollins come out on top. At
Clash at the Castle on September 3, Riddle lost to Rollins. On the September 19 episode of
Raw, it was announced that Riddle and Rollins would have a rematch in a
Fight Pit match on October 8 at
Extreme Rules in which
Daniel Cormier would serve as special guest referee. At the event, Riddle defeated Rollins by submission. Riddle failed to win the United States Championship from Rollins on the October 17 episode of
Raw, ending their feud. On the December 5 episode of
Raw, after he and
Kevin Owens failed to win the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship from The Usos, WWE wrote Riddle off television by having
Solo Sikoa "injure" him during a brawl in the ring. On December 12, it was reported that the segment was done after Riddle had been suspended for 60 days after failing WWE's wellness policy for a second time. In a 2024 interview with
Ariel Helwani, Riddle revealed that he had tested positive for
cocaine, which caused his suspension. Riddle returned on the April 3, 2023, episode of
Raw, attacking
The Miz. He resumed feuding with The Bloodline by joining forces with
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, but they lost to The Bloodline in a six-man tag team match at
Backlash on May 6. At
Money in the Bank on July 1, Riddle unsuccessfully challenged
Gunther for the
Intercontinental Championship. Following this, Riddle began teaming with
Drew McIntyre, feuding with
The Viking Raiders (
Erik and
Ivar). Riddle was involved in an incident at
John F. Kennedy International Airport on August 21st, 2023 involving Port Authority Police. On the September 4 episode of
Raw, Riddle and McIntyre lost to The Viking Raiders in a tornado tag team match, which marked Riddle's final match and appearance for the company. On September 22, 2023, Riddle announced his departure from WWE on
Twitter, and RK-Bro was officially disbanded immediately.
Major League Wrestling (2024–present) Riddle returned to
Major League Wrestling (MLW) at
Kings of Colosseum on January 6, 2024, defeating
Jacob Fatu. On February 24, at
Intimidation Games, Riddle successfully defended his NJPW World Television Championship against
Bad Dude Tito. On March 29, at
War Chamber, he successfully defended the title against
Kosei Fujita. On June 1, Riddle won the Battle Riot VI. On January 11, 2025 at
Kings of Colosseum, Riddle defeated
Satoshi Kojima to win the
MLW World Heavyweight Championship for the first time. On September 13 at
Fightland, Riddle lost the title to
Mads Krule Krügger, ending his reign at 245 days. On October 4 at Slaughterhouse, Riddle turned
heel for the first time in his career after defeating
Alex Hammerstone with a
low blow and declaring himself as the "Rude Dude".
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2024) On January 5, 2024, at
New Year Dash!!, Riddle made his
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) debut in a pre-taped vignette, challenging
NJPW World Television Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi. It was then announced that Riddle would be making his NJPW in-ring debut at
Battle in the Valley, teaming with a mystery partner against
Zack Sabre Jr. and Bad Dude Tito of
TMDK. At Battle in the Valley on January 13, Riddle's mystery partner was revealed to be his former Chosen Bros partner
Jeff Cobb, defeating TMDK. On February 23, Riddle defeated Tanahashi at
The New Beginning in Sapporo to win the NJPW World Television Championship. At
Windy City Riot on April 12, Riddle lost the title to Sabre Jr., ending his reign at 49 days.
Return to the independent circuit (2024–present) On February 2, 2024, Riddle made his return to the independent circuit at Adrenaline Championship Wrestling's
Bromance in
Hagerstown, Maryland, defeating Chris Slade. He went on to win the Combat 1 World Championship in a 3 way match at Combat 1 Wrestling's
WrestleRama: Bro-Down in
Brighton, Michigan on February 8, 2024. However, he would be the last Combat 1 World Champion as the promotion would close its doors in October 2024. On March 9, Matt Riddle would face
Rob Van Dam in a singles match ending in a no contest at World Classic Professional Big Time Wrestling's
The Reunion 3: Calvacade Of Legends in
Chillicothe, Ohio. The two would later team up in a tag team match, defeating
America's Most Wanted (
Chris Harris and
James Storm). Riddle also took part in
WrestleMania 40 weekend festivities during the
WrestleCon Mark Hitchcock Memorial Supershow at the
2300 Arena in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 4, where he teamed up with
Mustafa Ali in a tag team match, defeating
The Rascalz Trey Miguel &
Zachary Wentz. Riddle would defeat
PCO the next day at Battleground Championship Wrestling's
Born to Die.
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (2024) Riddle made his debut for
Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) on August 17, 2024 at
Triplemanía XXXII: Mexico City, where he defeated
Komander and
Laredo Kid in a
three-way match for the
AAA World Cruiserweight Championship. Riddle had his first successful title defense against El Fiscal on October 6 at
Héroes Inmortales..Riddle lost the title to
Laredo Kid on December 7 at Cierre De La Origenes.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2024) Riddle made his debut for
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) at
Turning Point on November 29, 2024, where he teamed with
Kushida and
Zachary Wentz in a losing effort to
The Hardys and
Ace Austin. ==Personal life ==