Released WWE star claims to have held TNA Wrestling talks

Among the stars let go by WWE in September, arguably the biggest name was former United States and Tag Team Champion Matt Riddle.
Despite controversy clouding the end of Riddle’s tenure in the company, the former UFC star has taken his release in his stride and has made some notable moves as a free agent in 2024 – competing for the likes of NJPW and MLW to name a few.
One destination many thought could potentially come in for The Original Bro is TNA, who have already featured other ex-WWE stars let go around the same time as Riddle – such as Dolph Ziggler and Dana Brooke.
Despite not seeing Riddle on TNA TV as of yet, the 38-year-old recently confirmed that talks had been held between himself and the company in an appearance on Sunday Night’s Main Event.

When asked about his plans going forward in wrestling, Riddle revealed the talks, saying:
“When I got done with WWE, it’s kind of stressful working on TV all the time, especially with the travel.
“The money is awesome, it’s definitely worth it, and the experience. Now, I want to take a break from TV. After the 90 days and during the 90 days, I’m setting some dates up.

“I talked to some places. I’ve talked to TNA, I’ve worked with New Japan and MLW. You do film for TV, but it’s not the same as Monday Night Raw, three hours live, anything can happen, people are changing the script.
“You have ten minutes for your match, now you have five minutes. It’s extremely stressful. I like the pressure, but at the same time, I kind of wanted a little break from all that.
“I’m choosing places more pay-per-view based where I don’t have to worry about going to commercial so we can get that Fritos advertisement.”

Riddle is currently gearing up for what will be his highest profile post-WWE match yet, as he faces off with NJPW legend and current company president Hiroshi Tanahashi at NJPW New Beginning on February 23.
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