Matt Riddle hasn’t held back his opinions about commercial punk recently. In an interview with Go to Ringside, he was asked whether he would consider working for AEW. Riddle expressed uncertainty about whether Tony Khan would hire him given his previous conflicts with former WWE stars.
He noted, “They hired a lot of ex-WWE talent, and I think it left a bad impression because, aside from Moxley and a few others, it didn’t really work out well.”
One notable former WWE star who received a big contract was CM Punk, who returned to wrestling with AEW in 2021. Punk’s run in AEW ended amid controversy after two years, and Riddle believes that this situation negatively impacted AEW, which has yet to fully bounce back.
“They rely more on homegrown talent now. They had commercial punk and all those issues, which upset me on their behalf,” Riddle said.
He went on to admit he wasn’t a huge fan of Punk, suggesting Punk would “drain the energy from fights” and criticizing his behavior behind the scenes.
“He’s hard to work with… I’ve heard from a friend still at AEW that dealing with him is a headache. This isn’t just a storyline; it’s the truth,” Riddle added.
While Riddle’s remarks about Punk are harsh, other reports claim Punk is doing well behind the scenes in WWE, even mentoring younger wrestlers in WWE NXT. Although Riddle’s own WWE tenure ended in controversy in 2023, it’s unclear if the two might ever cross paths again inside the ring.
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Fan Take: This news is significant for WWE fans because it exposes ongoing tensions and differing opinions about key wrestling personalities that impact locker room dynamics. Riddle’s candid remarks hint at deeper backstage challenges that could influence talent relations and storylines across major wrestling promotions.
