From Wrestling In A Hurricane to the MLW Opera Cup, Matt Riddle is Doing it All [Exclusive]

Brooooooo. Matt Riddle is a supremely confident pro wrestler. He's accomplish quite a bit, and wants more.

"Every other year, I’ve either been world champion or I was chasing the world title and didn’t have time for the Opera Cup," Riddle said. "So this is my first year in it, and I’ve basically won everything else in MLW. I think I’m going to take this Opera Cup home."

The MLW Opera Cup is a signature tournament in MLW every year. The winner of the tournament wins the Opera Cup, which is an old prize utilized by Stu Hart in his Stampede Wrestling promotion. It's the oldest recognized trophy in pro wrestling today and as Riddle said, is one of the only things he hasn't won in MLW.

ICYMI: Matt Riddle (@SuperKingofBros) begins his first Opera Cup campaign against Mark Coffey on MLW FUSION this Thursday at 8 PM ET, streaming free on @Tubi!

Read more: https://t.co/cFjWn4SBXK pic.twitter.com/VXG8yt6VQK
— MLW (@MLW) October 13, 2026

Riddle kicks off his tournament on Thursday's edition of MLW Fusion. His opening round match is against Mark Coffey. Prior to the match, Riddle talked exclusively with The TakeDown on SI about the tournament, MLW, life on the indies, WWE, and so much more.

"My match against Mark Coffey is this Thursday on MLW Fusion on Tubi, so go check that out if you haven’t yet," Riddle said. "It should be good. It’s nice to be somewhere where you saw where it started and you see where it’s going. I think the sky’s the limit (for MLW). The roster is getting more experienced, more grizzled ... and things are clicking."

Prior to joining WWE in 2018 as part of the NXT brand, Riddle made his name in MLW. He's a former MLW World Champion and his time in that company helped him achieve the notoriety needed to eventually make it to WWE.

Matt Riddle and life as an independent pro wrestler

From 2018 to 2023, Riddle was a fixture of NXT programming. He debuted for NXT at the TakeOver Brooklyn event in 2018 and then worked with all of the top guys on the roster, including Adam Cole, Keith Lee, and a host of other talents.

Riddle was released from his WWE contract in 2023, but immediately went back to his roots. MLW and the indies. Business is good.

"I stay busy, I get to meet a lot of fans, and I enjoy myself all the time," Riddle said. "With the holidays coming up, I’ve been working double time because there aren’t as many bookings during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. So, I’m just trying to get in as much work as possible.

"I know I get a lot of flak online. The first year I got released, I did a kid’s birthday party in California, and people were giving me crap. I’m like, 'hey, they paid me.' They were stoked to have me perform. That’s it. I was happy. I flew in same day, flew out, and I think the night before, I won the cruiserweight title in AAA. So I enjoy myself."

Riddle vs. Hurricane

Former WWE superstar, Matt Riddle putting on a match inside a ring flooded with rainwater, as it rains outside during the show 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xYQsrdgN74
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) October 11, 2026

Riddle is doing strong business on the independents right now, but the stories from the road add to his enjoyment of the craft. Riddle recently wrestled in a torrential rainstorm for an indie. He wouldn't necessarily want to do it again, but he made the most of it. It's the perfect story to showcase the mindset of independent pro wrestlers in 2026. Hurricane rains? No problem.

"I knew it was raining and I knew it was going to be bad," Riddle said. "I didn’t realize it was going to be that bad. There was probably a good six inches of water in some parts of the ring. But you know what? It was a lot of fun.

"The guys I was in there with had fun, and we were just like, 'Hey, be safe. We don’t want somebody to slip and tear something.' Everybody executed everything without a hitch. I don’t recommend it, but I had fun. I made money, I had fun and I took pictures with all the people who stayed in the rain."

Riddle was released from the WWE in 2023 and that caused him to relaunch his career on the indies and in MLW. What's forgotten is the run Riddle had in the biggest wrestling company in the world.

He's a former WWE Tag Team Champion with Randy Orton, an NXT Tag Team Champion, a Dusty Cup winner, and a former WWE United States Champion. WrestleMania? Royal Rumble? Riddle's been there. A big world title match on SmackDown against Roman Reigns? Been there too. Riddle is proud of his run with WWE, even if it didn't end the way he wanted.

"Two-time tag team champs. I was the United States Champion. I wrestled at multiple WrestleMania's, Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, Elimination Chamber. I’ve basically been in all of them," Riddle said. "The only big match I don’t think I’ve been in is Hell in a Cell, which I’m kind of thankful for.

"I had a lot of fun and I was in the right place at the right time. I think COVID played a factor in it, because that’s when I got called up to the main roster. A lot of people either weren’t trying to work, didn’t want to work, or were too scared to work. I lived in Florida. I didn’t have to fly in every week... Any opportunity they gave me, I tried to make the most of it. That’s all you really can do."

Matt Riddle on NXT: We were the best

Riddle has an incredible recollection of his time in WWE, but in NXT too. He spoke highly about his time with the black and gold brand and simply said that they were the best in the business at that time. He put over talents like Aleister Black, Adam Cole, Keith Lee, and the rest of the stacked roster.

The timing was everything on that run, according to Riddle. The batch of names in the promotion had made their names elsewhere and that led to NXT fans knowing who most of them were instantly. Riddle said that his favorite television match ever was the title match he had against Adam Cole.

"I still remember when we went head-to-head with AEW, and I took on Adam Cole for the world title. It’s probably one of my [most enjoyable] matches, especially on live TV."

THIS NOVEMBER: MLW Saturday Night SuperFight brings all the VIOLENCE you crave to @Veeps!!

Order the show here: https://t.co/JDlpNk9sGY pic.twitter.com/6mP5s1S5ZH
— MLW (@MLW) October 15, 2026

WWE is in the rearview mirror for Riddle. Now, it's MLW, the Opera Cup, and the upcoming MLW Saturday Night SuperFight from Chicago. That's his focus. And it has other perks, too.

"MLW definitely has a game plan," Riddle said. "I definitely have more freedom here than I did in WWE. 100%. In WWE, most of the time when I suggested something, somebody would say it was dumb, and then two weeks later it would be part of the promo or part of the sketch. MLW kind of lets me rock.

"They run MLW professionally. They’ve got good catering. There’s water, Gatorade, and sodas. It’s pretty sick."

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